July 22nd, 2008
July 22 is the Feast day of Mary Magdalene, a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Mary Magdalene was a disciple of Christ, the only non-family woman to be closely associated with him. She was among the first to witness the resurrection and was charged by Christ with spreading the word to the other […]
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May 21st, 2008
A Sextet of Greek Festivals
May 21 is a popular festival day in Greece. Not only is today the feast day for Greece’s patron saint (and mother of Emperor Constantine I), Helen. It’s also the date of five regional festivals. Being celebrated in Greece today are:
May 21st - Throughout Greece - Feast of Saints Constantine and Helen
May 21st […]
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March 13th, 2008
St. Patrick’s Day is March 17, but how much do you really know about the man for whom the holiday is named and the holiday? The people at findingDulcinea, a travel guide publisher and information Web site, were kind enough to share their list of Things You Probably Didn’t Know about St. Patrick’s Day:
1. […]
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February 1st, 2008
February 1 is St. Brigid’s Day in Ireland. St. Brigid, who lived in Ireland during the 5th and 6th centuries, is one of three patron saints of Ireland (with St. Patrick and St. Columba). She is also the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle, dairymen, fugitives, travelers, nuns, poets, sailors, and scholars. (busy […]
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January 17th, 2008
St. Anthony, who is honored on January 17, is a handy guy to have around. He is the patron saint of domestic animals, basket makers, Sicily, Brazil, butchers, cemetery workers, hermits, hogs, and monks–an eclectic mixture, to say the least.
The real St. Anthony lived near Alexandria, Egypt, in the 3rd and 4th centuries. He […]
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January 13th, 2008
Sweden celebrates Christmas for 20 days, beginning on December 25 and ending on St. Knut’s Day, January 13. The tradition, called Tjugondag Knut in Swedish, began in the 11th century by King Knut (later canonized by the Catholic church for his kindness and generosity).
The occasion is marked with small gifts of candy and cookies (which […]
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