Patronage party
Patronage day , patronage festival , patronage (southern Germany) or Prangtag or Prangertag (in some areas of Austria) is the day on which a Catholic parish commemorates the day of remembrance of the saint whose name their church bears ( patronage ) according to the liturgical calendar . It has the rank of a high festival . It should not be confused with the commemoration day of the consecration , which is also celebrated as a solemn festival in the respective church.
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In many Catholic areas, the patronage festival is celebrated lavishly. The population of the wider area visits the church, whose festival is celebrated. The visit can be understood as a pilgrimage and associated with an indulgence .
The high mass in the church is often followed by a procession with the reliquary and / or a statue of the saint. This is followed by a parish, village or folk festival. The fair of a place is often the (former) patronage festival.
The largest surviving patronage festival in Germany is Libori in Paderborn . In Austria , Italy , Spain , Portugal and Latin America , many villages and cities celebrate their patronage day as a church and folk festival, today also as a tourist attraction.
Where circumstances require, the patronage festival can be celebrated on the Sunday before or after the calendar date.