Thru the Year: March 19

Sure you’ve heard of Saint Patrick’s Day, but did you know that the other March Feast Day – which happens to belong to Saint Joseph — is equally well and joyously celebrated?

It’s true that we know little about Saint Joseph – other than the obvious. He was chosen by God to be Mary’s husband, and so is sometimes shown holding lilies. We know he was the adoptive father of Jesus, but did not live to see his foster son’s crucifixion. We know he is the patron saint of many things (including expectant mothers, travelers, and craftsmen) and that the Swallows return to Capistrano on his feast day.

And we know that Saint Joseph’s intercession once saved Sicily from famine – and that event became the basis for almost all contemporary Saint Joseph’s Day community and family celebrations.

It’s interesting that even the story of Saint Joseph and the Famine is short on details — so short, in fact, that it’s told in more or less the same three sentences wherever it’s repeated: During the Middle Ages, Sicily suffered a drought. Residents prayed for rain, and asked their patron saint Joseph to intercede. Rain came, a healthy crop of fava beans grew, nobody starved. In celebration and thanksgiving, “La Festa di San Giuseppe” was born: a day to pray, enjoy special foods, and share generously with others.

Central to the “festa” is what’s called a Saint Joseph Altar, or Table. The Table is set in three levels, representing the Holy Trinity, with Saint Joseph (in statue or picture form) at the top. The three levels are filled with beautiful items (candles, flowers, pictures, carpentry tools) and symbolic, often elaborate, foods. The Altar appears in homes, churches, social clubs, and other public buildings. There’s even an online virtual Saint Joseph’s Altar.

Wherever it is held, the Table is open to all, sometimes providing food for the elderly or other groups, and often associated with fundraising and/or donations to food-banks and other charities.

Fava beans (also called broad beans), kept the Sicilians alive and so are thought to bring good luck (they thought themselves “lucky” to have the beans to eat!). According to Catholic Culture, if you carry a fava bean, you’ll never be broke and if you keep one in the pantry, you’ll never go hungry.

They are given to guests – and usually incorporated into the Saint Joseph’s feast with a dish called Maccu di San Giuseppe, a thick soup made from pureed Fava Beans, typically flavored with Fennel, which, says Cooks Info, is an ingredient common to Silician dishes.

Like its famous counterpart, the feast of Saint Joseph falls within the Season of Lent, and is referred to as an “oasis” feast. That means the usual rules about consuming meat and meat products are relaxed. Nonetheless, by long-standing tradition, the foods made for Saint Joseph’s Day foods are fish-based. Cheese is omitted as well, in remembrance of the Sicilians who had no cheese to eat during the Drought.

Pasta con Sarde (sardines) is just such a dish, featuring pasta, little fishes, and fennel, with breadcrumbs standing in for grated cheese. Breadcrumbs are thought to look like Sawdust, a fitting symbol of Saint Joseph the Carpenter.

Saint Joseph’s Day Bread appears in many symbolic shapes –Crowns, palms, crosses, staffs, wreaths, sheaves– and is topped with “sawdust” (seeds) of its own. But the treat everyone waits for is Zeppole, aka “Saint Joseph’s fritters.” They look a bit like fancy cream puffs and, according to Mangia Bene Pasta, are “as much associated with St. Joseph’s Day as turkey is [with] Thanksgiving.”

So, as expected, the food is good. But the Table is much more than just a display of edibles. Saint Joseph’s Day provides participants opportunities for prayer, service, and fellowship. There are parades and processions, everyone gets dressed up in Red, and items on the Alter are blessed by the parish priest. Sometimes before anyone can eat, the group participates in a short play called a tupa-tupa (“knock-knock”); this reenactment of the Holy Family’s search for shelter is reminiscent of the Mexican tradition of Los Posadas. Visitors pocket their Lucky Fava Beans (and other goodies) and, in turn, leave their own donations on the Table. These along with the food, are afterwards given to charitable organizations.

Prominent among Saint Joseph celebrants are the people of New Orleans – a city which has a long (and not always pleasant) association with Sicilians. During the late 1800s, NOLA was a major immigration center for Italians, who brought their Saint Joseph’s Day traditions with them and which today are seen throughout the city – including a few restaurants.

Of course, Saint Joseph’s Day is celebrated by other groups –the Polish, for example- and in other cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and Buffalo. (Rhode Island, which according to the New England Historical Society, is the “most Italian state in the country,” is particularly fond of the Zeppoles).

But the foundation remains the same: Honor Saint Joseph by bringing family and friends together, pray, express gratitude, and give back by collecting and sharing with others. Now that’s a fitting celebration for someone as important to the faith as Saint Joseph.

Anyway, Happy Saint Joseph’s Day.

HomeSchool Go 2 Postscript
What Can You Do with This Information?

If you don’t yet know any, memorize a prayer to Saint Joseph

Conduct an online investigation to learn more about this celebration. For example, Catholic Icing has posted videos about Saint Joseph’s Day in various places and at least one site contains a first-hand remembrance of family altars

Volunteer to organize a Saint Joseph’s Table for your Church – OR create a simple one at home – OR participate in the Virtual Saint Joseph Altar

Try making some of the dishes associated with Saint Joseph — including the bread. (If you’d rather sculpt than knead, buy frozen bread dough and shape it into crosses and crowns)

Explore representations of Saint Joseph in painting and sculpture, perhaps focusing on one period or century

Finally, don’t forget the charitable aspect of Saint Joseph’s Day, and consider making a donation to a local organization that serves children or the elderly, or any other cause close to your heart