St. Mark's Day

The St. Mark is the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist on April 25 . This date is the latest possible Easter date .

In the denominations

Roman Catholic

In the Roman Catholic Church , St. Mark's Day has the status of a festival , in Libya that of a solemn festival .

Evangelical Church in Germany

The Evangelical Church in Germany lists Mark's Day in the Evangelical Worship Service Book , where the following applies:

Daily saying: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creatures. ( Mk 16.15 LUT ) b
Psalm: Ps 57.2-4.6.8-12 (see Ps 57.1-12 LUT )
Song of the day A: EG 154 (Lord, make us strong in the courage that professes you)
Song of the day B: EG 250 (I praise you with all my souls)
Sermon texts according to pericopes:

(2019, 2025, ...): Mk 1,1-4.14-15 (at the same time gospel reading of the day, see Mk 1,1-15 LUT )
(2020, 2026, ...): Acts 15,36-41 LUT (at the same time the epistle of the day)
(2021, 2027, ...): Isa 52,7-10 LUT (also Old Testament reading of the day)
(2022, 2028, ...): like 1.
(2023, 2029, ...): like 2.
(2024, 2030, ...): like 3.

Alleluia verse: Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; let the upright praise him. ( Ps 33,1 LUT )
Sermon text outside the pericope rows : Lk 10.1-9 LUT
Liturgical color : red
Postponements: If St. Mark's Day falls on a Sunday, it is postponed, either to the previous day or to a day of the week beginning with the Sunday in question.

Before the pericope revision, the following applied:

Daily saying: How lovely are the feet of the messengers of joy on the mountains, who preach peace, preach good, proclaim salvation. ( Isa 52,7 LUT )
Psalm: 22.23.28-29.32 (see Ps 22.23-32 LUT )
Day song: EG 154 or EG 250
Sermon texts according to pericopes:

(2009, 2015, ...): Lk 10.1-9 LUT (at the same time gospel reading of the day)
(2010, 2016, ...): Acts 15,36-41 LUT (at the same time the epistle of the day)
(2011, 2017, ...): like 1.
(2012, 2018, ...): like 2.
(2007, 2013, ...): like 1.
(2008, 2014, ...): like 2.

Hallelujah verse: The Lord God is sun and shield, the Lord gives grace and honor. He will not let the pious lack any good. ( Ps 84.12 LUT )
alternative Hallelujah verse: Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; let the upright praise him. ( Ps 33,1 LUT )
Liturgical color: red
Postponements: If St. Mark's Day falls on a Sunday, it is postponed, either to the previous day or to a day of the week beginning with the Sunday in question.

Revised Common Lectionary

In the English-speaking world, numerous Protestant and Anglican churches use the Revised Common Lectionary . In the case of St. Mark's Day, its readings are independent of the reading year:

First Reading: Isaiah 52.7 to 10 NRSV

Psalm: Ps 57 : 1-12 NRSV

second reading: 2. Tim 4,6-11,18 (see 2 Tim 4,6-18 NRSV )

Gospel: Mk 1,1-15 NRSV

Church of England

The Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England provides for the Epistles reading Eph 4,7-16 KJV for the day of St. Mark and Jn 15,1-11 KJV as the Gospel reading . The Common Worship provides:

For the evening before service:

Ps 19.1-15 NRSV
Isaiah 52.7 to 10 NRSV
Mk 1,1-15 NRSV

For the main service:

Prov 15.28 to 33 NRSV or Acts 15.35 to 41 NRSV

Ps 119 : 9-16 NRSV

Eph 4.7 to 16 NRSV

Mk 13.5-13 NRSV

For the second service:

Hes 1,4-14 NRSV
2 Tim 4,1-11 NRSV
Evening psalm: Ps 45.1-18 NRSV

For the third service:

Isa 62,6-10 NRSV or Sir 51,13-30

Acts 12,25 NRSV and Acts 13.1 to 13 NRSV

Morning psalms: Ps 37 : 23-41 NRSV and Ps 148 : 1-14 NRSV

Other denominations

In addition, St. Mark's Day is celebrated on April 25 by other Protestant and Anglican churches , the Orthodox churches , as well as the Armenian, Coptic and Syrian Orthodox churches.

Traditions

Agriculture

Mark's Day is a weather loss day in agriculture . Corresponding pawn rules are:

“ St. Georgi and St. Marks

often threaten a lot of suspicion. "

"Georg and Markus, without any consolation,

very often frighten us with frost. "

“Before St. Mark's Day

the farmer may be careful. "

"Is there to Markus Sonnenschein,

that's how you get the best wine! "

"If the beech tree is green on Markus, there will be a good year."
"What St. Markus thinks about weather

so it is with the harvest. "

"As long as it is warm before St. Mark's Day, as long as it is cold afterwards."

