Today, in the liturgical calendar, is Gaudete Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday.
The day takes its name from the first word of the introit of this day's Mass:
Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Modestia vestra nota sit omnibus hominibus: Dominus enim prope est. Nihil solliciti sitis: sed in omni oratione petitiones vestræ innotescant apud Deum. Benedixisti Domine terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob.
This translates as:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.
Of course, mention the word Gaudete to people today, and they're just as likely to think of the following carol...
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent. Show all posts
Pinch, punch, first of the month
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Pinch, punch, first of the month - and no returns!
Yes, it's 1 December and day one of The Chrismologist's Advent calendar.
December was the tenth month of the Roman calendar (decem meaning ten). The Anglo-Saxons referred to it as both Winter Monath and Yule Monath, but after many of them were converted to Christianity it became known as Heligh Monath or 'holy month'.
1 December itself, is the feast day of Saint Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths and other metalworkers (including blacksmiths), who died on this day AD 660.
The following legends are often linked to Saint Dunstan, another smithying saint, but have also been applied to Saint Eligius.
The Saint, formerly a blacksmith was working at his forge when the Devil paid him a visit, disguised as a beautiful woman, with a view to leading him astray. However the Saint spotted the cloven hooves beneath the dress, and grabbed the devil's nose with his red hot pincers! Thus foiling Satan's evil intentions.
According to another legend, Satan returned again as a weary traveller in need of a horseshoe. The Saint saw through the disguise once again and beat the Devil until he pleaded for mercy, and swore never to enter any house with a horseshoe above the door.
So now you know.
Yes, it's 1 December and day one of The Chrismologist's Advent calendar.
December was the tenth month of the Roman calendar (decem meaning ten). The Anglo-Saxons referred to it as both Winter Monath and Yule Monath, but after many of them were converted to Christianity it became known as Heligh Monath or 'holy month'.
1 December itself, is the feast day of Saint Eligius, the patron saint of goldsmiths and other metalworkers (including blacksmiths), who died on this day AD 660.
The following legends are often linked to Saint Dunstan, another smithying saint, but have also been applied to Saint Eligius.
The Saint, formerly a blacksmith was working at his forge when the Devil paid him a visit, disguised as a beautiful woman, with a view to leading him astray. However the Saint spotted the cloven hooves beneath the dress, and grabbed the devil's nose with his red hot pincers! Thus foiling Satan's evil intentions.According to another legend, Satan returned again as a weary traveller in need of a horseshoe. The Saint saw through the disguise once again and beat the Devil until he pleaded for mercy, and swore never to enter any house with a horseshoe above the door.
So now you know.
G is for the Gävle Goat
Monday, 5 December 2011
The Gävle Goat, located at Slottstorget (a.k.a. 'Castle Square') in central Gävle, is a giant version of a traditional Swedish Yule Goat figure made of straw. The strange history of the Gävle Goat began in 1966. A gentleman by the name of Stig Gavlén came up with the idea of making a giant version of the traditional Swedish Christmas goat of straw. The aim was to attract customers to the the shops and restaurants in the southern part of the town centre.
On 2 December the 13-metre tall, 7-metre long, 3 tonne goat stood on the square. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, the goat went up in smoke. The perpetrator was found and charged with vandalism. The Gävle Goat has been burned down 24 times since then.
You can follow the Gävle Goat via web cams, Twitter and a dedicated blog. To find out more, follow this link.
* * * *
Stop by again on Tuesday to see what's next in the A to Z of Christmas.
You'll find a host of other such fascinating festive facts in my book What is Myrrh Anyway? - and its American counterpart Christmas Miscellany: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Christmas.
Advent Cocktail... Holidays are coming
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Here's something a little different from the usual Christmas tipple of Eggnog and Mulled Wine. It's an Advent Cocktail called the Watermelon Ling, and here's what you need and how you make it...
Watermelon Ling
2 shots Seagrams gin
1 tsp grated ginger
4-5 watermelon chunks
3/4 shot lemon/lime juice
½ shot ginger infused sugar
Topped with ginger beer
London dry gin muddled with fresh root ginger, watermelon, lime juice and jasmine infused sugar. Shake and strain over ice. Charge with ginger beer. Serve tall garnished with watermelon, white petals and ginger-orange gin based caviar*.
* You might want to miss this bit out. For some inexplicable reason, my local Tesco is out of 'gin based caviar' right now. Must be all the Watermelon Lings everyone's making right now.
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