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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Epiphany
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Percy B
Shipmate
# 17238
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Posted
I love Epiphany. We keep it on a Sunday and this year it is on a Sunday.
I like it because of the rich imagery, the lovely hymns and the message.
I was thinking about it and I realise I also like it because the congregation is more a regular one than Christmas Day and I - and this is a personal thing- feel mor comfortable because of that.
Am I in a minority in my love for this wonderful feast?
How does your church observe it?
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Mary, a priest??
Posts: 582 | From: Nudrug | Registered: Jul 2012
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Zappa
Ship's Wake
# 8433
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Posted
I love it, and though the "wise men [sic] still seek Jesus" is vomitous, it is a theme that can be played with creatively in preaching and liturgy.
Unfortunately in OZ-Zealand it occurs during the Great National Shut-Down so largely slips into nothingness. Lay readers will be in charge of the liturgy in my faith community and I will be 6,000 kms away.
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shameless self promotion - because I think it's worth it
and mayhap this too: http://broken-moments.blogspot.co.nz/
Posts: 18917 | From: "Central" is all they call it | Registered: Sep 2004
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Vulpior
Foxier than Thou
# 12744
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Posted
I've looked after the liturgy in the absence of a priest previously. I always enjoyed doing it and gave the congregation chalk to mark their doors and proclaimed the date of Easter.
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I've started blogging. I don't promise you'll find anything to interest you at uncleconrad
Posts: 946 | From: Mount Fairy, NSW | Registered: Jun 2007
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Angloid
Shipmate
# 159
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Posted
I agree with Percy B that it is a wonderful feast. Unfortunately it's not just in NZ that it comes at the end of a week's 'shut down'. It's a day that seems tailor-made for involving children in the liturgy, but it's just before they go back to school and few people are around that week. I rather like Common Worship's suggestion of a great Epiphany liturgy which incorporates all the themes: the Baptism of Christ, the miracle at Cana, as well as the three Kings. This could happen a week later and be splendid.
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Brian: You're all individuals!
Crowd: We're all individuals!
Lone voice: I'm not!
Posts: 12927 | From: The Pool of Life | Registered: May 2001
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Pine Marten
Shipmate
# 11068
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Posted
I love it too. We always keep it on the nearest Sunday and have a full evening Mass with the usual bells 'n' smells, starting in candlelight (even more candles than usual!) with our 3 quite large and heavy figures of the Wise Men being carried in procession to the Crib while everyone sings 'We three Kings...'. All the other normal Epiphany carols, and a lovely party afterwards. 'Tis very good ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. - Oscar Wilde
Posts: 1731 | From: Isle of Albion | Registered: Feb 2006
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venbede
Shipmate
# 16669
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Posted
And you should see how many candles that shack counts as normal!
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Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.
Posts: 3201 | From: An historic market town nestling in the folds of Surrey's rolling North Downs, | Registered: Sep 2011
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
The usual Sunday Mass at our place, I expect, with the best white vestments and some Piffany hymns. The wise men will by then have made their way (via the church window-sills) to the House (aka Crib Scene) and will duly be placed therein - maybe this year we could get some of the kids to do this at the beginning of the Mass...... ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
Apparently it is to be "All Age Worship" followed by a "Family Fun Day". I have very little idea what that will involve (probably not a lot). I was originally scheduled to preach but the Vicar wisely decided to switch me to another day.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Percy B
Shipmate
# 17238
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Bishops Finger:
The usual Sunday Mass at our place, I expect, with the best white vestments and some Piffany hymns. The wise men will by then have made their way (via the church window-sills) to the House (aka Crib Scene) and will duly be placed therein - maybe this year we could get some of the kids to do this at the beginning of the Mass......
Ian J.
The hymns are lovely for the day I think, BF. in Common Worship I think the kings are placed in the crib at the gospel, and the Gospel read at the crib. Not sure if they are pit in before or after - I guess after.
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Mary, a priest??
Posts: 582 | From: Nudrug | Registered: Jul 2012
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Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
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Posted
It will be "business as usual" here in Olafton, with Epiphany hymns and the Epiphany preface if I get to the altar book ribbons in time.
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
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Vulpior
Foxier than Thou
# 12744
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
Apparently it is to be "All Age Worship" followed by a "Family Fun Day". I have very little idea what that will involve (probably not a lot). I was originally scheduled to preach but the Vicar wisely decided to switch me to another day.
