tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61545119053874518922024-03-21T19:21:58.175+01:00A Commonplace Book of SaintsA miscellany of things hagiologicalMollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-87003264520955030522014-11-03T21:51:00.004+01:002014-11-04T11:17:05.171+01:00Tally-ho! It’s St. Hubertus Day<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">November 3 is the feast day of St.
Hubertus, or Hubert, patron saint of hunters and ethical hunting behavior. And
what better way to mark the occasion than by watching the <i>Hubertusjakt</i> (St. Hubert’s Day Hunt) held this
past weekend in Stockholm?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Saint Hubertus was born in Toulouse
in about 656. As a noble and hunter, he became the Grand Master of the
household for Pippin of Heristal in Metz. When his wife died in childbirth, he
retreated from the court and gave himself entirely up to hunting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">According to legend, while out
hunting one Good Friday, Hubertus had a revelation where the deer he was pursuing turned
and showed him a crucifix between its antlers. At the same time, he heard a
voice telling him to lead a holy life or quickly go to hell. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Helvetica;"><i>The Vision of Saint Hubert (ca 1617) by J. Breughel and P.P. Rubens. Prado, Madrid. </i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a result, Hubertus gave up
hunting altogether and became a priest. He was eventually ordained Bishop of
Maastricht in 708. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hubertus died on May 30, 727 or 728
near Liège, where he was buried in the collegiate church of St. Peter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">His bones were later exhumed and
translated to the Benedictine Abbey of Amdain in present-day Saint-Hubert, Belgium on November 3, 825. The abbey became a focus
for pilgrimages until St. Hubertus’ coffin disappeared during the Reformation. </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St. Hubertus and the hunt<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c;">Because it was believed that St.
Hubertus was lectured on compassionate hunting by the deer he was after, he
became known as the patron of hunting and hunters. He is also the namesake of
the </span><i style="color: #1c1c1c;">Hubertusjakt </i><span style="color: #1c1c1c;">foxhunt held
every year in Stockholm on or around November 3. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c;">Fox hunting involves tracking,
chasing and sometimes killing a fox using </span><span style="color: #1c1c1c;">trained foxhounds</span><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"> or other scent hounds</span><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"> and a group
of unarmed followers on foot or horseback. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traditional fox hunting still exists in many countries, but the
sport is controversial. In the US, where it is called “fox chasing”, the fox is
normally not killed. In the UK, the hounds normally kill the fox, though hunting
with a pack of dogs has been banned since the Hunting Act was introduced in
2004. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #262626;">Fox hunting on horseback or with packs is also banned in Sweden.
However, for the last 118 years, the Stockholm Fältrittsklubb has been carrying
on the tradition of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hubertusjakt</i>
established by the Swedish princes C</span><span style="color: #1c1c1c;">arl, Eugen
and Oscar in 1886.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The <i>Hubertusjakt</i> involves
riding on tracks prepared with a variety of obstacles that the riders must pass.
To win the competition, the riders race the final 300 meters over several obstacles
to secure the foxtail dangling on a rope at the finish line. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">Riders striking a nice pose. </span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6286nhzCEgRKotRcavTPy9Gx600vYxE_8ECK6I5YhuDMV4dB_9fOUEy55Rv3ttBaD8RcexGushbPlAySeZQEwTEhP80ErLy8j7A7KJ87CQg_ldftxDoRvqmhktKPfxj3MYz6BIvVmw1wH/s1600/IMG_6168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6286nhzCEgRKotRcavTPy9Gx600vYxE_8ECK6I5YhuDMV4dB_9fOUEy55Rv3ttBaD8RcexGushbPlAySeZQEwTEhP80ErLy8j7A7KJ87CQg_ldftxDoRvqmhktKPfxj3MYz6BIvVmw1wH/s1600/IMG_6168.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">Homemade split-pea soup and </span></i><i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">Swedish </span></i><i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">punch to keep us warm. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">Off they go!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">"Hunting pink," not red, is the name of the </span></i><i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">red jackets </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Arial;">worn by riders at a foxhunt. </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Other cool things to know about St. Hubertus and hunting</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The more formal English word for hunting wild or game animals is
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">venery</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">“Tally-ho!” is a largely British
phrase that comes from when a rider sees the fox (or other quarry), as in “<i>There
he is! Coming out of that coppice! Tally-ho! </i>Today, it is also used as a greeting (though only if you’re a character from a P.G. Wodehouse novel) or to confirm that a target
has been spotted, as in air traffic control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hubertus also inspired the
name of a metal charm in the form of a nail, cross, or cone that was used in
Europe up to the early 20th century as a “cure” for rabies. Known as the St.
Hubertus Key, it was heated and the head was pressed to bites from dogs believed
to have the disease. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Finally, if you need a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">digéstif </i>after all of this fascinating
information, why not enjoy the 50+ herbs in a shot of Jägermeister? While you’re
at it, look at the label, which shows a glowing cross between the
antlers of a stag. The image is a reference to St. Hubertus (as well as St.
Eustache) and the name is German for “Master of Hunters.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Helvetica;">Jägermeister label, with the deer and cross.</span></i></div>
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-2449541963414640122014-05-18T23:10:00.003+02:002014-11-04T11:26:26.655+01:00St. Erik, King of Sweden<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
<b>Swedish king, lawmaker and patron of Stockholm, there are many reasons to know something about Erik Jevardsson, or St. Erik of Sweden. </b></div>
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No actual historical records of Eric IX of Sweden, or Erik the Saint, have survived. Most of what we know about Erik is based on the Swedish <i>Erikslegenden</i> written in the 13th century. But Erik is a saint whose legacy is relevant even today. </div>
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Erik purportedly ruled from 1155-1160. From 1150, he was a rival king to Sverker the Elder who was crowned around 1130 and murdered in 1156, after which Erik was recognized as king. </div>
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<b>Crusade to Finland</b></div>
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During his reign, Erik was responsible for codifying laws that became known as King Erik's Law (or the Code of Uppland). Erik also insisted on paying tithes to the Church as elsewhere in Europe, irking many of the Swedish nobles at the time. He was also instrumental in Christianizing the Finns and led the First Crusade to Finland along with English bishop Henry of Uppsala, who later became Finland's patron saint, St. Henrik.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirETdn2X1K2PREGyrkhQPuRr17dnVF9tm0SnGmH9P9TODBzryiekVqoTHpcUWKL-io6mqtiZ0if1Eur3hamnvXG7N8U9z-yZt9ehWDIhCznlD952JUfz40ha8Phe1PUL9J8WR5BqLUZi1/s1600/St+Erik+Albertus+Pictor.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirETdn2X1K2PREGyrkhQPuRr17dnVF9tm0SnGmH9P9TODBzryiekVqoTHpcUWKL-io6mqtiZ0if1Eur3hamnvXG7N8U9z-yZt9ehWDIhCznlD952JUfz40ha8Phe1PUL9J8WR5BqLUZi1/s1600/St+Erik+Albertus+Pictor.gif" height="205" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span class="bildbeskrivning" style="border: 0px; color: #34343d; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Scenes from Erikslegenden by Albertus Pictor, 1400s, </span></i><i><span class="bildbeskrivning" style="border: 0px; color: #34343d; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Uppsala Cathedral. Photo: </span><span class="graytext" style="border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anders Damberg</span></i></div>
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<b>Murder in the cathedral?</b></div>
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Eric was attacked by rebel Swedish nobles in Uppsala at Ascension Mass on May 18 in 1160 at a church once located on the site of the present-day cathedral. According to legend, he was beheaded by Magnus Henriksson, an assassin said to have been hired by members of the Sverker dynasty. Interestingly, like many other Nordic saints, he is represented as a king standing on his murderer, who is often depicted as a dragon or serpent, in medieval iconography.</div>
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Also in line with legends about Nordic saints, a fountain purportedly sprang forth at the spot where his head fell. This was one of many miracles attributed to him after his death. <span style="color: #3a3a3a; font-family: Arial;">The spring, which was said to cure the ill and restore sight to the blind, still flows by the north wall of Uppsala Cathedral. </span></div>
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Erik was buried in the Old Uppsala church, which he had built around the Viking burial mounds located there. In 1167, his relics and regalia were transferred to the present cathedral of Uppsala. </div>
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<b>Not just a pretty face</b></div>
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Erik was never actually canonized, but he has been regarded as a saint in the Nordic countries since his death. At the end of the 12th century, the Swedes chose Erik as their patron saint and he later became Stockholm’s designated protector. His image first appeared on the Stockholm seal as early as in 1376 and it is used as the logo of the City of Stockholm to this day. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGA24NCs1CBuYwQ5LBRUdadLREzd5amSgoTiymBaR3Khigw_Av6V7PMhBJpLZ53B5cbhyphenhyphenTecQXWBV9PAUlKjln_oojYZpEEBo0_lbHsvcMv4y-1XFKWOVBUVbJINbJLQEIGobZyeBCszf/s1600/Stockholms+stad+logotype.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGA24NCs1CBuYwQ5LBRUdadLREzd5amSgoTiymBaR3Khigw_Av6V7PMhBJpLZ53B5cbhyphenhyphenTecQXWBV9PAUlKjln_oojYZpEEBo0_lbHsvcMv4y-1XFKWOVBUVbJINbJLQEIGobZyeBCszf/s1600/Stockholms+stad+logotype.png" height="126" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Erik in the news</b></div>
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In April, St. Erik's reliquary was opened by a team of researchers investigating the development of osteoporosis from the Middle Ages. This is the first scientific investigation of his relics and the first time the reliquary has been opened since 2000. The injuries that can be seen on the cranium, by the way, show that the person suffered a violent death. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9vtGSplv72sais8s5rT4JgF9QPs9EVmNYiz7Bw4N_02Rmi7QZ8PYu3uKNFdJn_b6q1FSRPT71YQ4SZKeYyOnj-gdlFV46elEXEnNh7oobnQmuI03nujOOYVCYT7M4qqfvGOW1xRY8Hwz/s1600/Erik+den+Heliges+skrin+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9vtGSplv72sais8s5rT4JgF9QPs9EVmNYiz7Bw4N_02Rmi7QZ8PYu3uKNFdJn_b6q1FSRPT71YQ4SZKeYyOnj-gdlFV46elEXEnNh7oobnQmuI03nujOOYVCYT7M4qqfvGOW1xRY8Hwz/s1600/Erik+den+Heliges+skrin+4.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Cranium and crown from reliquary. Photo: Bertil Eriksson</span></i></div>
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The royal burial crown (the oldest in Sweden) contained within the reliquary will also be restored and shown in an exhibition at Uppsala Cathedral this summer from June 18. The exhibition will be a part of Uppsala's celebration of 850 years as a bishopric. </div>
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-9674292845879129902014-03-24T23:25:00.001+01:002014-03-24T23:30:00.861+01:00Kit Kat<div style="font-family: Helvetica; margin-bottom: 6.4px;">
