Zone1 Memories of Corpus Christi Day aka Fête Dieu aka Fronleichnam

[Zebra]

Memories of Corpus Christi Day aka Fête Dieu aka Fronleichnam

I know that there are already other threads about this topic.

Please allow me this one more thread.

It is a day that was very important for me as a child.

 

[Zebra]

my memories are mainly good.

 

[Zebra]

My memories are mainly good.

But from what I learned later, it became the fashion to complain about how awful and how boring this day was..
Well, it was never awful or boring for me.

 

[luiza]

my memories are mainly good.

We always support those who have been abused and need to talk about it.

 

[Zebra]

One thing has become specially fashionable in Germany:
To mock the name "Fronleichnam" by saying: "Happy Kadaver!"
Why?
"Leichnam" today means a dead human body in German.
But originally this word meant any human body, whether dead or alive.

In any case the very word "Fron-Leichnam" is a very old term that nobody really understands any more.

 

[Grumblenuts]

My memories of CORPUS CHRISTI seem mostly comprised of spats with petroleum soaked spoiled brats, apparently all of whom enjoyed publicly provided bay access for their individual backyard boats. They effectively contributed nothing but "I got mine. Fuck you" to any given discussion. The big advantage to being able to go out with one's boat instead of their car being,.. it allowed for uninterrupted beer guzzling. No more worrying about DUIs.

Legend has it

 

[Zebra]

My memories of CORPUS CHRISTI seem mostly comprised of spats with petroleum soaked spoiled brats, apparently all of whom enjoyed publicly provided bay access for their individual backyard boats. They effectively contributed nothing but "I got mine. Fuck you" to any given discussion. The big advantage to being able to go out with one's boat instead of their car being,.. it allowed for uninterrupted beer guzzling. No more worrying about DUIs.

I do not understand you at all ......

 

[Zebra]

Some info:

At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance. The procession is followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.[7] A notable Eucharistic procession is that presided over by the Pope each year in Rome, where it begins at the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran and passes to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, where it concludes with the aforementioned Benediction. Corpus Christi wreaths, which are made of flowers, are hung on the doors and windows of the Christian faithful, in addition to being erected in gardens and fields.[7]

The celebration of the feast was suppressed in Protestant churches during the Reformation for theological reasons: outside Lutheranism, which maintained the confession of the Real Presence, many Protestants denied the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist other than as a merely symbolic or spiritual presence. Today, most Protestant denominations do not recognize the feast day,[8] with exception of certain Lutheran churches and the Church of England, the latter of which abolished it in 1548 as the English Reformation progressed, but later reintroduced it.[9] Some Anglican churches now observe Corpus Christi, sometimes under the name Thanksgiving for Holy Communion.

Feast of Corpus Christi - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Grumblenuts]

I do not understand you at all ......

I'm not arguing with you at all. CORPUS CHRISTI is just a place over in this neck of the woods, not a religious day or celebration.

 

[Zebra]

CORPUS CHRISTI is just a place over in this neck of the woods, not a religious day or celebration.

I know

Soon I will be posting a bit more info.

 

[Zebra]

Here is some Info for English-speaking expats in Germany, who may be puzzled by this day.

This Thursday is another public holiday in some parts of Germany and, if you're in the right place at the right time, you will be treated to the sight of large processions of people parading through the streets in traditional clothing, chanting prayers and singing hymns, accompanied by parishioners carrying jewelled statues of the Virgin Mary and other saints. Meet Corpus Christi, known as Fronleichnam in Germany.

Celebrated at the beginning of summer, 10 days after Whitsun, Corpus Christi always falls on a Thursday and commemorates the Holy Eucharist – the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The festival – once controversial – is not celebrated as widely around the globe as other Christian festivals such as Christmas and Easter.

Origins of Corpus Christi​

So what exactly is Corpus Christi, and why is it celebrated?

Word origins​

The German name for this festival, Fronleichnam, comes from the Middle High German word "vronlicham" – "vron" meaning "lord" and "licham" meaning "body". Thus, the name literally translates to “body of God”. The English name, Corpus Christi, comes from Latin, and also holds the same meaning (Body of Christ).

More:

Fronleichnam: What is being celebrated in Germany on Corpus Christi?

In parts of Germany, Fronleichnam is celebrated with processions, decorations and prayers as a veneration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist of Christ.

www.iamexpat.de

 

[Zebra]

Corpus Christi Day in Munich

2022

 

[Zebra]

Corpus Christi procession in London, 2019​

 

[Zebra]

Where is Fronleichnam celebrated?​

Nowadays, Corpus Christi is generally only a public holiday in areas with a predominantly Catholic population. In some countries, including Germany, the feast was suppressed in the aftermath of the Protestant Reformation.

Martin Luther believed processions with consecrated elements to be blasphemous, idolatrous and conflicting with Christ’s order and establishment. He spoke out several times against Corpus Christi, referring to it as “the most shameful festival”. In fact, it is also believed that the extroverted and bombastic character of the celebrations had the political motive of showing the Protestants how great it was to be a Catholic.

Later, during the Nazi era, this was used as a means of passive resistance against the secular state rulers. This tradition carries on even today, with these parades intended to point out that religion belongs just as much to the public sphere as to the private.

Fronleichnam: What is being celebrated in Germany on Corpus Christi?

In parts of Germany, Fronleichnam is celebrated with processions, decorations and prayers as a veneration of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist of Christ.

www.iamexpat.de

 

[Zebra]

IMPORTANT DETAIL:

During the Nazi era, taking part in a Fronleichnam procession was a really brave way of passive resistance against the Nazi state rulers.
This should not be forgotten!

 

[Zebra]

I hope I have given some info now.

 

[Zebra]

btw:

I can understand when Protestants and Atheists etc. do not know this day
But what about Catholics?
Have most of them forgotten all about this day?

 

[Zebra]

Where on earth are the Catholics hiding in the forum?

 

[Zebra]

on a personal note:

I wonder whether any Catholics are here that have celebrated this day in their childhood.
And what kind of memories they may have of this day.

 

[Zebra]

As it seems this once wonderful and colourful and cheerful and at the same time very solemn celebration is on the way down. No more processions, no more flowers, no more flower carpets, no more decorated houses, no more beautiful church flags and banners, no more music. Nothing.

Probably thanks to super-modern theologians who have decreed that these ceebrations are "old-fashioned" and not fitting for our modern times any more.

Sad.