CORPUS CHRISTI The feast of Corpus Christi (Latin: Body of Christ), alternatively referred to as Festum et Sanguinis Christi, is a Christian feast celebrating the Holy Eucharist. This feast is also called Mass or Communion. It is the liturgical celebration of Christ’s death and resurrection, where Christians partake of Christ’s body and blood. Corpus Christi is primarily celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church and in some countries where Catholicism is one of the dominant religions it is celebrated as a national holiday. Some Anglican Churches also celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. It is believed that the feast of Corpus Christi originated with St. Juliana, a nun of Liege, Belgium, who was led to start a celebration of the Mass around 1230 AD. At an early age, St. Juliana developed a strong devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, and longed for a feast in honor of the Eucharist. In 1264 AD, pope IV commanded universal observance of Corpus Christi and by the 14th Century, the feast became universally celebrated in the West. St.Thomas Aquinas is given credit for many of the customs and hymns associated with the feast. In Trinidad and Tobago, Corpus Christi is the feast day celebrating the Institution of the Mass. This historic celebration would be celebrated on 20th June, 2014. Observances take place in Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, Scarborough and other parishes across the country. Followers of the Roman Catholic faith attend church services on Corpus Christi morning before going to processions in their communities. The biggest procession is held in front of the Roman Catholic Cathedral on Independence Square in Port-of-Spain. Since there is often a great deal of rainfall around the time of the Corpus Christi celebrations, gardeners in Trinidad and Tobago consider the day to be good for planting, as it is believed that anything planted on this day will thrive. Some planters also carry their seeds to church services for blessing. Among the popular plants purchased during this time are tomatoes, hot peppers, melongene (eggplant or aubergine), ochro, patchoi ( Chinese Cabbage or bok choy), lettuce, and grains such as corn and pigeon peas.
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 14:00:00 +0000