Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of ST. Peter and St. Paul
The Feast Day of Sts. Peter and Paul is a Christian celebration of two of its most well-known Apostles.
What is the origin of this celebration? (via wiki)
The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Christian origin, the date selected being the anniversary of either their death or the translation of their relics.
Eastern Christianity
For Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic Christians this feast also marks the end of the Apostles' Fast (which began on the Monday following All Saints' Sunday, i.e., the second Monday after Pentecost). While not considered among the twelve great feasts, it is one of five additional feasts ranked as a great feast in the Eastern Orthodox tradition and is often celebrated with an all-night vigil starting the evening before. In the Julian calendar, 29 June falls on the Gregorian calendar date of 12 July from 1900 to 2099, inclusive.
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Macarius of Unzha's Miracle of the Moose is said to have occurred during the Apostles' Fast and the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul that followed it.
Oriental Orthodox tradition
In the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the feast of saints Peter and Paul is also celebrated on the day 5 Epip which is also the end of the fast of the apostles in these traditions.
Spiritual Christian tradition
Although the Canadian Doukhobors, a Spiritual Christian denomination, do not venerate saints, the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul has traditionally been a day of celebration for them. Since 1895, it has acquired a new significance as a commemoration of the "Burning of the Arms", the Doukhobors' destruction of their weapons, as a symbol of their refusal to participate in government-sponsored killing. It is celebrated now by their descendants as simply "Peter's Day" (Russian: Petro den.), sometimes referred to as the "Doukhobor Peace Day".
Western Christian tradition
In the General Roman Calendar, the celebration is a solemnity. In earlier editions, it was ranked as a Double (Tridentine calendar), Double of the First Class (e.g., General Roman Calendar of 1954), or First-Class Feast (General Roman Calendar of 1960). Prior to the liturgical reforms of Pope Pius XII, this feast was followed by a common octave. On this feast, newly created metropolitan archbishops receive from the pope the primary symbol of their office, the pallium.
It is a holy day of obligation in the Latin Church, although individual conferences of bishops can suppress the obligation. The Enchiridion Indulgentiarum of 2004 grants the partial indulgence for the faithful who has devoutly recited the prayer in honor of the apostles .
In England, Scotland and Wales the feast is observed as a holy day of obligation while in the United States and Canada, it is not. The feast ceased being a Holy Day of Obligation in the United States in 1840.
The Church of England celebrates 29 June as a festival. The Lutheran churches celebrate it in the rank of a lesser festival.
Because of the importance of Sts Peter and Paul to the Catholic Church, many Catholic-majority countries observe their feast day as a public holiday. The feast is observed in Rome because St. Paul and St. Peter are patron saints of the Eternal City. In the Apulia region of southeastern Italy, the feast was associated with the Tarantella dance since the Middle Ages.
In Malta the solemnity is a public holiday and in Maltese is known as L-Imnarja. It is celebrated with festivals the preceding weekend in Nadur Gozo and as well as Buskett Gardens in Rabat.
It is also a public holiday of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, as well as parts of the Swiss cantons of Lucerne and Graubünden. It is a public holiday in Peru and in various municipalities of the Philippines. In Ormoc, festivals, bazaars, parades, and pageants are held annually on the feast day, as Peter and Paul are the city's patron saints.
In 1577 Jan Rubens named his son Peter Paul, because he was born during the office of vespers of this day.
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What do you eat to celebrate the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul?
In Rome, the celebration includes having the day off work and wandering the city, eating street food until the day concludes with a fireworks display, the girandola in Piazza del Popolo.
One example of the street food you might find in Rome, on this day, is Porchetta.
Porchetta
(This is complicated, so you might want to open the link above and follow the additional tips.)
Ingredients
- One fresh, pork belly roast with the skin (ask your reputable butcher) weighing 8 to 10 lbs
- Kosher or sea salt (I used Maldon)
- Fresh or dried rosemary
- Wild Tuscan fennel pollen (if you can source it) at least 1 oz, but as you can see, more is better in this case (it is expensive, though) this brand is from Italy's most famous butcher, (but I bought some locally at a much more reasonable price)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil
Special equipment: butcher's twine and a large tray with rack
Crusty Italian bread or rolls (panini) for serving
Prepare the Meat
- Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
- Sprinkle generously with the salt.
- Then work the salt into the pork.
- Next, add the rosemary. We used fresh rosemary as I have a bush in my garden. Whether you use dry or fresh, rub it and crush it between your fingers to release the flavor and/or oil.
- Add the freshly ground black pepper all over the porchetta.
- Now add the fennel pollen. Sprinkle evenly over the pork, but save a little of the pollen for after the porchetta has been rolled.
- Roll the Pork Belly tightly and Tie it.
- But as you roll it, sprinkle some salt onto the unseasoned side of the pork.
- Continue rolling until you reach the end.
- Keeping the seam side down, start tying the pork. Another pair of hands will make this part immensely easier. There's no need for fancy ties or sailors' knots, just wrap, double knot and cut.
- Repeat every few inches. The goal is only to keep the porchetta closed, so don't tie it too tightly, either. As you can see, ours is far from perfect, but unless you're serving the Queen of England, it won't matter.
Finish the Preparation and Roast.
- Turn the roast seam side up and add more seasonings, including the rest of the fennel pollen to the non-skin parts of the pork which are exposed (including the ends).
- Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
- Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
- Place in the hot oven when it comes to temperature and roast for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 350°F (170°C) and continue to cook for about another 2 hours. Check the center of the roast when it reaches 170°F (76°C) remove from the oven. Take the foil off the ends and place on top of the porchetta, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, remove one or two of the pieces of twine.
- Cut into slices and serve on crusty Italian rolls, or bread, Italian style!
What is a prayer you say for the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul?
via catholicdigest.com
O God, who on the Solemnity
of the Apostles Peter and Paul,
give us the noble and holy joy of this day,
grant, we pray, that your Church
may in all things follow the teaching
of those through whom she received
the beginnings of right religion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Source: Roman Missal, Collect for Mass during the day on June 29
When is the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul celebrated?
The Feast Day occurs annually on 29 June.
I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day!
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