RELIGIOUS Catholic Customs Below are selected Catholic religious customs from around the world, organized by liturgical seasons, months & categories. Click the links below to go to the respective sections, and use back button/home button to return to Contents. Click here for chronological listing. CONTENTS By Liturgical Season/Month Advent | Christmas | Time after Epiphany | February | March | Septuagesima | Lent | Passiontide | Easter | April | Time After Pentecost | June | July | August | September | October | November | ---------------- Other categories Blessings, Pilgrimages, Indulgences | Sacraments, the Priesthood & the Mass Sacramentals Advent The Medieval Spirit of Advent & the Rorate Mass Preparing for the First and Second Coming of Christ The Wheat & Cherry Branches of St. Barbara's Day Customs to honor & gain the protection of this great Saint Restoring the Feast of St. Nicholas St. Nicholas and his companion mete out rewards & punishments  The Feast of St. Lucy Inspires Charming Customs Processions and crowns of light in Italy and Sweden  The Golden Nights Customs & traditions preparing for Our Lord's coming The Feast of St. Thomas: Lively & Manly Customs Whipcracking, rifle shooting & the search for an inn Re-enactment of the Holy Family Search for an Inn Austrian boys choir repeats an old Christmas tradition Unease Stalks German Christmas Markets Islamic terrorism threatens the old custom of an entire people Christmas The Angelus: a Meditation on Christmas Its three points condense the whole Christmas story Preparing Soul and Body for Christmas The authentic joys a Catholic should have & what should he avoid Candles & Bonfires - The Lights of Christmas - Part 1 Glorious lights filled the world in the Christmas of old Bringing in the Yule Log - The Lights of Christmas - Part 2 Merry festivities & solemn blessings in times past Traditions of Christmas Eve Part 1 -   Christmas Greenery: Hope for Everlasting Life                   Forests & field provide the decorations of Christmas Part 2 -   Trees of Paradise & Fruitful Grain                   Christmas customs that comes from the life of the peoples Part 3 -   The Christmas Crèche & Mystery Plays                   Christ's Crib: the center of all the Christmas festivity Part 4 -   The Christmas Eve Meal: Symbolic Courses                   Awaiting Our Lord's birth with joyful expectation Part 5 -    The Holiest Night: Blessings for Animals & Land                   The grandeur of Christmas is felt even in the farmyards Part 6 -   The Wonders of Christmas Night                   The nearness of Heaven brings new marvels to the earth Part 7 -   The Flame-lit Journey to Mass                    Pious dramas, shepherds processions Part 8 -   The Grand Medieval Christmas Feast                    Festive Christmas meat: The boar, pig, or goose The Third Day of Christmas: The Wine of St. John The power of this blessed wine over evil The Boy Bishops of Holy Innocents Day Catholic customs of the fourth day of Christmas Time After Epiphany February The ‘Biddy Boys’ & Woven Crosses of St. Brigid’s Day Traditional Irish customs for her February 1 Feastday The Blessed Candles of Candlemas Sacral processions & protection from storms & dangers Festivities & Processions for Candlemas The 'Dance of the Devils' and other colorful traditions The Return of Light for Candlemas The sun's triumph reflected in the customs March The Authentic St. Patrick's Day: Joyful Ways of the Past Mass, festivities, folk dancing in every village St. Joseph: the Harbinger of Spring - Part 1 Great bonfires & processions to honor the Spouse of Our Lady Catholic Charity & St. Joseph’s Tables - Part 2 Private altars & grand feasts to treat the poor ‘Lady Day’ Gives Us a Rich & Sacral Legacy The Annunciation Feastday celebrated with joy & sacrality Septuagesima Farewell to the Alleluia A beloved prayer, a powerful battlecry The Belgium Gilles: The Pride of the City A Carnival parade with deep roots & bright colors The Carnival: Charming Customs, Admiration for Royalty Each region with its own festivities & ways of feasting before Lent Lent Ash Wednesday: The Start of Penance Penitential processions & the King's Cock Crower How Lent Permeated Medieval Society Nobles & peasants entered the season of penance & fasting Counting down the Weeks of Lent With effigies of old women, sardines & Jack-a-Lent Fire: Symbol of the First Week of Lent Burning away the last vestiges of sin & the disordered passions Passiontide Passion Week & Our Lady of Sorrows Processions Veiled statues & other pious traditions Sacred Customs of Holy Thursday Part 1 -   Holy Thursday Bread & Greens                   The Triduum begins with a day of Purification Part 2 -   The Glorious History of the Mandatum                   The Washing of the Feet ceremony on Holy Thursday Part 3 -   The Silence of the Bells on Holy Thursday                   Wooden clappers replace the bells in churches & processions Part 4 -   The Vigil of the Passion: Watching