<b>There are many saints named Catherine in the world of hagiology, like St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Catherine of Siena. Today is the feast day of another of them, St. Catherine of Vadstena.</b></div>
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Saint Catherine, or Katarina Ulfsdotter, was born in 1332 as the fourth of eight children born to St. Bridget of Sweden and Ulf Gudmarsson, Lord of Ulvåsa. She is best known as the first abbess of the Bridgettine convent at Vadstena and for her devotional work, <i>Consolation of the Soul. </i></div>
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She is the patron saint of protection against abortion and miscarriage, and generally represented with a hind (female red deer), which is said to have come to her aid "when unchaste youths sought to ensnare her." </div>
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<b>Noli me tangere</b></div>
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At the age of 12, Catherine married Lord Eggert van Kyren, a very religious German nobleman whom she purportedly persuaded to take a vow of absolute chastity. She accompanied her mother to Rome in 1349 (Bridget was on a mission to have her order authorized by the pope). While she was away, her husband died. </div>
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She stayed on in Rome, accompanying Bridget on her travels in Italy and the Holy Land. When Bridget died in 1373, she returned to Vadstena with the body (or what was left of it after the "<i>skelettering</i>" that was carried out to remove the flesh from the bones) on what might be termed the most famous PR road trip of the Middle Ages, since Catherine and her companions visited monasteries on the way to drop off copies of the works of St. Bridget. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQWgxTk2O3wEypUV-hOe-voT_q5H-ZpixFtw-_GiCsBALrdS5RM_ZW0q5d4_vTSUd58TIYPK5OIkqSvB-VCZxUppaUkoJBJRoGHAE_ryd2DRqfDx4k0VwwFUmOP9Apt0tx6jcCbsIWpqT/s1600/St+Catherine+of+Sweden+Tro%CC%88no%CC%88+Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQWgxTk2O3wEypUV-hOe-voT_q5H-ZpixFtw-_GiCsBALrdS5RM_ZW0q5d4_vTSUd58TIYPK5OIkqSvB-VCZxUppaUkoJBJRoGHAE_ryd2DRqfDx4k0VwwFUmOP9Apt0tx6jcCbsIWpqT/s1600/St+Catherine+of+Sweden+Tro%CC%88no%CC%88+Church.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">St Catherine of Siena with her hind, from a triptych in Trönö church, Sweden.</span></i></div>
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Catherine became the head of the Brigittine convent, returning to Rome only to work for her mother's canonization, which took place in 1391. During this time, she befriended St. Catherine of Siena. She died in 1381 and in 1488, her relics were translated to Vadstena. Her canonization was never formally completed because of the Protestant Reformation. </div>
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The Brigittines still run a monastery in Vadstena, though not in the original building. The first building, which was a gift from King Magnus Ericsson, is now a luxury hotel and houses the Convent Museum. The order is contemplative, though nowadays they run a guesthouse. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3_bgMIyXAhZx_E9xtyblFGQ4baIfRsE9bH4u_9RhuZAUio1VI3wXpnyxbawrpJ2uZ5TcUk-_rnbQViJRMDanZFvYTbfv6GWHxaqtYZDzwyX-ZHXnn1342zOE7UU4zmkAIPESX_bCUuz_/s1600/klosterliljor+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO3_bgMIyXAhZx_E9xtyblFGQ4baIfRsE9bH4u_9RhuZAUio1VI3wXpnyxbawrpJ2uZ5TcUk-_rnbQViJRMDanZFvYTbfv6GWHxaqtYZDzwyX-ZHXnn1342zOE7UU4zmkAIPESX_bCUuz_/s1600/klosterliljor+2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Klosterliljor, literally "monastery flowers" or spring snowflake flowers, were brought to Sweden by the first gardener at the Vadstena Abbey. Here, in full bloom near the original monastery in Vadstena.</span></i></div>
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-61715986786373872802014-02-02T22:17:00.001+01:002014-02-02T22:24:13.485+01:00Of candles and rodents of unusual size<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;">Today, February 2, is
Candlemas, which you probably know as Groundhog Day. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;">In the Catholic Church,
Candelmas is also called the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (at the
temple) as well as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;">The idea of purification
may seem a little weird, but it has to do with the old custom of
"churching women" who were considered to be impure for six weeks
after giving birth. In the Catholic tradition, it was believed that Mary gave
birth around the winter solstice, about six weeks before February 2. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Candelmas is also the day
of blessing of the candles that are to be used during the liturgical year.
Incidentally, these newly blessed candles are used on the following day (Feast
of St. Blaise) to bless the throats of parishioners to keep them from colds,
flu, sore throats and the like. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyXl0MuevtJZZNIBEQdTf-u1umspnIcliZiTrxn23ONUrHNlsd9RCtNSkuhhqLKuiXfSBEQ1jEcDQOhksfyhg75EnJJkOuXJIWN5i-RIiXrfM8RjWb14jwqGEVpNC4W2k2q3JMLALRAmT/s1600/James+Tissot+%22The+presentation+of+Jesus+in+the+Temple%22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyXl0MuevtJZZNIBEQdTf-u1umspnIcliZiTrxn23ONUrHNlsd9RCtNSkuhhqLKuiXfSBEQ1jEcDQOhksfyhg75EnJJkOuXJIWN5i-RIiXrfM8RjWb14jwqGEVpNC4W2k2q3JMLALRAmT/s1600/James+Tissot+%22The+presentation+of+Jesus+in+the+Temple%22.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i> "The presentation of Jesus in the Temple," James Tissot</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;">So what does this have to
do with groundhogs?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;">Candlemas happens to fall
on the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In fact, the Celts celebrated the beginning of spring at this time at a festival called Imbolc at which they would try to divine the weather. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;">In </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;">16</span><sup style="font-family: Verdana;">th</sup><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;"> century Germany, Candlemas became the day on which farmers
tried to get a feel for how the upcoming growing season might be.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 16.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;">They would look for
animals that hibernated (in this case, hedgehogs) to see if they were up and about. If
these animals “saw” a shadow on February 2, then it was said that the winter
would continue, while cloudy skies indicated an early spring. Indeed, this tradition
existed in other parts of Europe, as evidenced in the traditional English poem:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;"><i>If Candlemas be fair and
bright/Winter has another flight.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13pt;"><i>If Candlemas brings
clouds and rain/Winter will not come again.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Today, this tradition </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">continues</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> in North America as Groundhog Day, with two famous prognosticating rodents being Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania
and Wiarton Willie of Wiarton, Ontario. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-fareast-language: JA;">And according to Reuters, </span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Punxsutawney Phil did see his shadow this morning, so it looks like a few more weeks await us. We may need those candles after all. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Indeed, the news even reached the US White House, with President Barack Obama tweeting a reminder to Americans to sign up for </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">health care coverage: </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;">#Punxsutawney Phil says there's more winter ahead - make sure you get covered. </span></span></div>
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-34539767372835750682012-12-13T00:18:00.002+01:002012-12-13T07:54:19.469+01:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">Gingerbread men banned, but Catholic saints okay in Swedish schools</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you're up on your saints' feast days (or your John Donne), you will know that tonight (Dec 12, actually) is the Eve of St. Lucy, or Lucia, the festival of lights celebrated in Sweden on December 13.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lucia was born in Syracuse in 300 AD and was probably a victim of the wave of persecution of Christians during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. According to legend, she carried food to Christians hiding in underground tunnels, wearing a wreath of candles on her head to light the way. When a rejected suitor had her arrested, she was supposedly saved by divine intervention from a life of prostitution and then death by fire, but was eventually killed by the sword. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In the Middle Ages, St. Lucy's Day was a popular festival in many parts of Europe. Before the 16th-century Gregorian calendar reform, the feast day coincided with the winter solstice. Since December 13 was the shortest day of the year, Lucia was said to bring light and longer days. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today, Lucia is celebrated on many different levels in Sweden, from the televised Lucia wearing candles in her hair to the thousands of Lucia processions held in daycare centers and schools around the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In schools, Lucia is normally marked with a morning procession led by a girl dressed as Lucia wearing a white robe and a red sash around her waist. She is followed by a train of white-gowned girls and "star boys" wearing dunce caps singing Lucia and Christmas songs. The retinue may also include various gingerbread people and gnomes. The pageant is generally followed by a spread of saffron buns, gingersnaps and coffee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year's Lucia celebrations have created a buzz in the Swedish media. Earlier in the week, news about a ban on gingerbread men, gingerbread cookies and gingerbread-themed songs (possibly for fear of racial connotations) at a school in Laxå spread like wildfire on social media. The school has since reversed the ban, it seems. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Lucia celebrations are quintessentially Swedish, but highly religious in nature. And the Swedish Education Act states that Swedish schools should be non-religious. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Why then, given the recent public debate about holding school closing ceremonies in churches – and celebrating Advent in schools <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwNoc9esx2t8j0HnwQxsolcoQCyddQF8Gxink12_TI_0nBiy06W5Vo5cUYNGb8As37l8tJ93d7Pidsd2C_ASwqnijOk3zQdwBA-EgIUs-laDows6n3zL7cS4BMVXiZivkjnlnW_qLtFps/s1600/Do+it+yourself+Lucia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZwNoc9esx2t8j0HnwQxsolcoQCyddQF8Gxink12_TI_0nBiy06W5Vo5cUYNGb8As37l8tJ93d7Pidsd2C_ASwqnijOk3zQdwBA-EgIUs-laDows6n3zL7cS4BMVXiZivkjnlnW_qLtFps/s1600/Do+it+yourself+Lucia.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Do-it-yourself Lucia paper doll</i></span></div>
