Solemnity of Saint Joseph
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The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, commonly called the Feast of St. Joseph or in some churches Saint Joseph's Day, is marked in some Christian churches in honor of Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary and foster-father of Jesus.
It is a Solemnity in the Roman Catholic Church and a feast in the provinces of the Anglican Communion, falling on 19 March. In the Orthodox Church, the Feast falls on the Sunday after Christmas.
Saint Bernardino of Siena was the main proponent of Joseph's veneration in the western Church, where his feast day was first celebrated in 1621.
In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared Joseph the patron of the Universal Church, and promoted the "Patronage" feast (later Solemnity, before the Vatican II calendar's use of such term) of Saint Joseph on the third Wednesday after Easter; this was replaced in 1955 by the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Although March 19 always falls in Lent, the feast usually falling on that date is postponed into Paschal time if it falls in Holy Week.
As Joseph was a carpenter (or a builder), he is also the patron saint of workers. In 1955, Pope Pius XII introduced the optional feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on May 1st, intentionally coinciding with the international labour day or May Day.
The Feast of St. Joseph's is the Patronal Feast day for persons named Joseph, Josephine, etc., and also for religious orders, schools and parishes bearing his name.
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[edit] Catholic traditions of St. Joseph's Day, 19 March
Because March 19 always falls during Lent, St. Joseph's Day feasts often have no meat, even though—because the feast day is classed as a solemnity—abstinence from meat is not required according to Canon law, even if it falls on a Friday. If the feast day falls on a Sunday (other than Palm Sunday), it is observed the following day, Monday, 20 March, instead. If it falls during Holy Week, it is moved to the Monday after Octave of Easter, eight days after Easter. (Prior to 1970, the Tuesday after the Octave of Easter was used as the alternate date.)
(The above needs review, because if March 19 falls during Holy Week, causing St. Joseph's Day to be postponed to after the Octave of Easter, then March 25 will fall during Holy Week or Easter Week, causing similar postponement for the Feast of the Annunciation. Easter can fall no earlier than March 22.)
[edit] Italy - La Festa di San Giuseppe
In Sicily and many Italian-American communities, thanks are given to St. Joseph ("San Giuseppe" in Italian) for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Giving food to the needy is a St. Joseph's Day custom.
In some Italian and Italian-American communities it is traditional to wear red clothing and eat a Sicilian pastry known as a Zeppole on St. Joseph's Day.
[edit] United States
In New Orleans, Louisiana, in addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras Indians stage their last procession of the season, after which their costumes are dismantled.
At Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano, California, a festival celebrates the return of migratory swallows.
There is a tradition in New York to pinch the left ear of persons named Joseph to give him good luck.
[edit] Spain
In Spain, the day is a version of Father's Day. In some parts of Spain it is celebrated as Falles (see also).
[edit] Philippines
In The Philippines, many families keep a tradition in which an old man, a young woman and a small boy are chosen from among the poor and dressed up as St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary, and the child Jesus respectively. They then sit around a table set with the family's best silverware and china, and served a variety of courses and are literally spoon-fed by senior members of the family, while the novena to St. Joseph is recited at a nearby temporary altar.