with Christ                   Altars of repose, Calvary chapels & penitents mark the night Easter The Blessings & Symbolism of the Easter Egg Mysterious origins & rich diverse development in Christendom April Rogation Day Processions, Prayers & Perambulations - Part 1 Days to ask God's blessings & appease His just anger for sin Celebrating Ascension Thursday - Part 2 Countryside outings, mountain picnics & bird-shaped bread How Our Forefathers Celebrated Pentecost Catholic Whitsun festivals and customs throughout Europe Time After Pentecost June Bonfires on the Eve of St. John the Baptist Customs that marked this great feastday Celebrating the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul Grand processions, fireworks, fairs & fish feasts July Processions, Shells & Oysters on the Feast of St. James the Apostle Joyful festivities in Spain & the New World August Lammas Day Is August 1: Celebrating Harvests of Souls & Wheat Honoring St. Peter in the Chains & making the harvest festival The Special Blessings on the Feast of the Assumption Let us restore these innocent customs of the past September Commemorating the Nativity of Our Lady Grape harvest festivals & the winter seed blessing Honoring St. Michael on His Feastday 'Gloves, geese and ginger,' and many processions October All Hallows Eve: Joyful Anticipation The ‘souling’ night with lanterns, bonfires, prayers & songs November Ringing the Bells for All Saints Day Special breads & preparing for the visits of the Poor Souls Catholic Traditions on All Souls Day Candles, flowers & prayers at the tombs & special 'soul foods' Polish All Souls Day: Cemeteries Become Seas of Lights A friend recalls the Catholic customs of her youth Martinstag Celebration in Germany With its procession, St Martin's Day lanterns, procession and goose  Blessings, Pilgrimages, Indulgences Can the Head of a Household Give Blessings? Yes, he can. Read the answer Remembering the Often-Forgotten Indulgences What they are and the conditions required to earn them Visiting the Holy House of Loreto St. Therese of Lisieux reports special favors received from Heaven Why Saturday Is Dedicated to Our Lady Only she was faithful to the promise of the Ressurrection on Holy Saturday Sacraments, the Priesthood, & the Mass How to Address Priests: Titles, Abbreviations, and Signs of Respect The correct treatment for members of the Hierachy, clergy and religious persons St. Pius X on Priestly Dignity and Propriety Photos illustrating the contrast between past and present priestly behavior The Children’s Greeting Lessons for today in a 19th century German painting ‘Call Me Jorge’ Pope Francis disregards papal titles & protocol The Victim Is the Priest, Not the Baby An elderly priest slaps a wailing child at a baptism First Communion Progressivism is destroying the sacrality of a soul's first encounter with Our Lord The Holy Viaticum in Bourgogne A village priest brings Our Lord to a sick person for the last time My Encounter with Alphonsus de Liguori A new perspective for life after reading Preparation for Death The Sudden & Unprovided Death St. Francis de Sales distinguishes different ways to die well The Sabbatine Privilege & the 30 Gregorian Masses Is wearing the brown scapular enough to merit the privilege? The Thirty Gregorian Masses The efficacy of this centuries-old practice initiated by Pope St. Gregory the Great Sacramentals Don't Forget Sacramentals - Aids to the Spiritual Life What are these special ways the Church created to benefit the faithful? The Rosary: A Weapon against Progressivism Examples of how it destroyed heresies in the past should inspire us today Praying the Fifteen Decades of the Rosary Our Lady asked for the full Rosary and linked to it special graces Can One Pray the Rosary During Mass? Yes, this is a time-honored custom that has the approval of Popes The Luminous Mysteries: Novelty Clashes with Tradition Adding a new set of mysteries opposes Our Lady's expressed wish Restoration: Let's Begin with the Veil History, significance and propriety of the veil for women at Mass A Study of the Veil in Christian Tradition              Introduction                 A scholarly study based on Greek and Latin texts of Saints Part 1:   The Veil in the Apostolic Age                 St. Paul ordered women to wear veils inside the church Part 2:   The Veil and the Church Fathers - St. John Chrysostom                 A woman should be ashamed not to be covered with a veil in church Part 3:   St. Ambrose and St. Augustine on the Veil                 Lust and vanity are avoided if a woman covers her hair and neck Part 4:   St. Thomas Aquinas and His Teaching on the Veil                 Not wearing a veil is not a sin, but its use is highly recommended Part 5:   The Veil in St. Thomas' Commentary on the Corinthians                 By covering her head, a woman  affirms her submission to man Part 6:   What Does Canon Law Say about the Veil?                 