The new year will soon be here! But before you start thinking about your new years party or your resolutions, there is still one more holiday to be remembered in the old year - St. Sylvester's Day!
Who is this St. Sylvester?
St. Sylvester was one of the church fathers whose feast day is December 31st. Although very little is known about him, during his papacy he saw Constantine rise to power and the founding of many Roman churches. Constantine's mother, St. Helena uncovered the tomb of Jesus Christ with the help of the Hebrew people.
In Europe, celebrating St. Sylvester's Day is combined with the New Year's Eve celebrations and is spent making efforts to ring in the new year well, so that the year will be good. These celebrations vary throughout the world. In some places, a pig is let loose and everyone tries to touch the pig, as it is considered a sign of good luck. In many other places, a hearty dinner is prepared and eaten with friends and family.
Eating fish is a popular tradition throughout various parts of the world as it is considered lucky to do so. Fish scales bare a resemblance to coins and fish travel in schools - a symbol of wealth and prosperity. In my family, this is a big new years tradition for us and we remember that Jesus taught us to go and "be fishers of men." We usually eat Salmon or St. Peter's fish, but this year we chose the Branzino fish for its butter-like taste.
St. Peter's fish, also known as Tilapia, is well known for the large spot on its body. This is said to be from St. Peter himself. According to legend, St. Peter threw a coin into the Sea of Galilee, which was swallowed by a fish. St. Peter caught the fish and tried to pry it out by holding the fish, leaving his fingerprint. To this day the print, or spot, can be seen on the fish!
In our family, we like to enjoy the holiday by drinking champagne, and eating fish and other little delicious hors d'oeuvres. We then gather and talk about how the past year went and our resolutions for the next. As it gets closer to the new year we turn on all the lights in our home, burn incense and light one candle and say a prayer for everyone's health and happiness, inviting the new year.
From our family to yours, we hope that you find happiness and joy in the new year!