Today is St. Joseph’s Day. I was introduced to the significance of this day by a good friend some years ago. I went to see her and she had been cooking for days getting ready for St. Joseph’s Day.
Seems her family in Chicago celebrated the day feasting together. Everyone collected at a designated family residence where the furniture had been removed and tables–some with chairs so you could sit together–holding all the traditional and revered foods as well as special dishes requested by family members.
Some foods stayed out all day. Others were refrigerated or slow-cooked and added to the feast throughout the day. Some foods were for tasting, to see if family members liked or disliked these new foods.
When not eating, family sat around and talked to each other–still today, talked to each other. What a splendid way to celebrate together. And in some families, the feasting and visiting went on all week–
Think about it, never enough time to visit. Never enough time to share what is important to the whole family.
This is a Roman Catholic Feast Day. And you don’t have to be Catholic or change your religion to celebrate 19 Mar 2014.
- Start cooking.
- Call your nearest (physical address because the day is going on) relatives.
- Invite them to bring a dish.
- Move the furniture to accommodate a group.
- And CELEBRATE!
Talk to each other (you may have to collect cell phones for an hour)–your favorite genealogist, Arlene Eakle http://arleneeakle.com
PS If your relatives ask what you want to talk about–be prepared to share a family story, genealogy or otherwise.
PPS Let me tell you about my grandfather. He never learned to drive. He always rode the “cars.” Street cars first, then local buses. And he knew the schedules by heart. My grandmother did the driving. When his wife passed away, he told my cousin to teach him to drive, in case there was an emergency. They went out to garage. Climbed into the car with Grandfather on the driver’s side. “Put the car in gear and push on the gas,” my cousin instructed. And they both sailed through the back of the garage. “If you tell a soul about this,” my Grandfather growled, “I will kill you!” This tale is guaranteed to send all of my relatives who knew Grandfather into peels of laughter until the tears ran down our cheeks.
Be prepared to start the talk.