While the Code of 1917 called for the veil, the Conciliar Code ignores it              Conclusion                 How and When to Use the Veil in Modern Times Chronological The Grand Medieval Christmas Feast Festive Christmas meat: The boar, pig or goose The Flame-lit Journey to Mass Pious dramas, shepherds processions Paganism Dominates Coco's Mexican Feast Day - Part 3 Checking bad tendencies in Día de los Muertos The Catholic Origins of Día de los Muertos How the All Souls Day customs developed in Mexico The Blessings & Symbolism of the Easter Egg Mysterious origins & rich diverse development in Christendom Sacred Customs of Holy Thursday Part 1 -   Holy Thursday Bread & Greens                   The Triduum begins with a day of Purification Part 2 -   The Glorious History of the Mandatum                   The Washing of the Feet ceremony on Holy Thursday Part 3 -   The Silence of the Bells on Holy Thursday                   Wooden clappers replace the bells in churches & processions Part 4 -   The Vigil of the Passion: Watching with Christ                   Altars of repose, Calvary chapels & penitents mark the night Lenten Customs & Practices Part 1 -   Ash Wednesday: The Start of Penance                   Penitential processions & the King's Cock Crower Part 2 -   How Lent Permeated Medieval Society                   Nobles & peasants entered the season of penance & fasting Part 3 -   Counting down the Weeks of Lent                   With effigies of old women, sardines & Jack-a-Lent Part 4 -   Fire: Symbol of the First Week of Lent                   Burning away the last vestiges of sin & the disordered passions Traditions of Christmas Eve Part 1 -   Christmas Greenery: Hope for Everlasting Life                   Forests & field provide the decorations of Christmas Part 2 -   Trees of Paradise & Fruitful Grain                   Christmas customs that comes from the life of the peoples Part 3 -   The Christmas Crèche & Mystery Plays                   Christ's Crib: the center of all the Christmas festivity Part 4 -   The Christmas Eve Meal: Symbolic Courses                   Awaiting Our Lord's birth with joyful expectation Part 5 -    The Holiest Night: Blessings for Animals & Land                   The grandeur of Christmas is felt even in the farmyards Part 6 -   The Wonders of Christmas Night                   The nearness of Heaven brings new marvels to the earth Part 7 -   The Flame-lit Journey to Mass                    Pious dramas, shepherds processions Passion Week & Our Lady of Sorrows Processions Veiled statues & other pious traditions St. Joseph: the Harbinger of Spring - Part 1 Great bonfires & processions to honor the Spouse of Our Lady Catholic Charity & St. Joseph’s Tables - Part 2 Private altars & grand feasts to treat the poor Candles & Bonfires - The Lights of Christmas - Part 1 Glorious lights filled the world in the Christmas of old Bringing in the Yule Log - The Lights of Christmas - Part 2 Merry festivities & solemn blessings in times past The Boy Bishops of Holy Innocents Day Catholic customs of the fourth day of Christmas The Third Day of Christmas: The Wine of St. John The power of this blessed wine over evil Ringing the Bells for All Saints Day Special breads & preparing for the visits of the Poor Souls Lammas Day Is August 1: Celebrating Harvests of Souls & Wheat Honoring St. Peter in the Chains & making the harvest festival Rogation Day Processions, Prayers & Perambulations - Part 1 Days to ask God's blessings & appease His just anger for sin Celebrating Ascension Thursday - Part 2 Countryside outings, mountain picnics & bird-shaped bread Can the Head of a Household Give Blessings? Yes, he can. Read the answer The Return of Light for Candlemas The sun's triumph reflected in the customs Festivities & Processions for Candlemas The 'Dance of the Devils' and other colorful traditions The Blessed Candles of Candlemas Sacral processions & protection from storms & dangers The Medieval Spirit of Advent & the Rorate Mass Preparing for the First and Second Coming of Christ Re-enactment of the Holy Family Search for an Inn Austrian boys choir repeats an old Christmas tradition The Wheat & Cherry Branches of St. Barbara's Day Customs to honor & gain the protection of this great Saint Catholic Traditions on All Souls Day Candles, flowers & prayers at the tombs & special 'soul foods' Commemorating the Nativity of Our Lady Grape harvest festivals & the winter seed blessing Processions, Shells & Oysters on the Feast of St. James the Apostle Joyful festivities in Spain & the New World Celebrating the Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul Grand processions, fireworks, fairs & fish feasts The Belgium Gilles: The Pride of the City A Carnival parade with deep roots & bright colors Farewell to the Alleluia A beloved prayer, a powerful battlecry The Blessed Candles of Candlemas Sacral processions & protection from storms & dangers The Feast of St. Thomas: Lively & Manly Customs Whipcracking, rifle shooting & the search for an inn The Golden Nights Customs & traditions