New Year’s Day: Shogatsu, the Solemnity of Mary and Feast of St. Basil

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1: The Gregorian year 2015 rings in at midnight, and around the world, parades, games and greetings fill the streets while traditional dishes fill tables in homes. Cultural customs vary from parades and football in the United States to ancestor tributes in Korea. Polar Bear Club plunges—jumping into icy-cold bodies of water—have been steadily gaining popularity in Canada, the United States, the UK, the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland, and in many areas, family and friends will gather for a New Year’s Day brunch. (Find interactive information and history at History.com.)

Bake up some: Blini! Nothing says “New Year” quite like blini—in Russian culture, that is. Ancient Slavs regarded the thin pancakes as symbols of the sun, given their round form, and blini have been reserved for festive occasions for centuries. The Russian form of blini can be stuffed with cheese, and that recipe—along with two others, plus a personal tale of family history—can be found at Wall Street Journal.com.

SHOGATSU:
JAPANESE BUDDHIST EXTRAVAGANZA

The grand celebrations for Christmas in the West compare to elaborate preparations for New Year’s in the East, and Japan observes Shogatsu with grandeur. Families prepare weeks in advance, with most businesses closed on New Year’s Day. Traditional pressed rice cakes, mochi, are cooked ahead of time and then finally prepared in a variety of flavors. Some mochi are cooked with broth to create a New Year’s soup. (Read more from Food & Nutrition.)

At midnight on Dec. 31, Buddhist temples throughout Japan ring their bells 108 times, which is an auspicious number in Buddhist tradition. The Watch Night Bell is a renowned destination on New Year’s Eve. After midnight, families head to a local temple to pray, and then feast together on soba noodles. The following morning, New Year’s greetings are exchanged and delicacies like sashimi and sushi are consumed, while children are presented with small envelopes containing money. (Wikipedia has details.) Most New Year’s celebrations last several days.

Happy New Year!  Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu!

SOLEMNITY OF MARY,
MOTHER OF GOD:
OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS

The octave of Christmas culminates in the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1. Feasts for the Mother of God were popular from the earliest centuries of the Church. (Learn more from Catholic Culture.) Millions of Christians, in Eastern and Western branches of the faith, turn to the Virgin Mary who is, by Greek description, the Theotokos “She Who Gave Birth to God.” (Note: in the Anglican and Lutheran denominations, the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ is observed today.)

BASIL THE GREAT
& VASILOPITA CAKE

Saint Basil the Great takes the cake—literally—in Greece and in Orthodox Christian communities today. On New Year’s Eve, both adults and children walk through neighborhoods singing Kalanda—carols—and then gather for enormous bonfires. In hopes of luck in the New Year, tables are graced with plentiful dishes, and the St. Basil’s Cake is the centerpiece. The vasilopita, or St. Basil’s Cake, is cooked with a coin inside, and the recipient of the piece of cake with the coin is said to be lucky for the coming year. (Find a recipe here.)

St. Basil the Great was born in the 4th century CE in Caesarea of Cappadocia, to a family well known for its holiness. At his sister’s urging, Basil followed an ascetic life and visited monks in several regions. (Learn more from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.) The saint inspired and preached throughout his life until his death, on January 1, 379 CE.

Feast of St. Basil: Orthodox celebrate an ancient Christian hero

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1: The Feast of the Circumcision is celebrated with hymns from St. Basil in Eastern Orthodox churches today, as devotees observe both the Circumcision of Christ and the Feast of St. Basil the Great. Across Greece, kitchens and bakeries are filled with the fragrance of baking Vasilopita, or St. Basil’s Cake. Recognized this year among USA Today’s “14 Holiday Desserts Worth a Trip,” vasilopita is characterized by its sweet ingredients, which are placed in the bread to symbolize the sweetness of life. Beyond a basic recipe, however, vasilopita varies greatly by region: It can be everything from a kneaded, bread-like version to a richer, denser cake. Whatever the recipe, Greeks believe that the “bread of Basil” brings good luck to a household in the year to come. Each household’s senior member slices the cake, and one lucky participant receives in his piece the coin that was hidden in the bread, which traditionally brings him luck for the coming year.

Are you fascinated by food-and-faith customs around the world? Then, you’re sure to enjoy our Feed The Spirit department with Bobbie Lewis. And, you’ll enjoy our book by Lynne Meredith Golodner, The Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads.

ST. BASIL THE GREAT:
A PATH ‘ALL IN THE FAMILY’

In contrast to the many saints who left their wealthy families to pursue an ascetic life, St. Basil the Great came from a family of steadfast, righteous Christians and maintained those family ties. Born to Basil the Elder and Emmelia in Caesarea of Cappadocia in 329 or 330 CE (dates vary), St. Basil the Great claimed a martyred grandfather and a mother and father renowned for their piety. Eventually, four of Basil’s siblings would become regarded as saints.

As a youth, St. Basil studied in Constantinople and Athens, eventually following his sister’s advice to turn from academics and law to a simpler, more virtuous life. (Learn more from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.) In approximately 370 CE, Basil was elected as a bishop. This was the ancient era when what we would now consider orthodox Christian leaders, including Basil, were locked in a dispute that became known as the Arian controversy. Basil was highly respected, even by his opponents—so much so that the Arian Emperor Valens even asked for prayers over his gravely ill son, which Basil did, and the boy healed.

Basil died on Jan. 1, 379 CE, at age 49. He left behind hundreds of theological letters that discuss the mysteries of creation and the Holy Trinity, in addition to thoughts on monastic communal life—which are held in such high regard that they earned him the title, “the Great.” Numerous religious orders in Eastern Christianity bear his name, as do the Roman Catholic Basilian Fathers. Basil is recognized as a saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity.

ST. BASIL THE GREAT:
A GREEK ‘FATHER CHRISTMAS’

In Greece, children await January 1 with great anticipation, as both feasts and gifts await them on this special day. On the eve of Jan. 1, adults and children carol New Year’s songs from house to house, and children believe that St. Basil delivers them gifts at night. On Jan. 1, feasts are prepared as abundantly as possible, in the belief that the more lavish the table, the more plentiful blessings will be in the New Year. Pork and the vasilopita are mainstays of every Greek table, and the senior member of the household makes a sign of the cross over the vasilopita before cutting into it.

In the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, St. Basil’s feast is observed on Jan. 2.

Looking for a fun way to observe St. Basil’s Day? Try baking a vasilopita, singing carols and reciting a table blessing, courtesy of Catholic Culture.

(Originally published at readthespirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)