Gosch Cross in Amering , station at the local annual procession on St. Mark's Day

"Only put beans after Markus,

it will be well worth it to you;

but barley that was sown long ago

because after Mark it is too late. "

"The swallows are already building around Markus,

so there is a lot of feed, grain and calving. "

"As long as the frogs hold concerts in front of Markus,

that's how long they have to shut up afterwards. "

“To Markus, there hides the socks

our crow in the rye. "

"Is it now warm for Markus?

then you freeze right down to the intestines. "

"Markus day cold,

also the prayers' cold. "

Traditionally, processions are held across the fields on St. Mark's Day. This custom is of pre-Christian origin.

Germany

Markus-Stein in memory of St. Mark's Day in Villingen (Hungen)

Notice board at the Markus-Stein

The Markus stone in Villingen , a district of Hungen , bears the following inscription:

"Markus Stein"

“Mark's Day on April 25th was celebrated as a public holiday in Villingen for centuries. No other village in the area celebrated this memorial day. In the old days the borders were crossed on this day, which often ended in a drinking bout. There were always terrible fires in the village. On this day in 1703 a boy, Ludwig Hegemeister, was killed by a fire while tending the goats on the Borgelberg and the day became the day of repentance. The tradition was lost at the end of the 20th century. "

"The Markus stone is reminiscent of the old tradition."

“That was important to Querbeet, the women's dialect group of the Protestant parish. She looked after the cultural asset "Vellinger Platt" with song and music and donated this board. "

"Villingen, on St. Mark's Day 2011"

"Susanne Ahrens Jutta Hedrich Stefanie Hofmann Susanne Kall Marita Klös Inge Koch Inge Krämer Corina Mäser Doris Michel Sieglinde Schymalla Bettina Weg-Lemp Ilona Zimmer-Alberding and Pastor Hartmut Lemp"

Italy

In Tresnuraghes , a small village in Sardinia , the most important traditional Sardinian festival is held, which serves the surplus consumption and the consolidation of the solidarity community. Local shepherd families donate sheep and organize cooking in a gesture of thanks to Providence . Other families donate bread as thanksgiving or as a blessing. Hundreds of people, mostly from Tresnuraghes, but also a large number from outside, eat and drink together.

April 25th is a national holiday throughout Italy, but not as St. Mark's Day, but as the anniversary of Italy's liberation from National Socialism in World War II on April 25, 1945.

Since the evangelist Mark is the patron saint of the city of Venice , St. Mark's Day ( Italian : Festa di San Marco ) is of particular importance there and is also known as the festival of the rosebud ( Venetian : festa del bocolo ), since men of their loved ones one on this day They tend to give a single rosebud. According to legend, the tradition originated in the 8th century when a man of lower class is said to have fallen in love with a Venetian noblewoman. To get permission from her father, he went to a distant war. He was mortally wounded in battle, but was able to pluck a flower from a nearby rose plant for his lover. A comrade was entrusted with bringing the bloodstained rose to his beloved.

Lithuania

In Lithuania, Markus is considered the guardian of the soil and the harvest. There was a ban on consuming meat in order to get a good harvest. People avoided “touching the ground”, that is, plowing or digging, in order to give the ground a break from the approaching hard work of sowing and harvesting.

Mexico

The festival is celebrated in the city of Aguascalientes on April 25th. It is named for the largest and most famous folk festival in Mexico, the national St. Mark's market (Spanish: Feria Nacional de San Marcos ), which generally takes place for three weeks around this date.

Also in Paraíso in Tabasco, Markus is celebrated as patron of the city on April 25th.

Alleged prophecy

A verse that has been quoted for centuries about the coincidence of St. Mark's Day with Easter exists in different versions in different European languages. A Latin form is:

"Quando Marcus Pascha dabit,
Antonius Pentecostabit,
Joannes Christum adorabit,
Totus mundus vae clamabit."

A variant in German is:

"When Easter falls on Sanct-Markus,
Sanct-Anton sticks to Pentecost,
Johann stands on the corpse,
woe the whole world screams."

A modified French variant, which is often incorrectly ascribed to Nostradamus , reads:

"Quand Georges Dieu crucifera
Que Marc le ressucitera
Et que Saint Jean le portera
La fin du monde arrivera."

In the literature

St. Mark's Day plays a role in Stephenie Meyer's " Bite " series. There Volterra is the hometown of the Volturi, a royal vampire family. The Volturi allegedly live in the center of the city and have secretly ruled it for 3000 years. According to the book, the city celebrates a festival every year on St. Mark's Day. According to legend, 1500 years ago a Christian missionary named Father Marcus - a Volturi - drove all the vampires out of Volterra. Since then, the city has not been plagued by vampires, as the Volturi are successfully hiding. This festival plays a role in the 2nd part of the "Biss" series, Until (s) at noon .

Named after St. Mark's Day

Male of the March fly or marrow-haired mosquito

The March fly is also called Mark's fly or, to be more precise, Markusha's hair mosquito, as it very often swarms around St. Mark's Day. Its scientific name Bibio marci and its common name in some other languages also refer to it.