preparing for Our Lord's coming All Hallows Eve: Joyful Anticipation The ‘souling’ night with lanterns, bonfires, prayers & songs Honoring St. Michael on His Feastday 'Gloves, geese and ginger,' and many processions The Special Blessings on the Feast of the Assumption Let us restore these innocent customs of the past Bonfires on the Eve of St. John the Baptist Customs that marked this great feastday How Our Forefathers Celebrated Pentecost Catholic Whitsun festivals and customs throughout Europe ‘Lady Day’ Gives Us a Rich & Sacral Legacy The Annunciation Feastday celebrated with joy & sacrality The Authentic St. Patrick's Day: Joyful Ways of the Past Mass, festivities, folk dancing in every village The Carnival: Charming Customs, Admiration for Royalty Each region with its own festivities & ways of feasting before Lent The ‘Biddy Boys’ & Woven Crosses of St. Brigid’s Day Traditional Irish customs for her February 1 Feastday  The Feast of St. Lucy Inspires Charming Customs Processions and crowns of light in Italy and Sweden  Restoring the Feast of St. Nicholas St. Nicholas and his companion mete out rewards & punishments  Martinstag Celebration in Germany With its procession, St Martin's Day lanterns, procession and goose  Polish All Souls Day: Cemeteries Become Seas of Lights A friend recalls the Catholic customs of her youth The Victim Is the Priest, Not the Baby An elderly priest slaps a wailing child at a baptism Can One Pray the Rosary During Mass? Yes, this is a time-honored custom that has the approval of Popes Unease Stalks German Christmas Markets Islamic terrorism threatens the old custom of an entire people The Angelus: a Meditation on Christmas Its three points condense the whole Christmas story Remembering the Often-Forgotten Indulgences What they are and the conditions required to earn them The Sabbatine Privilege & the 30 Gregorian Masses Is wearing the brown scapular enough to merit the privilege? ‘Call Me Jorge’ Pope Francis disregards papal titles & protocol The Children’s Greeting Lessons for today in a 19th century German painting The Holy Viaticum in Bourgogne A village priest brings Our Lord to a sick person for the last time My Encounter with Alphonsus de Liguori A new perspective for life after reading Preparation for Death The Sudden & Unprovided Death St. Francis de Sales distinguishes different ways to die well Preparing Soul and Body for Christmas The authentic joys a Catholic should have & what should he avoid Visiting the Holy House of Loreto St. Therese of Lisieux reports special favors received from Heaven Why Saturday Is Dedicated to Our Lady Only she was faithful to the promise of the Ressurrection on Holy Saturday The Luminous Mysteries: Novelty Clashes with Tradition Adding a new set of mysteries opposes Our Lady's expressed wish How and When to Use the Veil in Modern Times The ideal situation and practical solutions The Rosary: A Weapon against Progressivism Examples of how it destroyed heresies in the past should inspire us today The Thirty Gregorian Masses The efficacy of this centuries-old practice initiated by Pope St. Gregory the Great Praying the Fifteen Decades of the Rosary Our Lady asked for the full Rosary and linked to it special graces Don't Forget Sacramentals - Aids to the Spiritual Life What are these special ways the Church created to benefit the faithful? How to Address Priests: Titles, Abbreviations, and Signs of Respect The correct treatment for members of the Hierachy, clergy and religious persons St. Pius X on Priestly Dignity and Propriety Photos illustrating the contrast between past and present priestly behavior First Communion Progressivism is destroying the sacrality of a soul's first encounter with Our Lord Restoration: Let's Begin with the Veil History, significance and propriety of the veil for women at Mass A Study of the Veil in Christian Tradition              Introduction                 A scholarly study based on Greek and Latin texts of Saints Part 1:   The Veil in the Apostolic Age                 St. Paul ordered women to wear veils inside the church Part 2:   The Veil and the Church Fathers - St. John Chrysostom                 A woman should be ashamed not to be covered with a veil in church Part 3:   St. Ambrose and St. Augustine on the Veil                 Lust and vanity are avoided if a woman covers her hair and neck Part 4:   St. Thomas Aquinas and His Teaching on the Veil                 Not wearing a veil is not a sin, but its use is highly recommended Part 5:   The Veil in St. Thomas' Commentary on the Corinthians                 By covering her head, a woman  affirms her submission to man Part 6:   What Does Canon Law Say about the Veil?                 While the Code of 1917 called for the veil, the Conciliar Code ignores it              Conclusion                 How and When to Use the Veil in Modern Times Visit our Archives Religious  |  Home  |  Search  |  Books  |  CDs  |  Contact Us  |  Donate © 2002-   Tradition in Action, Inc.    All Rights Reserved