Shudder. "Family Fun Day" down the road from here seems to mean "bouncy castle".
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I've started blogging. I don't promise you'll find anything to interest you at uncleconrad
Posts: 946 | From: Mount Fairy, NSW | Registered: Jun 2007
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Jante
Shipmate
# 9163
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Posted
We are having an All age service in the morning and a Evensong with Epiphany procession in the afternoon. I'm responsible for the morning All Age and struggling to come up with soemthing that isn't very similar to the evening service. I had planned the morning then got given the evening order of service which showed very similar ideas! As we have many of the same people likely to turn up to both services ( and due to schools not being back very few families at the All Age) I've had to go back to the drawing boards! ![[Frown]](frown.gif)
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My blog http://vicarfactorycalling.blogspot.com/
Posts: 535 | From: deepest derbyshire | Registered: Mar 2005
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Percy B - thanks for giving me an Idea!
If we get any Kidz along on Epiphany, the chances are that they'll saunter in sometime before the Gospel, so it does indeed make sense to have the Wise Men placed in position at that point in the service. All I have to do now is to persuade Father to 'informalise' the liturgy at the required moment....... ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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Percy B
Shipmate
# 17238
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Posted
Glad to be of some use, Bf.
I know in some churches blessing of homes is encouraged at Epiphanytide. I know blessed chalk is distributed sometimes, or holy water made available to take home.
Does the blessing of the chalk or holy water take place at Epiphany Mass or, as I have read somewhere, the evening before so it is ready for distribution.
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Mary, a priest??
Posts: 582 | From: Nudrug | Registered: Jul 2012
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Barefoot Friar
Ship's Shoeless Brother
# 13100
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Posted
I'll do our normal service, with a couple of tweaks. First, we're singing the only Epiphany hymn in the UMH that anyone has any hope of knowing (We Three Kings), along with What Child is This and another that I'm not remembering at the moment. I'm going to proclaim the date of Easter following the Communion, too.
I'll probably do a bit more for Baptism of the Lord, actually.
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Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu
Posts: 1621 | From: Warrior Mountains | Registered: Oct 2007
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Olaf
Shipmate
# 11804
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Barefoot Friar:
I'll probably do a bit more for Baptism of the Lord, actually.
That seems to be the typical consequence of the liturgical reforms. Being a child of the Vatican 2 era, I wonder: Was Epiphany a bigger deal in the olden days?
Posts: 8953 | From: Ad Midwestem | Registered: Sep 2006
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Having been reminded that Epiphany was the day when Holydays for the coming year were announced, I've duly included a list on this coming Sunday's news-sheet (but without chant, alas....).
Our very trad-minded Sacristan-cum-MC thinks it's a Good Idea to get the Kidz (or Yoof) to put the Magi in place just before the Gospel, so that will add weight to my argument when I try to persuade Father to do summink a bit different......
![[Two face]](graemlins/scot_twoface.gif)
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Oh, BTW - was it just our place.....or was your place The Invisible Church yesterday? I know it's a quiet period, but blimey.......
......I am hoping that we do indeed get a fair turnout for Epiphany, which is, I believe, an important element of the liturgical year!
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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Angloid
Shipmate
# 159
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Posted
I was filling in for a priest on holiday yesterday in a two-church benefice. They had cancelled the mass in one and it was supposed to be a joint service in the other. It was a vast barn of a place (the biggest brick-built church in Europe I understand) but virtually none of the other congregation were there. There were less than 30 of us, with several people arriving half an hour late because the time had been changed (moved later, but they'd assumed it was an hour later, not half).
But we had an excellent organist who had not been expected. The church was not too cold, people were friendly, and the sun peeped through the clouds from time to time. And they listened to my rant on the Holy Dysfunctional Family.
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Brian: You're all individuals!
Crowd: We're all individuals!
Lone voice: I'm not!
Posts: 12927 | From: The Pool of Life | Registered: May 2001
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Bishops Finger
Shipmate
# 5430
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Posted
Sounds very much like our place yesterday!
Mind you, we didn't get a rant about the Holy Dysfunctional Family - but the preacher (our Informal Visiting Priest) raised several hearty laughs at the expense of Prof. Dawkins.....
