love the idea of family feast days. We host family often (constantly lol) but we've really wanted to sort of turn some of those gatherings into something more, like low-key rituals. So this is really great.
So glad this is helpful, Jim! "Low-key rituals" is a great way to put it. Little markers to note the value and importance of such gatherings can go a long way.
I appreciate the balance you strike between the ideals of rich feasts, full of traditions, with celebrations that are easier to execute. We're Anglican (ACNA), not Catholic, but still delight in the cycle of the Church calendar. For our family feast days--including many of the saints we just love, but who often don't have specific traditions we link with them (St. Leoba, St. Margaret of Scotland, and many others), my default is cake. Any kind of cake, without any special decoration.
That's wonderful. This essay was focused on Catholics because Radiant is a Catholic women's magazine, but it is definitely applicable to all Christians (and others, in terms of other kinds of family feast days!). Cake, but without over-the-top decoration, sounds like an ideal feast days treat! My family actually had TWO chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting this past week (we had a bigger family feast day and overestimated how much cake would be needed); that's a bit uncommon for us, but it sure was cheerful!!
Have you been over to the liturgical living substack, Signs + Seasons? We're very highly ecumenical in our discussion of liturgical living and the church year over there! https://signsandseasons.substack.com/
Our family isn’t catholic but we’ve started implementing some of the feast days as it relates and ties into my husbands culture. We recently celebrated St. Jordi’s (St. George) in conjunction with world book day because in Spain (where my husbands family is from) they combine it and its called the “Day of Books and Roses”.
love the idea of family feast days. We host family often (constantly lol) but we've really wanted to sort of turn some of those gatherings into something more, like low-key rituals. So this is really great.
So glad this is helpful, Jim! "Low-key rituals" is a great way to put it. Little markers to note the value and importance of such gatherings can go a long way.
I appreciate the balance you strike between the ideals of rich feasts, full of traditions, with celebrations that are easier to execute. We're Anglican (ACNA), not Catholic, but still delight in the cycle of the Church calendar. For our family feast days--including many of the saints we just love, but who often don't have specific traditions we link with them (St. Leoba, St. Margaret of Scotland, and many others), my default is cake. Any kind of cake, without any special decoration.
That's wonderful. This essay was focused on Catholics because Radiant is a Catholic women's magazine, but it is definitely applicable to all Christians (and others, in terms of other kinds of family feast days!). Cake, but without over-the-top decoration, sounds like an ideal feast days treat! My family actually had TWO chocolate cakes with chocolate frosting this past week (we had a bigger family feast day and overestimated how much cake would be needed); that's a bit uncommon for us, but it sure was cheerful!!
Have you been over to the liturgical living substack, Signs + Seasons? We're very highly ecumenical in our discussion of liturgical living and the church year over there! https://signsandseasons.substack.com/
Our family isn’t catholic but we’ve started implementing some of the feast days as it relates and ties into my husbands culture. We recently celebrated St. Jordi’s (St. George) in conjunction with world book day because in Spain (where my husbands family is from) they combine it and its called the “Day of Books and Roses”.
The Day of Books and Roses! That is amazing! What a wonderful celebration that must have been. Sounds like lots of fun!
This idea of family feast days is definitely not limited to Catholicism.