<br />Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-65850597274652386692012-12-06T22:46:00.003+01:002012-12-13T00:32:46.189+01:00<span style="font-size: large;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">St. Nicholas, Nikolaus, Sinterklaas and Santa Claus</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">December 6 marks the death of Nicholas of Myra (now the Anatolia region of modern Turkey) who died on this day in 346. He was a Greek Christian Bishop known for miracles and giving gifts secretly, and is now the patron saint of children, sailors, harbors, merchants and students. He is the saint behind a number of traditions associated with Christmas and gift-giving, and is also known for his oozing relics in Bari.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Miracles back in the day</span></b></h3>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In his most famous exploit, St. Nicholas aided a poor man who had three daughters but could not afford a proper dowry for them. According to the legend, Nicholas heard of the man's plight and threw three purses (one for each daughter) filled with gold coins through the window of the man's house by night. In some versions, he throws one bag per night or one bag every few years as the girls come of age. Another twist has him dropping the bag down the chimney </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">– </span><!--EndFragment--><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">indeed, in one variant, the bag of gold falls into a stocking one of the daughters had hung to dry over the embers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In another miracle, Saint Nicholas resurrected three boys murdered by a malicious butcher who intended to cure and sell them as ham.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dripping relics</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In 1087, half of the relics of St. Nicholas were translated from Myra to Bari in southeastern Italy (the rest ended up in Venice). For this reason, St. Nicholas is also known as Nicholas of Bari. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The relics and certain icons of the saint are famous for exuding a clear watery liquid called myrrh (not to be confused with proper myrrh) which is said to smell like rose water and to possess miraculous powers. This liquid has been collected </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">–</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> and ostensibly sold </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">–</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> for centuries and can still be obtained from the shop at the Basilica di San Nicola. A search on eBay yielded nothing, alas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Because of its "miraculous" relics, the Basilica di San Nicola has traditionally been a site of Christian pilgrimage and continues to be to this day. Indeed, modern people travel to Bari to witness the myrhh-streaming icon of St. Nicholas, as evident in the account given by pilgrims from St. Vladimir's Russian Orthodox Church in Edmonton, Alberta on a trip to Bari in 2012: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"The first part of our first day’s visit was spent talking with Father Elias who told us accounts of miracles and spiritual blessings given by the icon… He then took the icon out of its cloth covering and wooden kivot and held it up. We could see more plainly the myrrh lightly flowing from the icon. The icon’s surface was “shiny wet” and the cotton batting placed below it was already half-soaked with myrrh."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Saint in a Santa suit</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In Roman Catholic iconography, Saint Nicholas is depicted as a bishop wearing a red bishop's cloak and a red mitre and holding a bishop's crozier. In the Eastern Orthodox Church he looks like an Orthodox bishop, wearing the omophorion, holding a Gospel book and sometimes wearing a mitre. In fact, he's easy to spot because he looks like a fitter version of the modern Santa Claus. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The episode with the three dowries is commemorated by showing him holding in his hand either three purses, three coins or three balls of gold. Depending on whether he is depicted as patron saint of children or sailors, his images are completed by a background showing ships, children or three figures climbing out of a wooden barrel (recalling three slaughtered children he resurrected in one miracle).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The modern St. Nicholas is bearded, dresses like a bishop in red and white and usually carries a sack over his back. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>A rather merry group, wouldn't you say?</i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">St. Nicholas traditions today</span></b></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">On December 6, children in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Holland celebrate Nikolaus </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">–</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> or Sinterklaas in Holland </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> by leaving one shoe outside for St. Nicholas to fill with treats like coins, chocolate, oranges and toys. Earlier, naughty children would receive a switch, ostensibly for spankings, and St. Nicholas was known to have a sinister-looking alter-ego named Knecht Ruprecht who would accompany a person disguised as St.Nicholas to reprimand the naughty child. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In these countries, St. Nicholas does not return at Christmas: instead it is the <i>Weihnachtsmann</i> or Father Christmas, who comes to German homes – often in person – on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The modern Santa Claus who brings presents for children on Christmas Day is derived in part from the Dutch Sinterklaas and retains many of the attributes of the original St. Nicholas. </span><br />
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-64868127651102469202011-06-01T09:44:00.009+02:002011-06-01T10:04:39.220+02:00I've been to Lauds. Have you?<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Last week, I attended my first Lauds service, surprisingly, in secular Stockholm, Sweden.</span></span></div><div><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lauds comes from "laudate" meaning "to praise" and is a part of what are known as the canonical hours of the Christian church. More specifically, lauds are the prayers that are sung at dawn.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the official set of daily prayers of the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours by the clergy, religious orders and laity. It comprises mainly psalms supplemented by hymns and readings, and together with the Mass, constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. It also forms the basis of prayer within Christian monasticism.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Canonical hours, or nones, are divisions of time that serve as increments between the prescribed prayers. A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Other monikers for the canonical hours include the Opus Dei (not to be confused with anything from a Dan Brown novel) and the Daily Office (Anglican Church).</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In the Anglican Church, the Liturgy of the Hours is contained within the book of Daily Prayer of Common Worship and Book of Common Prayer. Indeed, because the prayers are more widespread among the laity in the Anglican Church, Anglicans are probably more familiar with the evening prayers known as Vespers than their Catholic counterparts.</span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 6px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 19px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjjoQ2zF5ZIpmKL8AE7bTOsJKFDEwnOZSo3uN1pYHmSroRN6POQu_n9vWUlp-QCjpl23FM7ImvHGxNnEgdisZBuY7ZBiU0dDpiCUhGXSlj7rMlExe8QvbLStNBW_C1AojaFJKYFcYtgW_/s1600/250px-Les_Tr%25C3%25A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_Janvier.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPjjoQ2zF5ZIpmKL8AE7bTOsJKFDEwnOZSo3uN1pYHmSroRN6POQu_n9vWUlp-QCjpl23FM7ImvHGxNnEgdisZBuY7ZBiU0dDpiCUhGXSlj7rMlExe8QvbLStNBW_C1AojaFJKYFcYtgW_/s320/250px-Les_Tr%25C3%25A8s_Riches_Heures_du_duc_de_Berry_Janvier.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5613157458543022658" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Les très riches heures du duc de Berry, 1410. Musée de Condé, Chantilly. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Commissioned by John, Duc de Berry, this medieval book of hours is the most important </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">illuminated manuscript of the 15th century. How can you not want to see the original </span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">when it is </span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">kept in a place whose name in English means "whipped cream"?</span></i></div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;color:#666666;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana;">The canonical hours look pretty much like this:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Matins</b>: Very early morning prayers, sometimes at midnight. Also called vigils or nocturns </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Lauds:</b> Dawn prayer at dawn or 3 am </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Prime:</b> Early morning prayer at the "first" hour, or 6 am</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Terce: </b>Mid-morning prayer at the "third" hour, or 9 am </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Sext:</b> Midday prayer at the sixth hour, 12 noon</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>None: </b>Mid-afternoon prayer at the ninth hour, 3 pm</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Vespers:</b> Evening prayer at the lighting of the lamps, generally 6 pm</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Compline</b>: Night prayer before retiring, around 9 pm</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The practice of daily prayers grew from the Jewish practice of reciting prayers at set times of the day. It was purportedly passed down from the Apostles and as monasticism spread, the practice of specified hours and liturgical formats was standardized.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In 525, Benedict of Nursia wrote the first official Western manual for praying the hours (this is St. Benedict, founder of the Benedictine Order) as part of his Rule. The Rule of Benedict in fact became one of the most influential religious rules in Western Christendom. I think Benedict wanted to find a way to keep his monks out of trouble and on task.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Lauds service I attended was part of the regular prayers held at Engelbrektskyrkan in Stockholm. A small gathering of clergy and laity (three priests and three lay people, myself included) met for a quarter of an hour at 7.45 to sing, or more like chant, the psalms in Swedish (disappointingly, not in Latin). I managed to croak along, despite my allergies. All in all, it was a very peaceful experience and I will definitely attend again when they start up again in the fall. You never know what cool people will turn up at Lauds.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The psalms we chanted were Psalm 130 and 107, and I was pleased to see that the concluding prayer was my favorite, the prayer of St. Bridget of Sweden: </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Herre, visa mig din väg och gör mig villig att vandra den.</span></span></i></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Lord, show me the way and make me willing to follow it.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px"><br /></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-73518945933788408802010-10-12T12:02:00.013+02:002010-10-30T19:22:55.215+02:00Some very good reasons to visit Strängnäs<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(153, 153, 153); font-family:verdana;">A few weeks ago, I spent an exhausting day trying to keep up with an enthusiastic group of cyclists at a Livestrong Day cycling event in Strängnäs, Sweden.</span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Not only did I arrive without a decent map, but also without knowing if any saints were associated with the diocese city of Strängnäs. Bad preparation for an aspiring hagiologist like myself. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">I now know that the saint related to Strängnäs is St. Eskil. Here is his story, along with some other compelling reasons to visit this friendly Swedish town. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Eskil was an 11th century English monk who was sent to be a missionary among a "wild and raw" Viking population by St. Sigfrid of Växjö. He established his operations in Tuna, near Lake Mälaren in Sweden, where he later become bishop. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">According to legend, St. Eskil travelled from Tuna to nearby Strängnäs, which at the time was dominated by pagan (Asa) worship. When he arrived, he disrupted a holy ritual by bringing on a hailstorm that destroyed the pagan altar. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Enraged, the congregation axed and stoned Eskil to death on the hill where the Strängnäs Cathedral (from 1291) now stands. The death blow, by the way, was said to have been delivered by an infidel named Blot-Sven, King of Sweden from 1084 to 1087 who overthrew his brother-in-law, Inge the Elder (Inger Stenkilsson).</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">No Swedish saint's saga would be complete without a holy spring, and St. Eskil is no exception.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">His followers carried his body back to Tuna, and according to local tradition, a miraculous spring gushed from where they put the body down, just outside of Strängnäs. Indeed, today as you drive or cycle out of Strängnäs, you can stop to see the trickle at St. Eskil's Spring.