What Is St. Joseph’s Day? 10 Things To Know About Feast Day

Sunday was St. Joseph’s Day, a Catholic holiday celebrating Italy’s patron saint, the husband of the Virgin Mary and stepfather to Jesus Christ.

Also widely known as San Guiseppe, St. Joseph’s feast day celebrates food and giving food to the hungry; many Italian-Americans, especially Sicilians, observe the feast day.

A story reveals that during a terrible famine in Sicily, villagers prayed to St. Joseph to intercede on their behalf – the famine ended and the people celebrated with a special feast dedicated to the saint, according to Catholic Culture. From then on, well-to-do families prepared large meals for less fortunate locals, especially for the ill and the homeless.

Read: St. Joseph’s Day History And Traditions

Read up on the feast day with these 10 facts about St. Joseph’s Feast Day, according to Delish, CatholicCulture.org and NOLA.com.

-Saint Joseph is the patron saint of workers and his feast day falls every year on March 19.

-Townspeople will typically gather in a public square to all share in a large feast.

-Similar to the Christmas nativity scene, people are selected to portray the members of the holy family as the festival unfolds. Young men or boys will also join the scene as Apostles and children will appear dressed as angels. Those portraying the members of the holy family are typically served the first meal.

-Revelers will celebrate all day and into the evening. Lights used to decorate typically come in brown, yellow and green, which are supposed to represent the patron saint’s clothing.

-Other decorations will include flowers like lilies and white carnations.

-Traditional foods include a bean soup called minestras, stuffed artichokes and other vegetables and an assortment of bread baked into symbolic shapes like a staff, a hand and a cross.

-People don’t eat cheese on this day. Dry breadcrumbs are a traditional topping for some dishes, though.

-For dessert, revelers will indulge in cookies with almonds and a famous St. Joseph’s Sfinge, which is a large donut-like pastry covered in sugar, is served. Sometimes they’re filled with creams or custards.

-Meat is not typically eaten during this feast day, as the day falls over Lent.

-Lemons and fava beans are staples for this feast day.