When is St. Peter and St. Paul Day?
This feast day is celebrated on June 29th. The day commemorates the martyrdom of two saints, the two great Apostles, Saint Peter and St. Paul, assigned by tradition to the same day of June in the year 67.
The day taken in Chile may change depending on if it falls on a weekend.
In Colombia, like other religious holidays, the holiday is observed on the Monday after the date.
History of St. Peter and St. Paul Day
Peter was the leader of the apostles and the first pope. Paul was born Saul, but converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus.
They had been imprisoned in the infamous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. It is said that they were martyred at the command of Emperor Nero.
Even though they were killed on the same day, their method of execution would have differed.
Saint Peter was crucified, whereas Saint Paul would have been beheaded with a sword as he was a Roman citizen and afforded a quicker execution.
It is said of Peter that he was crucified head downward as he didn't feel worthy of being crucified in the same way as Jesus.
On June 29th, coastal and island communities may decorate their boats and wharves to give praise to St. Peter, who was the patron saint of fishermen. St. Paul was known for his handcraft.
This is probably one of the oldest feast days celebrated in the Christian calendar. In 2010, images of Peter and Paul were found on the wall of catacombs dating back to the 4th Century AD.
The feast of St Peter and St Paul is known as a 'Solemnity'. For Catholics, this means they can eat meat on the day, even if it falls on Friday when normally fish would be eaten.
The feast of Saints Peter and Paul is a national holiday in Malta, that also marks the date of Mnarja. This is an important festival that traces its roots back to the pagan Roman feast of Luminaria, when the midsummer night sky would be illuminated by bonfires and torches. In other countries, this bonfire tradition has become associated with St. John the Baptist on 24 June, rather than Peter and Paul.
Dishes containing rabbit are popular on this day as tradition has it that 29 June was the only day of the year that the Maltese were allowed to hunt eat wild rabbit, a privilige reserved for the Maltese Knights for the rest of the year.
