2013/09/30

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Columbus' Day and Eid-al-Adha



In the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, on the 4th of October, some churches do special services in which they bless pets. This feast is celebrated to honor the founder of the Catholic Church’s Franciscan order. St. Francis is the Catholic Church’s patron saint of animals and nature.
There are many symbols associated with St. Francis, like animals in general, stigmata (that are wounds on hands- llagas/heridas), a fiery chariot (una cuadriga en llamas), fire, a skull (calavera), a crown of thorns (una corona de espinas), etc.

Columbus' Day conmemorates the day in which Christopher Columbus arrived to the 'New World'. It is celebrated on the second Monday of October and it is a federal holiday in the US.

Eid-al-Adha, celebrated around the 10th to the 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah (the Islamic calendar is lunar, so it's celebrated each year on different days in October), honors the willingness of Abraham to kill his son following God's command.
In official slaughterhouses they allow some Muslims sacrifice a cow, goat or sheep, and the meat is shared with family and friends. Others give money to charities and eat any meat based on meal. Other groups arrange a meeting to have communal meals.


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