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.
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.