| Nativity of John the Baptist | |
|---|---|
 Russianicon of the Nativity of John the Baptist | |
| Observed by | Eastern Orthodox Oriental Orthodox Roman Catholics Eastern Catholic Churches Lutherans Anglicans |
| Type | Christian |
| Significance | Celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, Jesus' precursor and relative |
| Celebrations | Religious services |
| Date | June 24 |
| Frequency | annual |
| Related to | Christmas Epiphany theVisitation Dehwa Daimana Midsummer |
TheNativity of John the Baptist (orBirth of John the Baptist, orNativity of the Forerunner, or colloquiallyJohnmas orSt. John's Day (in German)Johannistag) is aChristianfeast day. It is observed annually on 24 June. The Nativity ofJohn the Baptist is a high-rankingliturgical feast, kept in theCatholic Church,Eastern Orthodox Church,Anglicanism, andLutheranism. The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from theGospel of Luke.
Christians have long interpreted the life of John the Baptist as a preparation for thecoming ofJesus Christ, and the circumstances of his birth, as recorded in theNew Testament, are miraculous. John's pivotal place in the gospel is seen in the emphasis Luke gives to the announcement of his birth and the event itself, both set in parallel to the same occurrences in the life of Jesus.[1]
The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from theGospel of Luke. John's parents,Zechariah orZachary—aJewishpriest—andElizabeth, were without children and both were beyond the age of child-bearing. During Zechariah's rotation to serve in theTemple in Jerusalem, he was chosen by lot to offerincense at theGolden Altar in theHoly of Holies. The ArchangelGabriel appeared to him and announced that he and his wife would give birth to a child, and that they should name him John, a name which was unfamiliar in Zechariah and Elizabeth's families.[2]Acts 4:6 refers to a "John" among the high priests who challenged the apostles' preaching after Pentecost, so the name was not unknown within the wider priestly family.[3] However, because Zechariah did not believe the message of Gabriel, he was renderedspeechless until the time of John's birth.[4] At that time, his relatives wanted to name the child after his father, and Zechariah wrote,"His name is John", whereupon he recovered his ability to speak (Luke 1:5–25;1:57–66). Following Zechariah's obedience to the command of God, he was given the gift ofprophecy and foretold the future ministry of Jesus, this prophecy forming the text of theBenedictuscanticle.[5]
_01.JPG)
At theAnnunciation, when the angelGabriel appeared to theVirgin Mary to inform her that she wouldconceive of theHoly Ghost, he also informed her that Elizabeth, her cousin, was already six months pregnant (Luke 1:36). Mary then journeyed tovisit Elizabeth. Luke's Gospel recounts that the baby "leapt" in Elizabeth's womb at the greeting of Mary (Luke 1:44).[6]
The Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24 comes three months after the celebration on March 25 of theAnnunciation, when the angelGabriel toldMary that her cousin Elizabeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy, and six months before theChristmas celebration of the birth of Jesus. The purpose of these festivals is not to celebrate the exact dates of these events, but simply to commemorate them in an interlinking way. The Nativity of John the Baptist anticipates the feast of Christmas.[7]
The Nativity of John the Baptist is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian church, being listed by the Council ofAgde in 506 as one of that region's principal festivals, where it was a day of rest and, like Christmas, was celebrated with three Masses: a vigil, at dawn, and at midday.[8]
It is one of the patronal feasts of theOrder of Malta.[9]
Ordinarily, the day of a saint's death is usually celebrated as his or herfeast day, because it marks his or herdies natalis, or "birthday", into eternal life. To this rule there are two notable exceptions: thebirthday of theBlessed Virgin Mary and that of John the Baptist. According to Roman Catholic tradition and teaching, Mary was free from original sin from the first moment of her existence (her conception itself is commemorated by a separate feast), while John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother (which is not taught in other Western Christian traditions).[10]
The Nativity of John the Baptist, though not a widespread public holiday outside ofQuebec,Catalonia, andPuerto Rico, is a high-rankingliturgical feast, kept in theRoman Catholic,Anglican andLutheran churches. In theRoman Rite, it has been celebrated since 1970 as asolemnity; in the1962 form of that Roman Rite it a first class feast and in still earlier forms as a Double of the First Class with commonOctave. Due to itsliturgical ranking it takes precedence over a Sunday inOrdinary time on which it happens to fall. However, it does not take precedence over the feasts of the Lord. In this case the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist is transferred to June 23 in the Roman Rite; in the 1962 rite, the feast is transferred to June 25 instead.
Like theBirth of the Virgin, the subject is often shown in art, especially fromFlorence, whose patron saint John is. It was often given a prosperous contemporary setting, and often only the presence of a halo or two distinguishes it on adesco da parto or birth tray from a secular depiction of a mother receiving visitors whilelying-in. The scene in thefresco cycle of the life of John in theTornabuoni Chapel in the church ofSanta Maria Novella in Florence is probably the most famous, created byDomenico Ghirlandaio and his workshop between 1485 and 1490.
