Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
The Feast Day of St. Crispin
The Feast Day of St. Crispin is a Christian religious celebration of Crispin and Crispinian, third century Christian saints and twins who were martyred during the reign of Diocletian. They are both the patron saints of cobblers and leather and various other leather-using professions. The Feast Day is best known for its mention in Shakespeare’s Henry V.
Who are St. Crispin and St. Crispinian?
Saint Crispin’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Crispin, falls on 25 October and is the feast day of the Christian saints Crispin and Crispinian, twins who were martyred c. 286. They are both the patron saints of cobblers, leather workers, tanners, saddlers and glove, lace and shoemakers (among other professions).
In modern times, the feast day is best known with reference to the St Crispin’s Day Speech in Shakespeare’s play Henry V. A scene in the play recounts the Battle of Agincourt, which took place on Saint Crispin’s Day in 1415, with the titular character giving a speech before the battle referencing the feast day.
When the Battle of Balaclava was fought on 25 October 1854, the coincidence was noticed by contemporaries, who used Shakespeare’s words to comment on the battle. A similar effect occurred with reference to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, fought on St. Crispin’s Day in 1944.
Feast day
The feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian is 25 October. Although this feast was removed from the Roman Catholic Church’s universal liturgical calendar following the Second Vatican Council, the two saints are still commemorated on that day in the most recent edition of the Roman Martyrology. The feast remains as a “Black Letter Saints’ Day” in the calendar of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1662) and a “commemoration” in Common Worship (2000).
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was heavily dramatized by William Shakespeare in Henry V, featuring the battle in which Henry inspired his much-outnumbered English forces to fight the French through a St Crispin’s Day Speech, saying “the fewer men, the greater share of honour”. The central part of the speech begins, “This day is called the feast of Crispian”, and goes on to say that each soldier who survives the battle will, each year, “rouse him at the name of Crispian” and say, “‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day'”, and:
Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
More via wiki:
Legend
Born to a noble Roman family in the 3rd century AD, Crispin and Crispinian fled persecution for their faith, ending up at Soissons, where they preached Christianity to the Gauls while making shoes by night. It is stated that they were twin brothers.
They earned enough by their trade to support themselves and also to aid the poor. Their success attracted the ire of Rictus Varus, governor of Belgic Gaul, who had them tortured and thrown into the river with millstones around their necks. Though they survived, they were beheaded by the emperor c. 286.
Shakespeare surely knew what he was doing when he wrote the speech about “brothers” suffering together.
What do you eat for the Feast Day of St. Crispin?
The feast day is probably most well-remembered in England, despite the saints being Roman according to tradition. You might choose to celebrate with a British dish, or something to bring about a reminder that the feast day celebrates twins, rather than Crispin only.
I will take my lead for giving food recommendations from Catholic Cuisine, which suggests a bit of a play on the names for the feast food suggestion:
St. Crispin’s Apple Crisp
Ingredients
1 C. flour
3/4 C.white sugar
2 Tbl. brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1tsp. plus 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
1 egg, lightly beaten
4-5 C. sliced Crispin apples (Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious if that’s all you can find, I won’t tell!)
1/2 C. raisins (opt.)
1/4 C. butter, melted
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place apples and raisins (opt.) in bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and brown sugar on top.
Toss to coat.
Place fruit mixture in a greased 8 inch or 9 inch baking pan.
Combine flour, 3/4 C. sugar, baking powder, salt and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
Add egg.;
mix with fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle on top of fruit.
Drizzle with butter.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
Serve warm with ice cream or chilled with whipped cream!
What is a prayer to say for the Feast Day of St. Crispin?
It is difficult to find anything traditional here due to the popularity of the monologue from Shakespeare. However, in lieu of that, we’ll go simple here:
St. Crispin, the shoemaker who traded new soles for new souls—pray for us!
When is the Feast Day of St. Crispin celebrated?
The twin saints are celebrated on 25 October.
I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day/!