Two days after the feast of the great
Irish saint comes the day of the carpenter
of Nazareth, Saint Joseph, "the just man,"
of whom the Gospels say little but who
is beloved by generations of Italians and
Italian-Americans, celebrated on March 19.
Though often pictured as an aged man,
bearded and bent with years, Joseph has
more recently been seen as younger,
more fitted to his role as protector of
the young Mary and her Child.
Saint Joseph is patron of many places
and many trades. He is the guardian
of the spiritual home of Christians, the
Church, and of the material home, too.
The tradition of a St. Joseph's
Day began when there was a severe
drought in Sicily in the middle ages.
In desperation, people asked
St. Joseph, their patron, to intervene.
They promised, if rain came,
they would prepare a big feast
in his honor. The tradition says these
prayers were answered with rainy weather.
In gratitude, huge banquet tables
were set-up in public and poor people
were invited to come and eat as much
as they wanted. Today, special foods,
linens, flowers, and statuary adorn the
St. Joseph's Altar which is built with
three steps representing the Holy Trinity.
Generosity marks this day,
as it did the character of Joseph
himself. In many nations it's a day
of sharing with the poor and needy,
and nowhere is this better carried out
than in the nation that perhaps loves
San Giuseppe the most: Italy.
In many Italian villages, especially in
Sicily, everyone of any means contributes
to a table spread in the public square
as an offering for favors received from
prayers to this kindly saint.
The bread made for this day is
often shaped like a scepter or
a beard; villagers representing Jesus,
Mary, and Joseph are guests of
honor at the feast, and other guests
are the orphans, widows, or beggars.
After Mass, all go in procession to
this festive table. After the priest blesses
the feast, everyone shouts, "Viva
la tavola di San Giuse!" then eats.
At the end of the meal every guest
is given something to take home.
For this feast, a unique minestrone is made;
people add any vegetarian ingredients that
happen to be handy to the soup. [This is
the origin of a Sicilian expression minestra
di San Giuse, i.e., confusion or chaos.]
Although all kinds of lentils and
dried beans are eaten on Saint
Joseph's feast, cheese, usually a
popular a part of the Italian diet,
is not served; instead of grated
Parmesan, this minestrone is
served with dry toasted bread crumbs.
Taste authentic
March 19th
recipes
preserved by Italian-Americans?
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March
19 recipes for St. Joseph's Day
intro
to March 19 feast day