....and the sun indeed did shine from time to time......and prayer was offered....and the Word of God expounded.......and Holy Communion was shared.......and a couple of visitors were welcomed (and said they'd come back).......
Ian J.
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Our words are giants when they do us an injury, and dwarfs when they do us a service. (Wilkie Collins)
Posts: 10151 | From: Behind The Wheel Again! | Registered: Jan 2004
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shamwari
Shipmate
# 15556
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Posted
I shall celebrate Epiphany on Sunday.
Hymns: As with gladness; Brightest and best; amongst others.
And I shall expound along the lines that Raymond Brown suggested in his "Birth of the Messiah".
Posts: 1914 | From: from the abyss of misunderstanding | Registered: Mar 2010
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Percy B
Shipmate
# 17238
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Posted
I like O worship The Lord in the beauty of holiness for Epiphany.
I understand RCs are encouraged to have more candles at Epiphany, which seems a good custom to me.
Perhaps the best incense should be used and the best vestments as an offering in worship too.
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Mary, a priest??
Posts: 582 | From: Nudrug | Registered: Jul 2012
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ChippedChalice
Shipmate
# 14057
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Posted
We're doing our normal round of Masses in the morning (the Choir is singing Palestrina).
Then we're going to have a parish dinner and Christmas carol sing-along (one last chance to sing all the Xmas hymns we don't do during Advent).
And, following that, we're doing a Choral Evensong and Benediction -- the first such choral office we've done in many years. (I'm not counting our wonderful Advent Lessons & Carols service as a proper Office.)
I'm very much looking forward to it.
Posts: 131 | From: Chicago | Registered: Aug 2008
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Oblatus
Shipmate
# 6278
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ChippedChalice:
And, following that, we're doing a Choral Evensong and Benediction -- the first such choral office we've done in many years. (I'm not counting our wonderful Advent Lessons & Carols service as a proper Office.)
I'm very much looking forward to it.
So am I. Every time I attend Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in our church, it gives me chills (of the good kind) to realize that ours was the first parish church in the Anglican Communion since the Reformation to offer Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, in April of 1884. There was a Solemn E&B on June 17, 1984, to mark the centenary. Fr. Leslie J. Lang, serving in retirement at the time at St. Thomas', Fifth Avenue, preached.
Posts: 3823 | Registered: May 2004
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Barefoot Friar
Ship's Shoeless Brother
# 13100
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Posted
I'm going to burn a bit of incense, I believe. I don't have a thurifer (yet), so I'll just burn a bit in the sanctuary beforehand to give the scent without smoking everyone out.
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Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. -- Desmond Tutu
Posts: 1621 | From: Warrior Mountains | Registered: Oct 2007
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
We don't celebrate Epiphany, and almost none of our members would even know what it is. But this year our neighboring museum of religious art and history has an exhibit devoted to it, so I am talking about it after church.
It is interesting that it is so meaningful to many people. My sermon this Sunday is about something completely unrelated, so I hope that visitors are not disappointed.
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
Like at Bishop's Finger's place, the wise men have been travelling around the church, getting closer to the crib. On Sunday morning they finally arrive and are placed in the crib by the older children. We will be singing Epiphany hymns, but otherwise it is as a normal Sunday Eucharist and Evensong.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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Chorister
Completely Frocked
# 473
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Posted
Some exciting and colourful ways that Epiphany is celebrated around the world.
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Retired, sitting back and watching others for a change.
Posts: 34626 | From: Cream Tealand | Registered: Jun 2001
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aig
Shipmate
# 429
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Posted
All appropriate entrances now chalked. I love Epiphany...
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That's not how we do it here.......
Posts: 464 | From: the middle bit at the bottom slightly to the right | Registered: Jun 2001
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Ceremoniar
Shipmate
# 13596
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Posted
Our priest will bless our house in two weeks. The chalked numbers are still clearly visible from last year.
Posts: 1240 | From: U.S. | Registered: Apr 2008
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Anselmina
Ship's barmaid
# 3032
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Posted
Our churches picked some nice Epiphany hymns: The people that in darkness walked, We three kings (natch), As with gladness, Earth has many-a noble city etc.
The address offered a reading of 'The Journey of the Magi' by T S Eliot, and a brief round-up of the significance of the gifts. The idea was that we're still journeying, no longer to Christ but with him. Epiphany takes the child out of the manger and places him on the road to the cross and the empty tomb. Draws a line under the Christmas cuteness.