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">St. Eskil was buried at his monastery in Tuna, and his relics are now kept at Strängnäs Cathedral as well as in churches in Copenhagen and Roskilde, Denmark. There is also an arm bone kept in a reliquary at the Museum of History in Stockholm.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Strängnäs was later converted to Christianity, and the diocese St. Eskil had created in Tuna was moved there. Tuna later became known as Eskilstuna, a nice bit of knowledge that you can now use to impress your friends. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">St. Eskil's feast day is 12 June. He is usually depicted in episcopal attire, carrying three stones, as in the fresco below from Överselö Church in Sweden. Along with St. Botvid (namesake of Botkyrka) he has been the patron saint of the Province of Södermanland, Sweden, since the Middle Ages.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3zVGYA-1jvLhnEa2qCY3hX0o-5C1s_CluIlm6049KJoWnlwsafmOHUwMYfwYf3I8mGWf_0kWjs1MeTZ-M-KnTFbXIDfWLG-ahZbHGLhsf8Xn97pggGvGfWAylNcjgXemKD7icrfh5Lze/s1600/St.+Eskil,+Overselo+Church+Sweden.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK3zVGYA-1jvLhnEa2qCY3hX0o-5C1s_CluIlm6049KJoWnlwsafmOHUwMYfwYf3I8mGWf_0kWjs1MeTZ-M-KnTFbXIDfWLG-ahZbHGLhsf8Xn97pggGvGfWAylNcjgXemKD7icrfh5Lze/s320/St.+Eskil,+Overselo+Church+Sweden.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527101033696109618" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 320px; " /></a></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Detail of fresco showing St. Eskil, from Överselö Church, Sweden. Note the three stones.</span></i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"><br /></span></span></p></span> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Today, Strängäs is a charming town situated on the shore of Lake Mälaren that is definitely worth a visit, not least because it boasts Gyllenhjelmsgatan, purportedly the prettiest street in Sweden. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Strängnäs also has probably the friendliest cycling club in Sweden, as well as some restaurants worthy of mention. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">We ate some lovely Greek food at Grekiska Taverna following our 53 km ride. Then there's Edsbacka Bistro Strängnäs, sister to Edsbacka Bistro in Sollentuna, where Christer Lingström of Edsbacka Krog fame is still dishing it up. We were also told that Hotel Rogge is the place to kick back with drinks on a Friday afternoon. Another reason to go back.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">LIVESTRONG Day is an annual event held on October 2, the day on which its founder, cyclist Lance Armstrong, was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He survived and went on to win the Tour de France, not once, but seven times in a row. Today, he is probably the world's most well-known advocate for cancer survivors. </span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdJ1vW5rfzU2LqwkaXwPcsQlS2evkWwMgBkP4cBrOFQmKj-pHnOvkLzbvNcN4D-q88KJ5f3jOEBUxbP3uQKMK-daw3KB9OiD7Fv5UiwOPShVrif29LhFN9kbBRA2YQwBuLkuBjyv4Zrak/s1600/PA025223.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQdJ1vW5rfzU2LqwkaXwPcsQlS2evkWwMgBkP4cBrOFQmKj-pHnOvkLzbvNcN4D-q88KJ5f3jOEBUxbP3uQKMK-daw3KB9OiD7Fv5UiwOPShVrif29LhFN9kbBRA2YQwBuLkuBjyv4Zrak/s320/PA025223.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533869746574620114" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></a><br /></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Harbour in Strängnäs.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq-LI-9bRCvLMtN_6QVurmwgITV4w7KAvrxd269Be3CtlWhg7-LlQjNpNkThZeEJG8YBWwM4_ospwGwtrBDCW7oFIzKLLt36nksfhBokVjfyyaaoKpDA_wYAKIpq3Z-58XWkMx3iAsvg4/s1600/PA025227.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHq-LI-9bRCvLMtN_6QVurmwgITV4w7KAvrxd269Be3CtlWhg7-LlQjNpNkThZeEJG8YBWwM4_ospwGwtrBDCW7oFIzKLLt36nksfhBokVjfyyaaoKpDA_wYAKIpq3Z-58XWkMx3iAsvg4/s320/PA025227.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533868184873964610" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a></span><p></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 15px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Windmill and quaint Swedish houses in the autumn sun.</span></i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; line-height: 19.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px"><br /></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-59940456107156981692010-08-03T13:59:00.010+02:002010-10-30T17:38:36.669+02:00Severed fingers, holy wells and miracles<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Have you ever wondered why there is a severed finger on the coat of arms of the city of Skövde? Or the identity of the woman who is holding it? Find out today as we look at the story of St. Elin of Skövde, another proof that Swedish hagiology is indeed gory.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkKqI4MCI3TUlKmKuGlqIGXHbbLr4XJba603HSbN0neR30kWUqEcqzAM_B4FY1KgpQJRe0rwVCeMsmZkAoGzQUV-14_ojpaQAzgZzvAnrCF-K_I6FLVl5zn6hM_A1aH21-0eLBM1ak2LA/s1600/Skovde+vapen.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFkKqI4MCI3TUlKmKuGlqIGXHbbLr4XJba603HSbN0neR30kWUqEcqzAM_B4FY1KgpQJRe0rwVCeMsmZkAoGzQUV-14_ojpaQAzgZzvAnrCF-K_I6FLVl5zn6hM_A1aH21-0eLBM1ak2LA/s320/Skovde+vapen.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5501155359528411362" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Helvetica;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>Coat of arms, City of Skövde.</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Elin was a widow, a pilgrim and a martyr who was killed by her in-laws in Skövde, in western Sweden, in the latter part of the 1100s.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Widowed at an early age, she devoted herself to the service of the poor and the church in Skövde, which she helped to finance, and went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When she returned in about 1160, she was stabbed to death by the family of her son-in-law while walking to or from the church in Götene. They had accused her murdering her son-in-law, who, according to the legend, was beating his wife.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Then the miracles started. The most remarkable involves a blind man who was able to see again after finding Elin’s amputated finger (which was wearing a ring from the Holy Land).</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Elin was buried in Skövde Church and a spring began to flow in conjunction with her burial, St. Elin's spring, which was said to have miraculous healing properties.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Other strange curiosities include the stone on which her body was washed that </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">was said to have split in two as her blood ran over it. Pregnant women traditionally walked around the stones to ensure a hassle-free delivery. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Until the Reformation, St. Elin was revered in Sweden as well as in Denmark. Interestingly, at Tisvilde, there is a holy well known as St. Lena Kild, or St. Helen's Well (she was known as Sankt Leene, or Lena, in Danish and St. Helen in English. Confusing?) that drew pilgrims.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">According to legend, her body washed up there in a stone coffin (though why her body would be floating begs a few questions). Traditionally, pilgrims would take home small bags of dirt from St. Elin’s grave (they wore the bags around their necks) for their healing properties.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Lena Kild, incidentally, was one of the three great pilgrim destinations in the Nordic countries after Nidaros and Skövde during the Middle Ages.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Elin's life and works are well documented: there are 38 works from the Middle Ages that mention her name, and her life was described by St. Brynolf (Bishop Brynolf Algotsson) of Skara, Sweden, in his </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Helenaofficium</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> from the 1280s. He called Elin</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Flos Westgocie</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, the Rose of Västergötland.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Elin’s feast day is 31 July and her church, St. Helen's, still stands in Skövde. Her cult lives on in the annual <i>Elinsmässomarknaden</i> that has traditionally been held on her feast day in Skövde, and which will be held on 14 August this year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Elin is usually portrayed as a widow with a sword and an open book upon which rests an amputated finger, as you have already seen on the coat of arms of Skövde above. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:28.3pt 56.65pt 85.0pt 113.35pt 141.7pt 170.05pt 198.4pt 226.75pt 255.1pt 283.45pt 311.8pt 340.15pt;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Helvetica;"><br /></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-89010998371310913102010-04-14T14:07:00.002+02:002010-04-20T11:19:28.042+02:00The Camino de Santiago de Compostela<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"When in April the sweet showers fall/And pierce the drought of March to the root.../Then people long to go on pilgrimages..." (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Canterbury Tales</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">)</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Chaucer couldn't have said it better. As the weather warms up, the desire to go on pilgrimage and see new vistas is never far from my mind.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I have followed medieval pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, Canterbury, Vadstena and Uppsala, and recently wrote an article about cycling and walking to Santiago, which was published in the spring issue of</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> Swedish Bulletin</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. I have included it here, along with a few photos from our trip, to inspire you, too, to hit the open road.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></div><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Camino de Santiago is a medieval pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. Crossing five mountain chains, it winds through vineyards, over bridges and through the medieval city squares of Pamplona, Burgos and Leon. From fountains that spout wine to unspoiled Maragato towns, the Camino offers a sightseeing trip, an art exhibition, a wine-tasting route and a spiritual journey, not to mention a strenuous workout.</span></span></i></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Santiago de Compostela is home to the tomb of the apostle St. James the Greater, which was discovered in the 9th century. "Santiago" comes from the Spanish for St. James – </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sant Iago.</span></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The cathedral in Santiago became a popular destination for pilgrims – in fact, third in importance after Jerusalem and Rome. Thousands walked the Camino until the time of the Reformation, and many cities grew from the trade that flourished along the way.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In recent years, the Camino has enjoyed a renaissance, and today, thousands of people walk, cycle or ride to Santiago each year.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">According to Jan Folkegård, author of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Vägen till Santiago de Compostela</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> (</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Way to Santiago de Compostela</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">), there has been a steady increase in pilgrims in the last ten years, and notably, more Swedes are choosing the Camino.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">“Walking has become very modern in Sweden,” he explains, “and once people have experienced walking some of the better trails in Sweden, like </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Sörmlandsleden</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">, they want to try other routes, especially nicer ones in warmer climates, like the Camino."</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GBxvjVaBg5RCqSCVu8AAHxSxxB7TyZoU0Kz3qt2yveWGPyYzV5qXb_ScWJdEiVdVgLwJIqnynoI2zuKoJYljGoev3eTf5qdpf6pHiPLInxlk40GHuSbev-Gv2xbActa_yDlxtsMyjaG3/s1600/40220014.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GBxvjVaBg5RCqSCVu8AAHxSxxB7TyZoU0Kz3qt2yveWGPyYzV5qXb_ScWJdEiVdVgLwJIqnynoI2zuKoJYljGoev3eTf5qdpf6pHiPLInxlk40GHuSbev-Gv2xbActa_yDlxtsMyjaG3/s320/40220014.