Marian Calendar

 

 

The Marian Calendar[1]  is a day by day month by month recollection of the feast days of the Virgin Mary; Mary the mother of Jesus as recognised by the Catholic church and others.

The Marian Calendar was first published in the early  to mid 1600’s  and contains a collection of the pilgrimage sites associated with the ‘Blessed Virgin’ throughout Europe and what was thought of as ‘Christendom.’

 

Not all of the feast are celebrated by all Christians and there are differences between the Catholic feats days, the Eastern Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox and the Anglican days

Each day tells a story regarding the mythos that surrounds her. Though we do not have a true history of these mythos and stories there is evidence from as early as the 3rd century there that within the liturgy of the emerging Christian faith that  early practitioners were celebrating her life and aspects of her part  of their faith. [Or as some will argue they were taking and merging the stories of their local Goddesses into her

Methodius, a bishop (died 311) from the 3rd and early 4th century, who wrote:

And what shall I conceive, what shall I speak worthy of this day? I am struggling to reach the inaccessible, for the remembrance of this holy virgin far transcends all words of mine. Wherefore, since the greatness of the panegyric required completely puts to shame our limited powers, let us betake ourselves to that hymn which is not beyond our faculties, and boasting in our own unalterable defeat, let us join the rejoicing chorus of Christ’s flock, who are keeping holy-day. … We keep festival, not according to the vain customs of the Greek mythology; we keep a feast which brings with it no ridiculous or frenzied banqueting of the gods, but which teaches us the wondrous condescension to us men of the awful glory of Him who is God over all….Do thou, therefore, O lover of this festival…[2]

The number of Feasts  and feast days grew  through out the centuries until as late as  1954 when the a new feasts was declared that of the  feast of the Queenship of Mary was declared  by Pope Pius XII.

The  calendar has a story for each day , and I therefore  hope to share with you  each day an appropriate images .  However, these may not always be the classical images, some maybe more classical religious images and others may just be images that reflect the story and /or the mythos.

I hope you will take a peak at what I am doing, please feel free to comment here or on the facebook page. And if you have any other ideas or imagery you think maybe of interest to me, the blog and others please share.

 

 

References

1. http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/marian-calendar.html
2. Methodius, “Oration Concerning Simeon and Anna On the Day that They Met in the Temple”