One church, in particular, looked very lovely - early enough in the morning to be still quite dark, with candles in the windows, a modest xmas tree, and wreathe lit up. Felt like a special way to move on from Christmas, like with all the dark greenery around spring is ready to break through.
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Irish dogs needing homes! http://www.dogactionwelfaregroup.ie/ Greyhounds and Lurchers are shipped over to England for rehoming too!
Posts: 10002 | From: Scotland the Brave | Registered: Jul 2002
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Traveller
Shipmate
# 1943
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Posted
Epiphany can be a bit of a mixed blessing, as it were.
The story as told in Matthew makes no sense when you start to look at the details IMNSHO, and I heard a splendid example a few years ago when a Reader was preaching and tied himself up in all sorts of logical knots. We had the (evangelical) priest from the parish-next-door yesterday who acknowledged that some saw the story as allegory, but asked why should one doubt it as it was the Word of God? I was very tempted to tell him. ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
I was on the rota to conduct the intercessions, so included a carefully phrased section talking about following the example of the wise men in the story and troubling ourselves to journey to find Christ and offer ourselves in His service. Everyone could be happy with that, but I know what I meant.
Musically, I find it a curate's egg – parts of it are excellent; the rest is better not spoken about. O worship the Lord is musically and theologically quite good; As with Gladness, Brightest and Best, Earth has many a noble city, are mediocre, but OK; We three Kings is ![[Projectile]](graemlins/puke2.gif)
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I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live:
I will praise my God while I have my being.
Psalm 104 v.33
Posts: 1037 | From: Wherever the car has stopped at the moment! | Registered: Dec 2001
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Carys
Ship's Celticist
# 78
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Posted
I wasn't working yesterday morning so went elsewhere too find incense as epiphany without incense would be weird. Well I found incense but also weird! Opening procession, no smoke, crucifer and choir in albs and brown tabards with Tau cross. Couple of others in plain albs priest in surplice and scarf. Odd sermon on verse openings of Joy to the World including God given suffering. There was a mike but new stood to far away from it and kept looking round and lady behind more went out saying she couldn't hear a thing. Thurible appeared at peace. Priest left censing to MC and had to be instructed to turn and face MC to be censed. During the EP he kept his hands down and looked rather out of place. Very odd.
But I got incense at least.
Carys
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O Lord, you have searched me and know me
You know when I sit and when I rise
Posts: 6896 | From: Bryste mwy na thebyg | Registered: May 2001
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venbede
Shipmate
# 16669
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Posted
The priest reading the gospel knelt at the words "they fell down and worshiped". Even an anorak like me had never come across that one, but I liked it.
But alas, no blessing of chalk.
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Man was made for joy and woe;
And when this we rightly know,
Thro' the world we safely go.
Posts: 3201 | From: An historic market town nestling in the folds of Surrey's rolling North Downs, | Registered: Sep 2011
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leo
Shipmate
# 1458
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Posted
There were quite a few occasions when we all knelt on specific days for specific words e.g. 'and the Word was made flesh' at Christmas, ''every knee shall bow' on Paul Sunday. The only kneeling which has survived the revisions is 'gave up his spirit' during the Passion on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
Call me old-fashioned, but i remember all these and do a profound bow - as i did when reading the gospel last Sunday.
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My Jewish-positive lectionary blog is at http://recognisingjewishrootsinthelectionary.wordpress.com/
My reviews at http://layreadersbookreviews.wordpress.com
Posts: 23198 | From: Bristol | Registered: Oct 2001
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dj_ordinaire
Host
# 4643
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
There were quite a few occasions when we all knelt on specific days for specific words e.g. 'and the Word was made flesh' at Christmas, ''every knee shall bow' on Paul Sunday. The only kneeling which has survived the revisions is 'gave up his spirit' during the Passion on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
A tangent - what is Paul Sunday?
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Flinging wide the gates...
Posts: 10335 | From: Hanging in the balance of the reality of man | Registered: Jun 2003
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Fr Weber
Shipmate
# 13472
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Posted
Strictly speaking, "every knee shall bow," "fell down and worshipped him," "and the Word was made flesh" and the others are occasions for genuflection, not kneeling per se. The posture specified for the death of our Lord on the cross is not just a genuflection, but kneeling, and a short pause is also made.
