We have been celebrating our Styrian patron saint, St. Joseph, for around 250 years.
Josef became the patron saint of Styria in 1771. At that time he replaced Rupert as his predecessor.
Guido Reni, Josef von Nazaret (1640)
Joseph Worship
Joseph was Jesus' foster father, since according to early Christian belief, Jesus is the Son of God and was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
Joseph came from the lineage of King David, from whom the Messiah would come according to the testimony of the Old Testament. He lived as a carpenter in Nazareth and was the betrothed of Mary. According to later tradition, he was already an 80-year-old man at the time. When he found out that Maria was pregnant, he doubted her faithfulness and wanted to separate from her; but an angel declared to him in a vision that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit, and Joseph stayed with her (Matthew 1:18-21).
The special devotion to Saint Joseph, the bridegroom of the Blessed Mother, developed in the Middle Ages. March 19 as a date is first found in the 12th century. In 1870 Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph the patron saint of the whole Church. St. According to his profession as a carpenter, which is handed down from the Bible, Joseph is also the patron saint of the workers, especially the craftsmen, here again the carpenters and joiners. He is also considered the patron saint of virgins and marriage.
Joseph's veneration can be proven earlier in the East than in the West, where the earliest mention of his festival appears on March 19 in the Martyrology of Reichenau around 850 - as a memorial day probably with the intention of celebrating the festival of Minerva, the Roman goddess of craftsmen, to replace.
Patronage
St. Joseph is patron of the entire Catholic Church, of Mexico, the Philippines, Canada, China, Belgium, Bavaria, Peru, Russia, Vietnam and Austria, Bohemia, Tyrol, Styria, Carinthia and Vorarlberg and Turin; of married couples and families, children, young people and orphans, of virginity, of the fighters against communism; of the workers, craftsmen, carpenters, woodcutters, carpenters, wheelwrights, gravediggers, engineers, educators, pioneers, travelers and exiles, the dying; with eye diseases; in temptations and despair; in case of housing shortage; for a good death; the diocese of Cologne, the diocese of Osnabrück, co-patron of the diocese of Münster; of the Servite Order.
Attributs
Baby Jesus in his arms, flowering rod, lily, dove, square
Peasant Weather Lore
Some peasant rules have been handed down for St. Joseph's day:
„Ein schöner Josefstag ein gutes Jahr verheißen mag.“ „Ist’s am Josephstag klar, folgt ein fruchtbar’ Jahr!“ „Ist’s Josef klar, gibts ein gutes Honigjahr.“ „Wenn’s erst einmal Josefi is’, so endet auch der Winter gewiss.“ „Ist es klar am Josephstag, spart er uns viel Not und Plag.“ „Am Josefi-Tag soll der faulste Bauer auf seinem Acker sein.“ „Josef behände macht dem Winter ein Ende!“
"A beautiful St. Joseph's day promises a good year."
"If it's clear on Joseph's Day, a fruitful year will follow!"
"If it's clear to Josef, there will be a good honey year."
"Once it's Josefi, the winter will surely end."
"If it is clear on Joseph's day, it will save us a lot of hardship and trouble."
"On Josefi Day, the laziest farmer should be in his field."
"Josef nimbly puts an end to winter!"
Traditions
In Bavaria, the strong beer tapping traditionally takes place on Josefi, which heralds the strong beer season with its festivals during Lent. The strong beer tapping on the Nockherberg is well known.
In honor of the foster father of Jesus, work on Josefi was also suspended in Austria until 1968. In contrast to the Bavarian children, the Austrian ones at Josefi still have no school today. One custom was to give flowers to the virgin girls. Sometimes in the form of a wreath of flowers to preserve virginity, sometimes in the form of a bouquet to do the opposite. The young lads approved the first beer garden measure of the season on this day. In order to be able to withstand temptation and to be able to appeal to higher powers in the event of weakness, newly married peasants decorated each other's fingers with so-called Josefi rings.
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