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452690744803122418" border="0" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px; " /></a></p><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">My walking companion taking a break on a</span></span></i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"> medieval "puente," or bridge.</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">There are four pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, but the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Camino Francés</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> – or “Camino” – that starts in St. Jean Pied de Port, France, is the most popular.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The Camino is signposted with yellow arrows and scallop shells, so it’s hard to get lost. Along the way, there are traces of earlier pilgrims in the form of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">monijoies</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">, small structures of piled stones that showed the way through forests and plains.</span></span></span></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Staffs have given way to high-tech walking sticks, and mantles to more modern Gore-Tex clothing, but today’s pilgrims still don the scallop shell, the symbol of the pilgrimage.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">They also carry “passports” to collect stamps along the way, since pilgrims walking more than 100 km (or cycling 300 km) receive a ‘</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">compostela</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">’ certificate upon presenting their stamped passport in Santiago.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Accommodations on the Camino are easy to find and range from “</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">refugios</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">” (hostels) and schools to hotels and more luxurious “</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">paradors</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">.” Some of the refugios, such as the one in Santo Domingo de la Calzada, have existed since the Middle Ages.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Many people start the Camino at St. Jean Pied de Port, at the foot of the Pyrenees, and walk or cycle the entire 780 km. We wondered where one should start if time – or energy – are limited.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">“If you want to walk one hundred kilometres, then the village of O Cebreiro is perfect. If you want to walk farther, like two hundred kilometres, then Astorga is a good place to begin,” explains Folkegård.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">He also points out that O Cebreiro is one of the more scenic places he has been to on the Camino, offering a wonderful view of the Galician countryside.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">“I have stood in O Cebreiro – looking at the church and restaurant – and thought to myself: the only things missing here are Asterix and Obelix,” he laughs.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">For those who wish to walk or cycle even longer distances, Folkegård suggests starting in Paris, from which there are marked routes to Santiago that have in the last two years have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSUCDXXF0Z0tntJUMCGsgEH9-x065PDQQhb4m7147wGP-NLMINc-dggJSCPEjESJuyPDIJkGiwlCzBseKokvDOOrcOagp8iiIojABZeXknB_4J1gdgiD7ddPEtS8XS0PAj2wNHRcHSwZl/s1600/41080024.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhSUCDXXF0Z0tntJUMCGsgEH9-x065PDQQhb4m7147wGP-NLMINc-dggJSCPEjESJuyPDIJkGiwlCzBseKokvDOOrcOagp8iiIojABZeXknB_4J1gdgiD7ddPEtS8XS0PAj2wNHRcHSwZl/s320/41080024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452690482153113986" border="0" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px; " /></a></p><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Gorgeous Spanish countryside. And a spirited walker, too!</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">No matter how far you walk on the Camino, there’s really nothing like a good hike when you know that a three-course meal and a glass of Rioja are never that far away. Plus you can’t beat the feeling when you wake up one day and realise that you’ve cycled over two thirds of Northern Spain, as I did. Except, of course, the feeling of accomplishment when you finally arrive in Santiago.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">The square outside of the cathedral in Santiago was once filled with throngs of merchants and monks who gathered outside of the doors of the Portico de Gloria, selling scallop shells, indulgences and other memorabilia.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Santiago retains much of this commercial feeling and today it’s something of a Catholic Disneyland. Religious objects and T-shirts have replaced indulgences, but the crowds remain and the rituals are the same.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Inside the cathedral, pilgrims queue to place their hands on the Jesse tree, touch their heads to the statue of the Santo del Croques (the head-banging saint) and hug the statue of St. James from behind – all pilgrim rituals. Oddly, few queue to visit the crypt containing the saint’s relics.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Catholic pilgrims who choose to confess at the cathedral are eligible for a special absolution of all sins, which at one time even included those that the pope could not forgive.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">There’s also the daily pilgrim mass complete with the swinging of a huge silver</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">botafumiero</span></span></i></span><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"> (incense burner) that requires eight people to operate it. Ostensibly, it was used to mask the stench of the medieval pilgrim congregation.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">No pilgrimage to Santiago is complete without a trip to Finisterre.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Literally the “end of the Earth” and locally called the Coast of Death, Finisterre was the last stop on the medieval pilgrim’s itinerary before journeying homewards, and as Folkegård tells us, where pilgrims traditionally collected their scallop shells. Today, you’re more likely to see modern pilgrims burning their clothes, a more modern ritual.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Finisterre continues to attract modern pilgrims with its stunning sunsets and lighthouse, which is now a stylish little hotel.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">In short, if you’re looking for an unforgettable vacation packed with culture and activity, just grab a backpack and a walking stick and follow the yellow arrows on the Camino de Santiago.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;">Buon camino!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></p></div><div style="text-align: center; "><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center; "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></span></i></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G-F_Za16POikJTeeowestuTmbBjuEPiHI7nnLHpOvlrY0IFSN22KY5stL3RF7be-cHNq9lfmzwt8_PU-jEohJLQzJYwUQ4sOcQ2pSJ7A4lIalsmQtXOcAPjQ3t1bq2Wz4BUIGV_fPePg/s1600/41080002.jpg" style="text-decoration: none; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G-F_Za16POikJTeeowestuTmbBjuEPiHI7nnLHpOvlrY0IFSN22KY5stL3RF7be-cHNq9lfmzwt8_PU-jEohJLQzJYwUQ4sOcQ2pSJ7A4lIalsmQtXOcAPjQ3t1bq2Wz4BUIGV_fPePg/s320/41080002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452690294442525314" border="0" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 182px; " /></a><div style="text-align: center; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;">Some of the Spanish scouts we met along the way, possibly in Rabanal del Camino.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></div></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-65155018171759871312010-03-21T21:49:00.024+01:002010-03-25T08:44:35.202+01:00Hurray! It's Waffle Day (or Våffeldagen)<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Today is the Feast of the Annunciation, which in Sweden is known as Waffle Day. This is the day when Swedes gorge themselves on delicate and crisp flower-formed waffles served with jam and whipped cream.</span></span></div><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Feast of the Annunciation commemorates the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary where he tells her that she will be the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). The feast has been celebrated in the Christian Church since about the seventh century. </span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p align="right"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MJWG5zfu5m8KTYwAglA5H2DOuzTj1WO87X3b7pH2WIZTVA56OsA1TolV8UDQQEiIfOrhtZejFRAmze0kttPwMVZXg23CfsW-c1AIq6djcF6cwVDbdYi4KkWO2WpcCIOQyQLmwA4YGhbg/s320/Rossetti_Annunciation.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451201304324618098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 320px; " /></p><p align="right" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tecce Ancilla Domini (The Annunciation) by Dante Gabriel Rosetti, 1850. Tate Gallery. Do you really think this young girl is thinking "Be it done unto me according to thy will?" </span></i></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;color:#000000;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Sweden, until 1953, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Marie bebådelsedag</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Annunciation), or as it was more popularly known, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vårfrudagen</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (Our Lady's Day), was a red day (holiday) in the Swedish calendar, just one of the numerous red days that have a religious background (such as the Feast of the Ascension, which is still a red day today).</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Traditionally, it is the first festival of the spring, marking the end of winter and the return of the cranes, which were said to "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bär ljus i sång</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">" (bring light with their song) a reference to the fact that it was light enough after work and dinner to see without lighting candles, since the days were longer. </span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, what does any of this have to do with waffles?</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Swedish "</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vårfrudagen</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">" has over time morphed in the mouths of the populace into </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Våffeldagen</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and today, few people are aware of its religious roots. Most people presumably think that it is the national waffle day. </span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We are going to attempt to make waffles from scratch this evening, (last year's attempt was a complete fiasco). Here is this year's recipe, from </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ICA Kurir</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span><!--StartFragment--></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 dl milk </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 ½ dl dinkel flour (spelt)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 dl milk</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">pinch of salt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 tsp baking powder</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">150 g butte</span></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">r</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </span><p></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Method: Mix milk, flour, salt and baking powder. Let stand 30 min. Melt butter and add to mix. Pour into a well-greased waffle iron. Tip: put a knife on the plate from which the waffles will be served and pile the waffles on top, this will help maintain crispiness.</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Some more fascinating Annunciation trivia to impress your friends:</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Annunciation is related in the Quran (Sura 3, verses 45-51)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This year marks the first year that the Feast of the Annunciation will be a public holiday in Lebanon, for both Christians and Muslims. </span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Annunciation has been a very frequent subject of artistic representation, especially during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Some famous examples include the works of Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo de Vinci, Caravaggio, Duccio, Murillo, Donatello and Giotto (in particular, the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua). A good reason for an Annunciation road trip to Italy, I say!