At specific intervals, clerics were to remind their congregations to be thankful for their harvests. Rogation processions continued in the post-Reformation Church of England much as they had before, and Anglican priests were encouraged to bring their congregations together for inter-parish processions. However, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the celebrations were explicitly mentioned in the royal reformation, allowing them to resume as public processions. ĭuring the reign of King Henry VIII, Rogation processions were used as a way to assist crop yields, with a notable number of the celebrations taking place in 1543 when there were prolonged rains.ĭuring the reign of King Edward VI, the Crown having taken much of the Church's holdings within the country, liturgical ceremonies were not officially condoned or recognized as an official part of worship. Illustrations of the procession from the early 16th century show that the arrangements had been changed yet again, this time also showing bearers of reliquaries and incense. Sarum texts from the 13th and 15th centuries show that the dragon was eventually moved to the rear of the procession on the vigil of the Ascension, with the lion taking the place at the front. Many torches were present at each procession, weighing between 42 lb (19 kg) and 27 lbs (12 kg), which were bought by the church and parishioners jointly. After this there would be images of saints carried by the rest of the congregation. At the head of the procession was the dragon, representing Pontius Pilate, which would be followed by a lion, representing Christ. In it, celebrations in the south of England are described, in which processions were led by members of the congregation carrying banners which represented various biblical characters. The oldest known Sarum text regarding Rogation Days is dated from around 1173 to 1220. The Rogation Day ceremonies are thought to have arrived in the British Isles in the 7th century. Thomas Johnson (1633), speaking of the birch tree, mentions another name: Cross-week: "It serveth well to the decking up of houses and banquetting-rooms, for places of pleasure, and for beautifying of streets in the Crosse or Gang Week, and such like." In the British Isles Woodcut illustration of Pre-Reformation processional order, c. This was also a feature of the original Roman festival, when revellers would walk to a grove five miles from the city to perform their rites. This was also known in the northern parts of England as 'Gang-day' or 'gan week', after the old English name for going or walking. Ī common feature of Rogation days in former times was the ceremony of beating the bounds, in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year. Violet vestments are worn at the rogation litany and its associated Mass, regardless of what colour is worn at the ordinary liturgies of the day. The faithful typically observed the Rogation days by fasting and abstinence in preparation to celebrate the Ascension, and farmers often had their crops blessed by a priest at this time. Their observance was ordered by the Council of Orleans in 511, and though the practice was spreading in Gaul during the 7th century, it was not officially adopted into the Roman rite until the reign of Pope Leo III (died 816). The minor Rogation days were introduced around AD 470 by Mamertus, bishop of Vienne, and eventually adopted elsewhere. The practitioners observing Robigalia asked Robigus for protection of their crops from wheat rust. The Christian major rogation replaced a pagan Roman procession known as Robigalia, at which a dog was sacrificed to propitiate Robigus, the deity of agricultural disease. The word rogation comes from the Latin verb rogare, meaning "to ask", which reflects the beseeching of God for the appeasement of his anger and for protection from calamities. The so-called major rogation is held on 25 April the minor rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday preceding Ascension Thursday (Minor) Blessing the Fields on Rogation Sunday at Hever, Kent in 1967
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |