Chaplaincy Holy Days, Celebrations and Observances of 2020

HOLY DAYS WITH NO FIXED DATE

KWAIKIUTL MIDWINTER FESTIVAL Long before the dawn of man, the Kwakiutl tribes inhabited the coastal region and believed the world was ruled by supernatural beings that took the shape of different animals. These bears, wolves, seals, ravens, bees, owls, and whales were the em- bodiment of nature and possessed supreme supernatural prowess. The Kwakiutl tribe believes these beings endowed the first members of their tribe with a fragment of their power. Their descendants are the modern-day Kwakiutl and continue this tradition by engaging in ceremonies that connect them to the power of nature and these spirits of ancient lore. The Kwakiutl Midwinter Ceremony is a time in the middle of winter when the tribes join together and reaffirm their belief in the supernatural elements of this world, strengthening the power that dwells within. Some aspects of the ceremony consist of traditional dances, masks of the animal spir- its, and a great feast of salmon, berries, crabapples, and more. The dancing rituals or “Ha- matsa dances” are used to entice these ever-present spirits to visit the people of the tribe yet again. It’s understood that rigorous training is required to perform these dances and the tribesman that perform them are blessed with great power and wisdom for their efforts. Two of the most significant figures in this ceremony are the Raven and the Salmon spir- its. According to their beliefs, the Raven was responsible for bringing the sun, moon, and stars into the sky above. The raven is also seen a trickster spirit, taking the form of different animals and people as it sees fit but still highly regarded by the Kwakiutl. The Salmon is an important figure because salmon were the main staple of the tribe’s diet, as their land stretched from northern California to Alaska. The Kwakiutl also believed that the salmon had a society similar to their own beneath the sea. Their ancestors were taught different ceremonies by these salmon. The Kwakiutl Midwinter Ceremony celebration is a wonderful time to embrace all things supernatural and to once again take in the mystic elements of nature and myth back into your life. READ MORE: https://www.assignmentpoint.com/arts/sociology/assignment-on-kwakiutl.html

ChildrensNational.org/ChaplaincyServices HOLY DAYS WITH FIXED DATE

February 2 /Presentation of Christ Christian Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated annually on . It celebrates three occasions according to Christian belief: the presentation of the child ; Jesus’ first entry into the temple; and it celebrates the Virgin Mary’s purification (mainly in Catholic churches). Many consider Jesus as the “light of the world” so it is fitting that candles are blessed on this day and that a candle-lit precedes the . It is traditional to eat crepes on Candlemas in some parts of Europe, such as . Each family member prepares and cooks a crepe while holding a coin in hand. This is believed to assure wealth and happiness until the next Candlemas celebration. Candlemas is also known as Candelaria in Spanish speaking countries. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes (Kings Cake) on on January 6 is obliged to bring food to a gathering held on February 2. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate this event by bringing beeswax candles to their local and requesting for these candles to be blessed to be used in the church or at home. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving decorations up until Candlemas. Candlemas primarily focuses on Jesus’ early life. Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the Temple in after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. According to a New Testament gospel, a Jewish man named held the baby in his arms and said that he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas. According to some sources, Christians began Candlemas in Jerusalem as early as the fourth century and the lighting of candles began in the fifth century. Other sources say that Candlemas was observed by candles since the 11th century. An early writing dating back to around 380 CE mentioned that a feast of the Presentation occurred in a church in Jerusalem. It was observed on February 14. The feast was observed on February 2 in regions where Christ’s birth was celebrated on December 25. Candlemas is known as the “Feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple” in many eastern churches. Other traditional names in the western churches include the “Feast for the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary” as well as the “Meeting of the Lord”. Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas. Some varieties bloom all winter (in the northern hemisphere). According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and pointed them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in repentance and in despair over the cold and death that entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being this hope for the world. Candles that are lit during Candlemas also symbolize Jesus as the “light of the world”. February 2 Imbolc Wicca/Pagan Imbolc is a pagan holiday celebrated from February 1 through sundown February 2. Based on a Celtic tradition, Imbolc was meant to mark the halfway point between winter solstice and the equinox in Neolithic Ireland and Scotland. The holiday is celebrated by Wiccans and other practitioners of neopagan or pagan-influenced religions. Imbolc is just one of several pre-Christian holidays highlighting some aspect of winter and sunlight, and heralding the change of seasons. The earliest mentions of Imbolc in Irish literature date back to the 10th century. Poetry from that time relates the holiday to ewe’s milk, with the implication of purification. It’s been speculated that this stems from the breeding cycle of sheep and the beginning of lactation. The holiday was traditionally aligned with the first day of spring and the idea of rebirth. Imbolc celebrations took the form of a festival in honor of the pagan goddess Brigid, who was evoked in fertility rites and oversaw poetry, crafts and prophecy. Brigid was worshipped by the Filid, a class of poets and historians among the Celts of ancient Ireland and Britain. Brigid was considered one of the most powerful Celtic gods, the daughter of the Dagda, the oldest god in the Celtic pantheon Tuatha du Danann. She had two sisters also named Brigid (though it’s speculated that these sisters are meant to symbolize different aspects of the same goddess.) Brigid appears in the saga Cath Maige Tuired and the Lebor Gabála Érenn, a purported history of Ireland collected from various poems and texts in the 10th century. Myths about Brigid’s birth say she was born with a flame in her head and drank the milk of a mystical cow from the spirit world. Brigid is credited with the very first keening, a traditional wailing for the dead practiced at funerals by Irish and Scottish women. In pre-Christian times, Imbolc observance began the night before February 1. Celebrants prepared for a visit from Brigid into their homes by crafting an effigy of the goddess from bundles of oats and rushes. The effigy was placed in a dress and put in a basket overnight. The day of Imbolc was celebrated by burning lamps and lighting bonfires in tribute to Brigid. Over the centuries, Brigid was adopted into Christianity as St. Brigid. One of Ireland’s three patron saints, the claims St. Brigid was a historical person, with accounts of her life written by monks dating back to the 8th century. Brigid (or Bridget) is the patron saint of Irish nuns, newborns, midwives, dairy maids and cattle. Whether or not she existed, these stories contain aspects in common with the details of the pagan goddess and illustrate the transition from pagan to Christian worship. Like the goddess Brigid, St. Brigid is associated with milk and fire. Born in Ireland around 453 A.D., St. Brigid was the daughter of a slave and a chieftain who was celebrated at an early age for her agricultural knowledge. She was renowned for her charity to the poor and stories abound about her healing powers. St. Brigid was a friend of St. Patrick, whose preaching set her on a course at an early age, and she became Ireland’s first nun. The celebration of St. Brigid’s Day on February 1 was put in place by the church to replace Imbolc. On her feast day, an effigy of St. Brigid of Kildare is traditionally washed in the ocean and surrounded by candles to dry, and stalks of wheat are transformed into cross talismans known as Brigid crosses. The modern celebration of Imbolc is considered a low-key, loose and sometimes private affair concerned with reconnecting with nature. February 2 Four Chaplains’ Interfaith It was Feb. 3, 1943, and the U.S. Army Transport Dorchester was one of three ships in a convoy, moving across the Atlantic from Newfoundland to an American base in Greenland. A converted luxury liner, the Dorchester was crowded to capacity, carrying 902 servicemen, merchant seamen and civilian workers. It was only 150 miles from its destination when shortly after midnight, an officer aboard the German submarine U2 spotted it. After identifying and targeting the ship, he gave orders to fire. The hit was decisive, striking the ship, far below the water line. The initial blast killed scores of men and seriously wounded many more. Others, stunned by the explosion were groping in the darkness. Panic and chaos quickly set in! Men were screaming, others crying or franticly trying to get lifeboats off the ship. Through the pandemonium, four men spread out among the Soldiers, calming the frightened, tending the wounded and guiding the disoriented toward safety. They were four Army chaplains, Lt. George Fox, a Methodist; Lt. Alexander Goode, a Jewish Rabbi; Lt. John Washington, a Roman Catholic Priest; and Lt. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister. Quickly and quietly the four chaplains worked to bring calm to the men. As soldiers began to find their way to the deck of the ship, many were still in their underwear, where they were confronted by the cold winds blowing down from the arctic. Once topside, the chaplains opened a storage locker and began distributing life jackets. It was then that Engineer Grady Clark witnessed an astonishing sight. When there were no more life jackets in the storage room, the chaplains simultaneously removed theirs and gave them to four frightened young men. When giving their life jackets, Rabbi Goode did not call out for a Jew; Father Washington did not call out for a Catholic; nor did Fox or Poling call out for a Protestant. They simply gave their life jackets to the next man in line. One survivor would later call it “It was the finest thing I have seen or hope to see this side of heaven.” As the ship went down, survivors in nearby rafts could see the four chaplains -- arms linked and braced against the slanting deck. Their voices could also be heard offering prayers and singing hymns.Of the 902 men aboard the U.S.A.T. Dorchester, only 230 survived. Although the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple Heart were later awarded posthumously Congress wished to confer the Medal of Honor but was blocked by the stringent requirements which required heroism performed under fire. So a posthumous Special Medal for Heroism, The Four Chaplains’ Medal, was authorized by Congress and awarded by the President on January 18, 1961. It was never given before and will never be given again.

February 3 St. Blaise Christian Early Christian bishop and martyr, one of the most popular medieval saints, Blaise is venerated as the patron saint of sufferers from throat diseases and of wool combers and as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. According to tradition, Blaise was of noble birth and, after being educated in the Christian faith, was made bishop of Sebastia. Although Christianity had been adopted about 300 CE as the state religion in Armenia, the Roman emperor Licinius began a persecution of the Christians, and Blaise was discovered and apprehended. While imprisoned, he miraculously cured a boy from fatally choking. After being torn with wool combers’ irons, Blaise was beheaded. Subsequent legends, notably the apocryphal Acts of St. Blaise, claim that, before Blaise was made bishop, he was a physician possessed of wonderful healing power. Numerous miracles were attributed to him, including the cure of diseased beasts during his refuge, thus accounting for his also being the patron saint of wild animals. He was venerated as the patron of sufferers from throat diseases in the East by the 6th century and in the West by the 9th century. Blaise’s cult spread throughout Christendom from the 8th century, and many churches, such as that in Dubrovnik (a city of which he is the patron saint), Croatia, are dedicated to him. Begun in the 16th century, the blessing of St. Blaise is a ceremony still practiced and celebrated on his feast day in many places. Two candles are consecrated and crossed before the congregation; or a wick, consecrated in oil, is touched to the throats of the faithful. This blessing may be administered by a priest, a deacon, or a lay minister. Blaise’s emblems are wax, taper, iron combs (the supposed instru ments of his passion), or two crossed candles; in art he is sometimes represented in a cave with animals.

February 3 Setsubun The festival of Setsubun—when people throw soybeans at demons—follows closely on the heels of New Year’s. The word setsubun means “changing of the seasons,” so there are actually four setsubun a year on the day before each new season begins. But because of the importance of the New Year in the , the setsubun directly before the start of spring was by far the most important and is currently the only one widely celebrated in . When seasons change, people are at their most vulnerable to influenza, colds, or other ailments. The rituals for the festival of Setsubun are meant to purge ones house and surroundings of all bad things and to keep disease and misfortune at bay. In schools in Japan, students typically make masks at this time. The principal of the school or the teachers might dress up as oni demons, and children will throw roasted soybeans at them, calling “Oni wa soto! (Out with the demons!) Fuku wa uchi! (In with good fortune!).” This ceremony might be repeated at home and is also carried out at various temples throughout Japan. After the bean-throwing ritual (mamemaki), people count out and eat the number of roasted soybeans equal to their age plus one more to protect them in the year ahead. These beans are called fuku-mame (good fortune beans). For good measure, people might also decorate the outside of their houses with prickly holly leaves and sardine heads because oni demons are known to avoid the sharp thorns of the holly and to detest the smell of sardines. In the (near and ), it’s also typical to eat ehou-maki, an over-sized roll with 7 ingredients (indicating luck). In recent years, eating this traditional dish has become popular throughout Japan.

February 9 Triodion Begins Orthodox Christian TRIODION – (Greek: three odes or modes). A containing the hymns, prayers and services of the movable feast before , beginning ten weeks before Easter with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee, until Easter Sunday. This includes the four weeks proceeding Great , Great Lent, and Holy (Passion) Week. February 15 Nirvana Day (Buddhist/Jain) Nirvana Day — is observed primarily by Mahayana Buddhists, most commonly on February 15th. The day commemorates the death of the historical Buddha and his entry into final or complete Nirvana. Nirvana Day is a time for contemplation of the Buddha’s teachings. Some monasteries and temples hold meditation retreats. Others open their doors to laypeople, who bring gifts of money and household goods to support monks and nuns. The word Nirvana means “to extinguish,” such as extinguishing the flame of a candle. It’s important to understand that the people of ancient India considered fire to be a bit of atmosphere that had become trapped by fuel. This bit of atmosphere burns angrily and fitfully until it is released to become cool, peaceful air again. Some schools of Buddhism explain Nirvana as a state of bliss or peace, and this state may be experienced in life, or it may be entered into at death. The Buddha taught that Nirvana was beyond human imagination, and so speculation about what Nirvana is like is foolish. In many schools of Buddhism, it’s believed realization of enlightenment causes living people to enter a kind of partial Nirvana, or “Nirvana With Remainders.” The word parinirvana refers to a complete or final Nirvana realized at death. The Buddha died at the age of 80 -- possibly of food poisoning -- in the company of his monks. As recorded in the Parinibbana Sutta of the Pali Sutta-Pitaka, the Buddha knew his life was at an end, and he assured his monks that he had withheld no spiritual teaching from them. He urged them to maintain the teachings so that they would continue to help people through the ages to come. As might be expected, Nirvana Day observances tend to be solemn. This is a day for meditation or reading the Parinibanna Sutta. In particular, it is a time to reflect on death and impermanence. Nirvana Day also is a traditional day for pilgrimage. The Buddha is believed to have died near a city named Kushinagar, located in the modern-day state of Uttar Pradesh in India. Kushinagar is a major pilgrimage destination on Nirvana Day.

February 22 Maha Shivaratri Hindu On this day Shiva is said to have saved the world from destruction on the condition that people worshipped him with great pride and enthusiasm. Other legends say that Shiva named this specific day when the goddess Parvati asked. Maha Shivaratri is a major festival within the Hinduism culture because it marks remembrance of overcomingdarkness and ignorance in the world. During this day, the culture observes the day be remembering Shiva and changing prayers, fasting, doing yoga, and meditating. Ethics and virtues of self-restraint, honesty, kindness to others, forgiveness, and the discovery of Shiva are the primary focuses and ultimate goals. Maha Shivaratri is one of the biggest festivals of Hindus. Devotees offer water, milk, dhatura, bhaang, akwan flowers to Shiva’s idol or Shivalinga and worship the Hindu God of destruction. Shiva is considered the ideal husband and unmarried girls and women pray for a husband like him. At Maha Shivratri, people fast the whole day and night and attend temple in the morning. They come to the temple to perform the puja of tradi- tional Shivalingam and hope to get what they have prayed to the god. They take bath in the holy water of the Ganga, a symbol of purity, early in the morning before sunrise and wear clean clothes after the sacred bath. Every worshiper brings a pot full of holy water to the temple to offer the Shivalingam. Women pray to God for her well-being of their husbands and sons, an unmarried woman pray to get their desired husband like Shiva in future; boys pray to get beautiful wife and successful life in future. The temple full of sound of bells and people shouts of “Shankerji ki Jai” or “Mahadevji ki Jai”. Devotees take five rounds of the Shivalingam and pour water on the Shivalingam. Some also pour cow milk on the Shivalingam.

February 23 Meatfare Sunday Orthodox Christian Eastern Orthodox churches take initial steps toward their traditional Lenten fast with Meatfare Sunday. After Meatfare Sunday, no meat may be consumed until Pascha (Easter); in one week, Cheesefare Sunday will discontinue the partaking of dairy products until Pascha. For Orthodox Christians, Great Lent begins on Clean Monday Though commonly referred to as Meatfare Sunday, this day is more formally known as the Sunday of the Last Judgment. In services, emphasis is placed on the Second Coming and Last Judgment—a time when Christ, in Matthew, refers to coming in glory with the angels to judge the living and the dead. While the opportunity exists, the faithful are encouraged to repent. The parable of the Last Judgment points out that Christ will judge on love: How well one has shared God’s love, and how deeply one has cared for others.

February 25 Shrove Tuesday Christian Shrove, derived from shrive, refers to the confession of sins as a preparation for Lent, a usual practice in Europe in the Middle Ages. Although the day is sometimes still used for self-examination and introspection, Shrove Tuesday eventually acquired the character of a or festival in many places and is often celebrated with parades. As the final day before the austerity of the Lenten fast, Shrove Tuesday also has many customs pertaining to food. Pancakes are traditional in a number of European countries because eggs, sugar, and fat, commonly forbidden during the Lenten fast, are used up so they will not go to waste; the day is known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday in Ireland and in many Commonwealth countries. Similarly rich pre-Lenten treats, sweet pa,czki are traditional in Poland, and is an iconic part of .

February 26 Christian the first day of Lent, occurring 6 1/2 weeks before Easter (between February 4 and March 11, depending on the ). In the early Chris- tian church, the length of the Lenten celebration varied, but eventually it began 6 weeks (42 days) before Easter. This provided only 36 days of fasting (excluding Sundays). In the 7th century, 4 days were added before the first Sunday in Lent in order to establish 40 fasting days, in imitation of Jesus Christ’s fast in the desert. It was the practice in Rome for penitents to begin their period of public penance on the first day of Lent. They were sprinkled with ashes, dressed in sackcloth, and obliged to remain apart until they were reconciled with the Christian community on , the Thursday before Easter. When these practices fell into disuse (8th–10th century), the beginning of the penitential season of Lent was symbolized by placing ashes on the heads of the entire congregation. In the modern Roman Catholic Church, the ashes obtained by burning the palms used on the previous are applied in the shape of a cross on the forehead of each worshipper on Ash Wednesday. Worship services are also held on Ash Wednesday in Anglican, Lutheran, and some other Protestant churches. Eastern Orthodox churches begin Lent on a Monday and therefore do not observe Ash Wednesday.

Resources for this newsletter: nativeamericanturquoisejewelry.net, timeanddate.com, history.com, army.mil, britannica.com, aboutjapan.japansociety.org, learnreligions.com, orthochristian.com, beliefnet.com, readthespirit.com. All photos are from the subscription service Shutterstock unless otherwise identified.

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Chaplaincy Staff: Catholic Mass is held Thursday at Rev. Kathleen Ennis-Durstine, room 4201, x.3321 noon and Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Rev. Eliezer Oliveira, habla Espanol, room 4115, x 5050 Main Chapel, third floor Main, room Rev. Matthew Schlageter, room 4115, x 6736 3201. Rev. Lavender Kelley, room 4115, x 4638 Jummah Prayer is held Friday at 12:15 p.m. in the Main Chapel, third floor