</span></span></p><p align="right" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are many prayers and devotions based on the story of the Annunciation.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hail Mary</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> (or </span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ave Maria</span></b></i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">in Latin) is a traditional Catholic prayer to the Virgin Mary. It forms the basis of the Rosary, and most of the text can be found in the Gospel of Luke. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Angelus</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a Christian devotion in memory of the incarnation (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">angelus </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is Latin of for angel, and is derived from the opening words: </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariæ). </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The prayer is recited as versicle and response, and includes three biblical verses and three Hail Mary's. It was traditionally recited in Roman Catholic churches and monasteries three times a day (6:00, 12:00 and 18:00) and today is still used by some churches (including some Anglican and Lutheran churches). Traditionally, it was accompanied by the ringing of the Angelus Bell.</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">(I had to say the Angelus on an empty stomach every day before lunch when I attended Grade Eight at St. Patrick's Catholic School in Canada.)</span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Then there's the </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Magnificat</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, which is also known as the Canticle or Song of Mary, and which has been set to music by many composers. The text also comes from the Gospel of Luke, recalling the words of Mary when she visits her cousin Elizabeth at what is known as the Visitation. Elizabeth was barren, and became pregnant late in life (her son was John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus by baptizing people). In the narrative, when Mary relates to her that she is also pregnant, Elizabeth's baby moves, and Elizabeth praises Mary's faith. Mary's response is the Magnificat. </span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1AeTsS9i_4i9r9AzZOeh3wTX6s7OVSyOHFC-4kwQ0IfPAMobPhKlrKRH58VlzPW8bc_LvL2qj_jMZdJs_jzxKDt1o4XSyd2PaPKJTwYWKVBnRyB5XDdSHoOe8BEAo1qctuQ_CDkczAarb/s320/Magnificat+the+visitation.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452465936994891394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 298px; " /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i> </i><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Here is the Visitation from the Book of Hours of the Duc de Ber (Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry), ca. 1410, Musée Condé, Chantilly, France. </span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></span><p></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-2120981226824933542010-02-19T22:03:00.001+01:002010-02-19T22:04:29.839+01:00Saint in the making: Canadian Brother André to be canonized 17 October<span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Today, the Vatican announced that Canadian André Bessette, or Brother André as he is more commonly known, will be canonized on 17 October in Rome. Once canonized, Brother André will join St. Marguerite Bourgeoys (1982) and St. Marguerite d'Youville (1990), as well as eight Jesuit missionaries recognized as Canadian saints.</span><br /><br />Brother André was born Alfred Bessette on 9 August 1945 in Saint-Grégoire d'Iberville, Quebec near Montreal, as one of twelve children. Orphaned early in life, he worked at various jobs until joining the Congregation of the Holy Cross, where he worked as porter at Notre Dame College in Montreal, Canada, among other jobs. He also ministered to the sick, often by rubbing the sick person with oil, for which he gained a reputation as a healer. He also ostensibly cured everyone in an epidemic at his college.<br /><br />Word of his power spread, and soon people began flooding to his door. The church was uneasy about his popularity, but Brother André never claimed that he could heal anyone: instead, he attributed the healing to St. Joseph, to whom he had a particular devotion.<br /><br />Brother André's great wish was that St. Joseph would one day be venerated on Mount Royal in Montreal, which came to be when the Holy Cross was finally successful in purchasing land on Mount Royal on which to build a chapel. He helped collect money to build the church, which was started in 1904, and received visitors there, in addition to "curing" many people. Today, the chapel is part of St. Joseph's Oratory on Mount Royal, the largest shrine in the world dedicated to St. Joseph, and the largest church in Canada.<br /><br />I visited the Oratory when I was about eight and will never forget its dark and creepy interior: the walls were covered with braces, canes and crutches from people who had purportedly been cured. Worst of all, Brother André's heart was on display, preserved in a jar. Yuck.<br /><br />According to the Oratory website: "At the time of Brother André’s death, the Archbishop of Montreal, George Gauthier, suggested reviving of a little known custom of the Middle Ages. In medieval France and Italy, when people of note passed away their hearts were often removed from their bodies before burial and preserved as a token of admiration or recognition. The hearts of the kings of France were long preserved in this way. It was therefore decided to preserve Brother André’s heart in a reliquary at the Oratory where it remains as a sign of his continuing spiritual presence among us." </span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" > (www.saint-joseph.org/en)</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br />Brother André died on 6 January in 1937 and more than one million people paid their respects. Calls for sainthood began almost immediately: he earned the title of Venerable (which means that Catholics could pray to him) in 1978, and was later beatified on 12 June 1982 (based on his first miracle of curing Guiseppe Carlo Audino of cancer in 1958 -- the road to sainthood is certainly convoluted and strange). A second miracle qualified him for canonization (details?), which will take place on </span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >17 October. His feast day is on 6 January.<br /><br />Australia's Mary MacKillop, a nun, will also be canonized along with Brother André on 17 October, making her the country's first saint.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Oratory trivia<br /></span>The Oratory served as the backdrop of the 1989 film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Jésus de Montréal</span>.<br />More than 2 million people visit the Oratory each year.<br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" >The reliquary containing the heart of Brother André was stolen from the shrine on 15 March 1973, but later recovered from the home of a basement in South Montreal on 21 December 1974.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br />Read the <a href="http://www.saint-joseph.org/en_1274_1471.asp">press release</a> from St. Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal. </span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-1547341926593357702010-02-19T00:50:00.003+01:002010-02-19T22:02:01.805+01:00I have seen it! (The orant, that is)<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Recently, I was cleaning up a box of our things from Dubai and came across a button that I bought at the Vadstena Abbey Church after we completed (well, almost completed, more on this later) our pilgrimage from Söderköping to Vadstena, Sweden in 2005. </span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />The button, shown below, reads "<span style="font-style: italic;">I have seen it!</span>" (<span style="font-style: italic;">"Jag har sett den!"</span>) and refers to a small figure painted on the ceiling above the second pillar to the left of the nave of the church. (If you manage to go there, just ask someone to show it to you.)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">This type of figure is known as an <span style="font-style: italic;">orant</span>. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">An orant is a type of gesture used during prayer where the hands are raised and set apart, with the palms facing outward.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRGGfN1O1J43H_pQpqfx-V8p1FGtahlNcddgQw2F8BmRwFDLBOhFLbTYt2fmM_OaKZ9FKYADMBQTw56HWG7t8Er0aK9YtQLKrb-0CWLf5XTTdbuIkz7ifMCh2B5f7Hf8ZgdoflRbhVpsg/s1600-h/Knapp+-+Oranten+Vadstena.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRGGfN1O1J43H_pQpqfx-V8p1FGtahlNcddgQw2F8BmRwFDLBOhFLbTYt2fmM_OaKZ9FKYADMBQTw56HWG7t8Er0aK9YtQLKrb-0CWLf5XTTdbuIkz7ifMCh2B5f7Hf8ZgdoflRbhVpsg/s320/Knapp+-+Oranten+Vadstena.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428031702156544994" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 308px;" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;" >My favourite button from Vadstena Abbey Church, Vadstena, Sweden</span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-small;"><i>Photo: Erik Eric Ricknell</i></span></div><br /><br />The orant is a common motif in early Christian art, used mainly from about the third century onwards, for example, in the catacombs of Rome. The figure is often a woman, sometimes on her knees, with her arms outstretched and palms facing outward. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Nowadays, the gesture is most common in charismatic and Pentecostal churches. It is also an element of Catholic worship and it used in certain types of exorcism rituals.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />I cannot help but wonder if this little figure is an orant or a fine example of medieval graffiti. Did one of the fresco painters want to leave his (or her) mark on Vadstena Abbey Church?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">In any case, the button is a nice example of effective marketing, and without a doubt, one of the most remarkable souvenirs I have from any church.</span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-11252747400444667622010-02-16T14:44:00.007+01:002010-02-16T15:33:45.008+01:00Sigge: St. Sigfrid of Växjö<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yesterday was the feast of St. Sigfrid of Växjö, Sweden, the English missionary and (possibly) archbishop of York who ventured into Scandinavia on a mission to spread Christianity in the 11th century. </span></span></span></div> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">King Magnus Eriksson named Sigfrid as the patron saint of Sweden in the 1300s, and according to <i>En svensk helgonkrönika</i>, he is one of Sweden's more complicated saints mainly because there are so many discrepancies between what is historically known about him and the numerous legends surrounding his life, not to mention that there may have been two Sigfrids.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:13px;"><span style="font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As missionary, Sigfrid was highly successful: He converted King Olof of Sweden (Olof Skötkonung) to Christianity by baptizing him in Husaby in around 1008 (at the time, most of Sweden was still pagan). St. Sigfrid's well near </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Husaby Church came to be known for its healing powers in the Middle Ages and became an important pilgrim destination.</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana; min-height: 16.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">After the conversion, while Sigfrid was away preaching, his three nephews (the Cluniac monks Winaman, Unaman and Sunaman) were beheaded by pagan raiders, notably Gunnar Gröpe. According to the legend, the heads of the three unfortunates were put into a weighted tub and thrown into Lake Helgasjön. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When Sigfrid returned and discovered the deed, he recovered the tub and claimed that the heads could still talk. King Olof offered to execute the murderers, but Sigfrid convinced him to spare their lives. The king then ordered them to pay blood money to Sigfrid, which he refused. </span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sigfrid continued his mission and may have founded the parish of Växjö, Sweden, where he lived until his death on 15 February (the year is unknown). In 1342, King Magnus Eriksson granted Växjö a city charter "in the name of God and St. Sigfrid" ("<i>Gudi till heder och Sancto Sigfrido</i>").