(And if you didn't already know I was a liturgical anorak...)
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"The Eucharist is not a play, and you're not Jesus."
--Sr Theresa Koernke, IHM
Posts: 2512 | From: Oakland, CA | Registered: Feb 2008
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leo
Shipmate
# 1458
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by dj_ordinaire:
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
There were quite a few occasions when we all knelt on specific days for specific words e.g. 'and the Word was made flesh' at Christmas, ''every knee shall bow' on Paul Sunday. The only kneeling which has survived the revisions is 'gave up his spirit' during the Passion on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
A tangent - what is Paul Sunday?
Palm, of course! Sorry.
(Though our patronal is S. Paul and we keep it on the Sunday during the octave!!!)
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My Jewish-positive lectionary blog is at http://recognisingjewishrootsinthelectionary.wordpress.com/
My reviews at http://layreadersbookreviews.wordpress.com
Posts: 23198 | From: Bristol | Registered: Oct 2001
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dj_ordinaire
Host
# 4643
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Posted
Ah, sorry! I was wondering if this was some reference to genuflection during the reading of Paul's words to the Philippians, as used on the Holy Name!
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Flinging wide the gates...
Posts: 10335 | From: Hanging in the balance of the reality of man | Registered: Jun 2003
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Ceremoniar
Shipmate
# 13596
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by leo:
There were quite a few occasions when we all knelt on specific days for specific words e.g. 'and the Word was made flesh' at Christmas, ''every knee shall bow' on Paul Sunday. The only kneeling which has survived the revisions is 'gave up his spirit' during the Passion on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.
Call me old-fashioned, but i remember all these and do a profound bow - as i did when reading the gospel last Sunday.
All of the traditional genuflections are still done in the Extraordinary Form Mass (which continues to be offered more and more).
Posts: 1240 | From: U.S. | Registered: Apr 2008
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Oblatus
Shipmate
# 6278
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by venbede:
The priest reading the gospel knelt at the words "they fell down and worshiped". Even an anorak like me had never come across that one, but I liked it.
In our shack, helped by a rubric in the bulletin, everyone kneels at that point except the subdeacon (who is holding the Gospel book), the crucifer, and the two acolytes attending the Gospel book.
Posts: 3823 | Registered: May 2004
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georgiaboy
Shipmate
# 11294
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Posted
On the musical front, I lobbied hard for Mendelssohn's 'There Shall a Star Come Out of Jacob,' preceded by the soprano recit 'When Jesus Our Lord Was Born' and the men's trio 'Say Where Is He Born', but once again did not succeed. (We'll sing 'There Shall a Star' later in the season, when it's less appropriate.)
What we sang was 'In the Bleak Midwinter,' to the Holst tune.
And of course we had to do 'We Three Kings' in the solemn procession, and 'Brightest and Best' (with its f**ked up words) for the exit hymn.
Not an all star day for me (sorry, couldn't resist the pun.)
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You can't retire from a calling.
Posts: 1675 | From: saint meinrad, IN | Registered: Apr 2006
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Freddy
Shipmate
# 365
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by georgiaboy:
And of course we had to do 'We Three Kings' in the solemn procession, and 'Brightest and Best' (with its f**ked up words) for the exit hymn.
Funny you should mention "Brightest and Best".
On the hymn thread I mentioned that I was on my denomination's hymnal committee, which restored a verse to that hymn that had been left out of the previous liturgy, the verse about "odors of Edom."
Is that the verse that is messed up in your view?
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"Consequently nothing is of greater importance to a person than knowing what the truth is." Swedenborg
Posts: 12845 | From: Bryn Athyn | Registered: Jun 2001
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georgiaboy
Shipmate
# 11294
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
On the hymn thread I mentioned that I was on my denomination's hymnal committee, which restored a verse to that hymn that had been left out of the previous liturgy, the verse about "odors of Edom."
Is that the verse that is messed up in your view? [/QB]
No, we still have 'odors of Edom', but just little snips in the text (mostly gender-neutralizing) make it difficult to sing out of my memory banks -- not that that's such a bad thing, though.
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You can't retire from a calling.
Posts: 1675 | From: saint meinrad, IN | Registered: Apr 2006
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Rosa Winkel
Saint Anger round my neck
# 11424
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Posted
In the local RC churches this year and last I (for the price of a donation) got hold of a small white paper bag containing, well, I am not sure. Deffo some incense, as well as something that looks like herbs (but probably aren't). Don't know what to do with it. Set fire?