The reformerMartin Luther wrote ahymn about baptism, "Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam", which became associated with the Baptist's day. The feast was celebrated in Lutheran Leipzig,Johann Sebastian Bach composed three church cantatas for the occasion, especially achorale cantata on Luther's hymn:
In theEastern Orthodox Church and otherEastern Christian Churches, St John the Baptist is usually called St John the Forerunner, a title used also in the West ("Πρόδρομος"Pródromos in Greek,"Precursor" in Latin). This title indicates that the purpose of his ministry was to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ. In theByzantine Rite, the Feast of his Nativity is celebrated on June 24. It is a majorfeast day and is celebrated with anAll-Night Vigil. It has anAfterfeast of one day. The feast usually falls during theApostles' Fast (in Orthodox Churches that follow theJulian calendar, this feast always falls during the Apostles' Fast).
In addition to the birth of John the Baptist, the Byzantine Rite also has the following commemorations of the life of John the Baptist:
TheArmenian Apostolic Church commemorates the"Birth of John the Forerunner" on January 15, and June 7 is the"Commemoration Day of St John the Forerunner." September 1 is the Feast of"Saints John the Forerunner and Job the Righteous."
.jpg)
The question would naturally arise as to why the celebration falls on June 24 rather than June 25 if the date is to be precisely six months beforeChristmas. It has often been claimed that the Church authorities wanted toChristianize the pagansolstice celebrations and for this reason advanced Saint John's feast as a substitute. This explanation is questionable because in the Middle Ages the solstice took place around the middle of June due to the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar. It was only in 1582, through theGregorian calendarreform, that the solstice returned to June 21 as it had been in the fourth century.
Therefore, a more likely reason why the festival falls on June 24 lies in the Roman way of counting, which proceeded backward from theKalends (first day) of the succeeding month. Christmas was"the eighth day before the Kalends of January" (Octavo Kalendas Januarii). Consequently, Saint John's Nativity was put on the "eighth day before the Kalends of July." However, since June has only thirty days, in our present (Germanic) way of counting, the feast falls on June 24.[8]
Nevertheless, the fact of the feast falling around the time of the solstice is considered by many to be significant, recalling the words of John the Baptist with regard to Jesus:"He must increase, but I must decrease".[12]
All over Europe "Saint John's fires" are lit on mountains and hilltops on the eve of his feast. As the first day of summer, Saint John's Day is considered in ancient folklore one of the great "charmed" festivals of the year. Hidden treasures are said to lie open in lonely places, waiting for the lucky finder. Divining rods should be cut on this day. Herbs are given unusual powers of healing, which they retain if they are plucked during the night of the feast. In Germany they call these herbs Johanneskraut (St. John's herbs), and people bring them to church for a special blessing. In Scandinavia and in the Slavic countries it is an ancient superstition that on Saint John's Day witches and demons are allowed to roam the earth. As at Halloween, children go the rounds and demand "treats," straw figures are thrown into the flames, and much noise is made to drive the demons away.[8]
El Dia de San Juan is celebrated inTucson,Arizona,United States. According to tradition, this day marks the beginning of themonsoon season. There is a legend that the Spanish explorerFrancisco Vásquez de Coronado prayed for rain on June 24, 1540. Right after his prayers, it rained. John the Baptist ritually cleansed the faithful of their sins in theJordan River. So people ofMexico and theAmerican Southwest once followed morning mass on June 24 with a dip fully clothed in the nearest body of water. In the last part of the twentieth century, public celebrations of El Dia de San Juan faded in Tucson. Public fiestas on the nearbyTohono O'odham reservation also disappeared. In 1998, the City of Tucson in partnership with neighborhoods and private organizations revived the tradition of “El Dia de San Juan".[13]
In the seventh century,Saint Eligius warned against midsummer activities and encouraged newconverts to avoid them in favor of the celebration of St. John the Baptist's birth.[14]
InMandaeism, the birthday of John the Baptist is celebrated onDehwa Daimana (written asDihba ḏ-Yamana,Dihba Daimana, orDihba Rba ḏ-Daima inMandaic). Children arebaptized for the first time during this festival.[15]: 28 It is celebrated on the first day of Hiṭia, which is the 11th month of theMandaean calendar.[16]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)No Christian on the feast of Saint John or the solemnity of any other saint performs solestitia [solstice rites?] or dancing or leaping or diabolical chants.
Media related toFeast of St. John the Baptist at Wikimedia CommonsNativity of John the Baptist | ||
| Preceded by | New Testament Events | Succeeded by |