</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">St. Sigfrid is normally represented as one of three bishops on a ship, as baptizing King Olof, as a bishop menaced by devils or as a bishop carrying three severed heads (or loaves of bread, a misrepresentation of the heads).</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:16px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSBqzfSh1d7AiQn2nv1Xb7HnmmG4YJikhWh4AnSDMYAelKJgVQtkt0uoNe-0haNUjFo3y_AApWfUuFAHtU_fSQyA-WoZv2VlJ573XeGIgCYaRKmfHUhVKy9O99PGwEoF_f-CusJ9Ot4n0/s320/St.+Sigfrid+from+Wikipedia+free+use.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438845330050502978" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 230px; height: 320px; " /></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Statue of St. Sigfrid, Övergran Church. Note the tub containing the heads of Winaman, Unaman and Sunaman.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;">During the Middle Ages, there were so many pilgrims who visited St. Sigfrid's grave in Växjö cathedral that Pope Clemens V ruled in 1352 that all who visited the church on the feast of the saint would receive a 140 day indulgence (which meant a temporary respite from Purgatory). Undertaking a pilgrimage to the church also gave an extra 100 days.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;font-size:small;">Sigfrid is still relevant today, mainly in the annual "Siffersmarknaden" (St. Sigfrid Market) held in Växjö each year on 15 February.</span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">According to the Sibbo Swedish Parish's website (the Old Church in Sibbo, Finland is dedicated to St. Sigfrid, or "Sankte" as he is known there), a "</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><i>Seffrasmessemarken</i>"</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> was even held prior to Christianity in Växjö on 15 February each year (though perhaps under a different name). </span></span></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 15.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; min-height: 15.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:verdana, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cool fact about St. Sigfrid:</span></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; min-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Verdana; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Swedish pop band, The Ark, also hails from Växjö. They are mentioned together with St. Sigfrid, in the 2010 anthology of music in Växjö entitled </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Från Sigfridsmässa till The Ark</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> (</span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">From the Feast of St. Sigfrid to The Ark</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">.)</span></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, serif;font-size:100%;color:#444444;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></div>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-58469095438005914592010-02-15T23:13:00.005+01:002010-02-17T11:41:52.004+01:00Cranium in Vadstena Abbey Church not St. Bridget's<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#666666;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">According to a new study from the University of Uppsala in Sweden, the bones in the reliquary in the Vadstena Abbey Church are not those of St. Bridget of Sweden and her daughter (St. Katherine of Sweden).</span></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">In 2002, samples were taken from both craniums, which were believed to have belonged to the Swedish saint and her daughter. Analysis has shown that they most likely belonged to other people.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The oldest cranium dates from the 1200s, and St. Bridget was not born until 1303. The younger cranium is from the period 1470-1670.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">(This text was translated from <a href="http://svt.se/2.126356/1.1890727/kranium_inte_heliga_birgittas?lid=is_search527895&lpos=0&queryArt527895=kranium&sortOrder527895=0&doneSearch=true&sd=47225&from=siteSearch&pageArt527895=0">SVT's news feed</a>, 15 February 2010)</span></span></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-26220927642346999602010-01-19T08:16:00.002+01:002010-01-19T08:19:07.817+01:00Summer Henry or Winter Henry?<span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-family:verdana;" >Due to popular demand from my Finnish readers, today we are going to take a very quick look at St. Henrik, or St. Henry, Finland's apostle, who is one of the first people documented in Finnish history, and founder of the Church of Finland.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Henry may or may not have been an English missionary to Sweden in the mid 12th century, and may or may not have been ordained bishop in Uppsala. It seems that the official Catholic legend of St. Henry has been challenged by historians to the point of being termed pure imagination. But it's still an interesting story.<br /><br />According to legend, Henry participated in the a crusade to Christianize the Finns, along with King Erik (later St. Erik) of Sweden. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Following their success, Erik returned to Sweden and Henry remained in Finland to preach and build churches.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdyrus0N2XRJxwNT68DJQhy1l7bdODC8dgubYM5Fm9jv_UChEwQNNe-fNvXinrM_svKwTYrGtsHYcKWk8HIkXy-TUcB7IbEPz07LyXcgQjeHjN_LJOezyRu86W2VMFpUkQTmdrpOdK2cA/s1600-h/Henrik_Cruisade_Nousiainen+new.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsdyrus0N2XRJxwNT68DJQhy1l7bdODC8dgubYM5Fm9jv_UChEwQNNe-fNvXinrM_svKwTYrGtsHYcKWk8HIkXy-TUcB7IbEPz07LyXcgQjeHjN_LJOezyRu86W2VMFpUkQTmdrpOdK2cA/s320/Henrik_Cruisade_Nousiainen+new.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428199919804996146" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">If you look closely at the intricate work on St. Henry's sarcophagus, you will see St. Erik and St. Henry on the boat to Finland -- the precursor of today's Finland ferries, perhaps?</span></span></span> </div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">He didn't last long. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Here's the first version of what happened, based on the official <span style="font-style: italic;">vita</span> of the saint: </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">Henry tried to give a canonical punishment to a murderer, who became enraged and killed the bishop.<br /><br />The more popular version derives from the Finnish folk poem,<span style="font-style: italic;"> "The Death-lay of Bishop Henry" </span>(<span style="font-style: italic;">Piispa Henrikin surmavirsi</span>) and goes like this: Henry was travelling alone in the middle of winter and visited Kerttu and woodsman Lalli's cottage. He supposedly left without repaying the couple for his meal, thus angering Lalli who chased the saint onto frozen </span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Lake Köyliönjärvi and killed him with an axe on 20 January 1156.</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">His body was taken to Nousianen (Nousis), not far from Turkku, where a spring is said to have sprung up where the oxen-drawn cart carrying his hearse stopped.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">His relics (or at least most of them) were later translated to the Cathedral of Turkku on 18 June 1292 where they remain today, well, at least when they are not on loan to St. Henry's Cathedral in Helsinki. </span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">You see, Henry's remains move around each year. And so does his feast day.<br /><br />Today is what is known as Winter Henry, or <span style="font-style: italic;">talviheikki</span>, in Finland, and I am sure a great reason to rejoice in their deep, dark winter forests. The Finns actually observe <span style="font-style: italic;">talviheikki </span>on 20 January, the death of the saint, while in Sweden (and according to the Catholic church), St.Henry's Day, or <span style="font-style: italic;">Hindersmässan</span> as it is known in Swedish, is celebrated on the 19th.<br /><br />Summer Henry, or <span style="font-style: italic;">kesäheikki</span>, falls on 18 June, at which time we shall take a closer look at this fascinating person.<br /><br />Then you, like my Finnish friends, can decide for yourself which Henry you prefer -- Summer Henry or Winter Henry? </span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1-nHrov7Hdtq2ke-kLovqCz18171aeRvdB1VE8gFSmo01b6hnoW724ovO0jKyj0SZBgvd3Y-JrYmE8njqu6yNVBKEqUl6sDj8F-dfoJc3Ncn7kR_loE3vvDeeQu59lFoCtIzPGIVHCo4/s1600-h/Nousiaisten_vaakuna.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ1-nHrov7Hdtq2ke-kLovqCz18171aeRvdB1VE8gFSmo01b6hnoW724ovO0jKyj0SZBgvd3Y-JrYmE8njqu6yNVBKEqUl6sDj8F-dfoJc3Ncn7kR_loE3vvDeeQu59lFoCtIzPGIVHCo4/s320/Nousiaisten_vaakuna.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428201080676728018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br />St. Henry in the modern coat of arms of Nousianen, Finland.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Note: <span style="font-style: italic;">Hindersmässan</span>, or Saint Henry, is still celebrated in Örebro, Sweden, and is one of the city's oldest traditions. It was first celebrated in the 1300s as a market where iron from Bergslagen was sold. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Today the tradition lives on and a Hindersmässan market is held annually in Örebro, along with concerts, conferences and other events. It attracts about 80,000 people every year. I was also very surprised to find a website: www.hindersmassan.com that covers the event.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />The name "hinders", by the way, comes from St. Henrik. The only translation I have found for the event is the Hinders Trade Fair. </span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-13229669329868707982010-01-18T10:29:00.012+01:002010-02-07T11:09:22.229+01:00"Had I been in his clothes , I would have stayed in them"<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:verdana;" >Sometimes cultural differences can be shocking.</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:verdana;" >Like the time I was writing my final exam for my theology course on St. Bridget of Sweden, at the University of Lund, in 2003.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Imagine, if you will, a room full of Swedish theology students. Some 200 people or so, on an early snowy morning in Lund, Sweden.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Most of them are supplied with food and beverages -- Swedish exams are long enough to necessitate bringing provisions. People are arriving on a drop-in basis since there is usually a one-hour window during which you can show up. Yes, very strange from a North American perspective, but hey, this is Sweden.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />About half-way through the exam, I heard someone say "I'm doing this to get your attention, and to protest that I am not allowed to write my exam."</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Now, I am used to Canadian exam-room settings. Stress, sweat, starvation and strict rules on exam start times, bathroom use, etc. No one ever says anything out loud (except: Put down your pens and stop writing now). Ever. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />I looked up and saw a red-haired guy standing at the front of the room. My first reaction was, is this guy trying to advertise the Engineering play? Was this just another cultural difference?</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />There was, however, one problem.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">The guy was completely naked.<br /><br />Well, except for his shoes.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />After getting over the initial shock, I remembered that Sweden is liberal in attitudes towards nudity. But during a theology exam? Was this normal behaviour for students possibly preparing for careers in the church?</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Had this happened in Canada, probably everyone would have been allowed to leave with an A+ since they would have been considered victims of sexual assault of some kind.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">What happened in Lund that morning was this: the proctors managed to convince the guy to leave (still naked) without writing the exam. I continued writing my exam (and got top marks) and the world kept turning. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />But the story, I think, is one of the best I have from my academic career.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Here's the comment that was published in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sydsvenskan</span>, followed by my translation:</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht40fJtvbuCaltj2h7C-QldvNZ0qcKcR_kWBA3tZrF9D7HRPzwET38uYXMWAiUOZd8kgWGH7Ngvj0ROtA-GzI-jjaxVFOYp5b61nsMpI3NZwivLfKAPRlm9ePB2lVSer0n2s4zegn_f5iP/s1600-h/Rubrik+Sydsvenskan+PBs+tenta+2004-01-29.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht40fJtvbuCaltj2h7C-QldvNZ0qcKcR_kWBA3tZrF9D7HRPzwET38uYXMWAiUOZd8kgWGH7Ngvj0ROtA-GzI-jjaxVFOYp5b61nsMpI3NZwivLfKAPRlm9ePB2lVSer0n2s4zegn_f5iP/s320/Rubrik+Sydsvenskan+PBs+tenta+2004-01-29.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428024372881969058" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">"Had been in his clothes, I probably would have stayed in them."</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br />Fredrik Lindström, Prefect at the Faculty of Theology, regarding the student who stripped to protest that he was not allowed to write his exam when he arrived late. <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Source: Sydsvenskan</span></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (29 January 2004)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Note: In Swedish, the expression <span style="font-style: italic;">"to be in someone else's shoes</span>" is <span style="font-style: italic;">"to be in someone's clothes"</span></span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-77713369400866712742010-01-15T08:21:00.017+01:002010-01-15T17:21:10.128+01:00On lost things and hopeless situations<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:verdana;" >A friend of mine recently published an urgent plea on Facebook asking people to pray to Saints Anthony and Jude to help find her mother's wedding ring, which she lost on the way into surgery last week.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />It's been a while since I've heard anyone invoke these saints -- the patrons of lost items and hopeless situations -- so I decided it's high time to take a look at them.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Saint Anthony of Padua (c. 1195 - 13 June 1291) is your man if you have lost something (or find yourself shipwrecked). He was a Franciscan monk of Portuguese origin and a great orator who lived at times as a hermit in a walnut tree and is reported to have preached to fish. His tongue is preserved in a reliquary at the Basilica of St. Anthony in Padua, where he is buried.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">There is a jingle-like prayer to St. Anthony that goes "Tony, Tony, look around; something is lost and must be found." </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />The background to this invocation comes from an incident where a novice carried off St. Anthony's psalter. The saint prayed for its recovery (and may also have appeared to the novice in a frightening manner) and the psalter was returned. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Now on to St. Jude, the patron of lost causes and cases despaired of, especially in grave health matters and life and death situations. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;">The usual prayer to St. Jude is: “Saint Jude, hope of the hopeless, pray for me.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">St. Jude, also known as Judas Thaddeus, was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus who also wrote an epistle and preached in Syria, Mesopotamia and Persia with Saint Simon. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />St. Jude is easily recognizable: almost all images depict him carrying an image of Jesus and usually with a small flame above his head, representing his baptism by fire.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />There are several reasons suggested for his patronage of lost or impossible causes. First, there is the traditional belief that it derives from confusion among many early Christians between St. Jude and Judas Iscariot (who handed Jesus over the Romans). For this reason, few people ever prayed to St. Jude, and devotion to him became something of a lost cause in itself. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />More convincing are his words from the Epistle of Jude (the short, penultimate book of the New Testament) on the perseverance of faith in harsh and difficult circumstances. </span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />When asking St. Jude for help, it is customary to make a vow to publish a notice of thanks once the favour is granted, which is why there are newspaper classified ad ex-votos such as "Thank you St. Jude for favours granted" or a more terse "Thank you, St. Jude."<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqEuoj98iVpS4pfNwLWljkh0DyYiuW1ZEjTrzpqy7-EJ9mSMAXPcVqyMpRG13nP7o5Rm88UbSiROwNraM_99iMGtTEtHLnatOiEgZ2yrVLQ67RVlPxVDTPN89oxHMgDHqJdE8fi3WA0om/s1600-h/St+Anthony.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 313px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvqEuoj98iVpS4pfNwLWljkh0DyYiuW1ZEjTrzpqy7-EJ9mSMAXPcVqyMpRG13nP7o5Rm88UbSiROwNraM_99iMGtTEtHLnatOiEgZ2yrVLQ67RVlPxVDTPN89oxHMgDHqJdE8fi3WA0om/s320/St+Anthony.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427001395805983266" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">St. Anthony of Padua, by Antonio de Pereda</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-3497258051969282052010-01-13T13:33:00.004+01:002010-01-15T17:11:13.976+01:00St. Hilary of Poitiers<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:verdana;" >St. Hilary of Poitiers (c. 300 – c. 368) was Bishop of Poitiers and is a Doctor of the Church.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">A pagan convert, he is perhaps best known for his stance against arianism (the doctrine that Jesus Christ is not divine but separate from God) for which he spent four years in exile. Because of his stance against arianism, he is sometimes referred to as the "Hammer of the Arians” and the “Athansius of the West.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Upon his return, he continued to try to purge the West of arianism and wrote several renowned theological works, including De synodis and De trinitate, as well as hymns. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">St. Hilary is the patron saint against snakes and snake bites, and of backward children. His attribute is a snake.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">His feast day, which is also known as Hilarymas, is 13 January according to the General Roman Calendar (which includes the Roman Catholic calendar of saints). Earlier, this date was occupied by the Octave Day of the Epiphany, and his feast day was celebrated on 14 January instead. Octave Day, by the way, is the eighth day after a feast.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In England, “Hilary term” starts after Hilarymas in English courts and schools. The designation originated in the legal system, which divides the legal year into four terms: Hilary, Easter, Trinity and Michaelmas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Who said saints aren’t still relevant today?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Note: St. Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 293 – 373) was also an opponent of arianism and argued against Arius at the First Council of Nicea (in present-day Turkey) in 325. The Council was convened by Roman Emperor Constantine I and aimed to reach consensus on Christian doctrine. The result of the council was the Nicene Creed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Athanasius is a Doctor of the Church (Roman Catholic) as well as one of the four Great Doctors in the Eastern Orthodox Church. His feast days are 2 May (Roman Catholic) and 19 January (Orthodox).</span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6154511905387451892.post-1542635164677404052010-01-13T00:18:00.002+01:002010-01-13T00:19:02.569+01:00Tjugondag Knut<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">Tjugondag Knut, dansas julen ut!</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">(On the 20th of Canute, Christmas gets the boot!) </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Yuletide in Sweden is gruelingly long – 20 days, in fact – and the last day of Christmas falls on the Feast of St. Canute, or </span><i style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);">Tjugondag Knut </i></span><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:Verdana;" >in Swedish.</span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">St. Canute’s Day is celebrated in the Nordic countries on 13 January (the Swedish name day for Knut), although the Catholic Church observes it on 19 January.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Canute (c. 1043 –1086) was King of Denmark</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> from 1080 until 1086. He was an ambitious king who attempted to conquer England and take the English throne from William of Normandy (his claim was via his great-uncle, Canute the Great, King of England, Denmark, Norway and parts of Sweden at various times between 1016 and 1035). He also worked to strengthen the Danish monarchy and supported the Catholic Church by building churches and encouraging missionaries.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">On 10 July 1086, during an insurrection in Odense, Denmark, Canute and his brother Benedict were murdered by rebels while kneeling at in the altar of St. Alban’s Church where they had taken refuge. Oddly enough, it has been suggested that Canute had earlier stolen relics of Saint Alban </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">from Ely</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> in England and deposited them at St. Alban's Priory, which he founded in Odense. <a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6154511905387451892&postID=3069500257701921275#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--></span></span></a>Perhaps being murdered there was his just reward.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Because of his supposed martyrdom and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">his advocacy of the Catholic Church, he was quickly regarded as a saint. A Canute cult developed, and miracles were reported at his grave.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">St. Canute was canonized in 1101 and is the patron saint of Denmark. He is also known as Canute IV, Canutus, Cnut, Knud IV and Knute.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">St. Canute is normally represented as a Nordic king with a lance, dagger or arrow. He is often depicted barefoot with his hair in a fillet (a round band worn around the head and over the hair<i>)</i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, or being murdered at an altar.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]-->St. Canute’s Day marks the end of Christmas in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. On this day in Sweden, people dance around their Christmas trees and candy is hidden among the branches for children to find in a tradition known as “Christmas tree plundering” before the tree is finally tossed.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Additionally, in some parts of the country, masked and costumed children beg for candy, and in Gimo (outside of Uppsala), there is a festive “<i>knutmasso</i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">”, or St. Canute carnival, with elaborate <i>paper</i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> <i>mâché</i></span><em> </em><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><i>masks, </i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">every year.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;">St. Canute festivities are not confined to the Nordic countries: in Spain, St. Canute’s Day, or <i>San Canuto</i></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">, is celebrated on 19 January. The feast is characterized by the imbibing of alcohol and smoking of marijuana, as St. Canute has evolved into the Spanish patron saint of cannabis.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Below is the aftermath of Tjugondag Knut from our place (we celebrated on Epiphany Day instead).<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xiBrboDWU4fqoQfVxmqeYCy2DQcLsid17mi621wVMKC6jwWMNvVfPFMiFBWyfXoKO6TIYZ6ht5BPtprnfcOU-t2P9xeWaSvc3iKRO_9uqQm6gV-wtpEp1nBtTi-z5S3CNXNW7qxD9iIb/s1600-h/P1053650.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xiBrboDWU4fqoQfVxmqeYCy2DQcLsid17mi621wVMKC6jwWMNvVfPFMiFBWyfXoKO6TIYZ6ht5BPtprnfcOU-t2P9xeWaSvc3iKRO_9uqQm6gV-wtpEp1nBtTi-z5S3CNXNW7qxD9iIb/s320/P1053650.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425989332348155506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Verdana;"><br /></span></p>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05989281182741429696noreply@blogger.com1