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The Disability and Jesus "Locked out for Lent" project
Posts: 3271 | From: Wrocław | Registered: May 2006
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Mamacita
Lakefront liberal
# 3659
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by georgiaboy:
quote:
Originally posted by Freddy:
On the hymn thread I mentioned that I was on my denomination's hymnal committee, which restored a verse to that hymn that had been left out of the previous liturgy, the verse about "odors of Edom."
Is that the verse that is messed up in your view?
No, we still have 'odors of Edom', but just little snips in the text (mostly gender-neutralizing) make it difficult to sing out of my memory banks -- not that that's such a bad thing, though. [/QB]
I believe the Hymnal 1982 changed the first line to "Brightest and Best of the stars of the Morning" to make it gender-neutral. I don't know if that was the messing-about referred to upthread, but I have seen it criticized here in previous years. I always thought they should have just changed "sons" to "suns." It would make it gender-neutral but not require anyone to reprogram their memory banks.
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Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly, now. Love mercy, now. Walk humbly, now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.
Posts: 20761 | From: where the purple line ends | Registered: Dec 2002
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Forthview
Shipmate
# 12376
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Posted
About the white bag which RW got in a church presumably in Wroclaw I asked an old Polish lady today.She is a fund of information about popular customs before WW2.She said that you put the bag beside a picture of our Lady but that you can eat the herbs or offer them to others.I'm not sure if she was confusing the Epiphany with the Presentation which used to be a feast of our Lady.Certainly in Austria ( and possbly in Poland) there is a custom of blessing herbs on Assumption Day,reminding us of the sweetness of the Mother of God.
Anyway I'll be in Krakow next Sunday and will see if I can find out more.
Posts: 3444 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2007
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The Scrumpmeister
Ship’s Taverner
# 5638
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Forthview:
Certainly in Austria ( and possbly in Poland) there is a custom of blessing herbs on Assumption Day,reminding us of the sweetness of the Mother of God.
This is done in Byzantine practice as well. The Book of Needs has a blessing prayer for the purpose.
It stems from one of the points of variance in the Dormition accounts. I haven't read these accounts for a number of years so I ask forgiveness for any inaccuracy, but my recollection seems to be that, in later versions, there are some rather fanciful elaborations of the means of revelation of the rising of the Mother of God, including St Thomas arriving late and refusing to believe that she had died until he had seen her body for himself (sound familiar?), whereupon the tomb was opened to reveal that it was, in fact, empty, or another in which she was seen to be taken up, and dropped her sash as a momento. However, earlier versions do not contain such details but simply mention the sound of angel song and a sweet aroma at the tomb on the third day, which was taken as a sign that she had indeed, risen. The blessing of sweet-smelling herbs is a token of this.
[ 13. January 2013, 17:00: Message edited by: The Scrumpmeister ]
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venbede
Shipmate
# 16669
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Posted
Talking about odours at Epiphany...
For the second Sunday running, I have been edified at an evening service by the choir singing Dr William Crotch's masterpiece (no sniggering at the back:: his name's nearly as bad as the Feast of the Circumcision) "Lo start led chiefs, Assyria's odours bring".
[ 13. January 2013, 19:34: Message edited by: venbede ]
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Man was made for joy and woe;
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Rosa Winkel
Saint Anger round my neck
# 11424
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Forthview:
About the white bag which RW got in a church presumably in Wroclaw I asked an old Polish lady today.She is a fund of information about popular customs before WW2.She said that you put the bag beside a picture of our Lady but that you can eat the herbs or offer them to others.I'm not sure if she was confusing the Epiphany with the Presentation which used to be a feast of our Lady.Certainly in Austria ( and possbly in Poland) there is a custom of blessing herbs on Assumption Day,reminding us of the sweetness of the Mother of God.
Anyway I'll be in Krakow next Sunday and will see if I can find out more.
Thanks!
I seem to recall that something similar happens for the Assumption as well. I think I've seen women with flowers in bunches going to church.
I think the Orthodox church I attend has something similar going on around that time as well.
Coming back to the white bag, my wife guesses that it somehow contains gold, frankincense and myrrh in some kind of symbolic way.
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