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米迦勒节，也称为圣米迦勒和所有天使的节日，其起源于早期基督教传统和对大天使米迦勒的崇敬。9月29日的庆祝活动是为了纪念大天使米迦勒，他在基督教、犹太教和伊斯兰教中都是一个重要人物，被认为是对抗邪恶力量的保护者和天军的领导者。在《圣经》中，米迦勒在《但以理书》、《犹大书》和《启示录》中有提及。他常被描绘为一个战士天使，与撒旦和他的军队作战。米迦勒被认为是士兵、警察和其他保护公众的人的守护圣人。
Michaelmas《米迦勒节》的背景故事
节日定义与日期： Michaelmas（米迦勒节）是纪念大天使米迦勒的基督教节日，日期固定为每年的9月29日。
历史起源： 其起源可追溯至公元5世纪，与罗马的一座献给米迦勒的教堂（圣米迦勒大天使堂）的祝圣有关。这个日期（9月29日）是由教皇格列高利一世在公元600年左右确定的。
中世纪重要性（英格兰）： 在中世纪英格兰，Michaelmas 成为最重要的“四季结账日”之一（其他三个是：圣母领报节、施洗约翰节、圣诞节）。这一天标志着：
租约开始或结束。
租金到期支付。
雇工雇佣期结束或开始（常伴有集市和雇佣集市）。
地方官员（如治安官）任期开始。
法律学期开始。
象征意义与季节： Michaelmas 临近秋分时节，象征着收获结束、白昼缩短、进入秋冬。米迦勒作为天使长和恶魔的征服者，其节日被视为光明战胜黑暗的象征。
传统食物： 吃烤鹅是 Michaelmas 最著名的传统。传说有多种起源，最流行的一种是：伊丽莎白一世女王在 Michaelmas 当天正在听闻击败西班牙无敌舰队的捷报时收到了一只鹅形项链，于是她决定吃鹅庆祝，从而开启了这一习俗。
现代地位： 虽然 Michaelmas 作为宗教节日和结账日在现代英国的重要性已大不如前（法律学期起始日等职能已被废除或更改），但其名称仍在一些大学学期、会计年度和日期命名中得以保留（如 Michaelmas daisy - 紫菀花）。
中文翻译：
米迦勒节的故事
节日核心： 米迦勒节（Michaelmas）是纪念大天使米迦勒的基督教节日，日期固定在每年的9月29日。
历史渊源： 其根源可追溯至公元5世纪罗马一座献给米迦勒的教堂（圣米迦勒大天使堂）的祝圣。公元600年左右，教皇格列高利一世正式确定了9月29日这个日期。
中世纪英格兰的关键日： 在中世纪的英格兰，米迦勒节发展成为最重要的“四季结账日”之一（其他三个是：圣母领报节、施洗约翰节、圣诞节）。这一天标志着：
租约的起始或终止。
租金到期支付。
雇工雇佣期的结束或开始（常伴有集市和雇佣集市）。
地方官员（如治安官）就任。
法律学期的开始。
季节与象征： 米迦勒节临近秋分，象征着收获结束、白昼缩短、进入秋冬季节。作为天使长和恶魔征服者的米迦勒，其节日也代表着光明战胜黑暗。
传统美食： 米迦勒节最著名的传统是吃烤鹅。关于这一习俗的起源有多个传说，最流行的是：伊丽莎白一世女王在米迦勒节当天听闻击败西班牙无敌舰队的捷报时，恰巧收到一枚鹅形项链，于是她决定吃鹅庆祝，从而开启了这一传统。
今日的米迦勒节： 虽然米迦勒节作为宗教节日和法定结账日在现代英国的重要性已逐渐减弱（法律学期起始等功能已被废除或更改），但其名称仍保留在一些大学学期、会计年度以及日期相关的命名中（例如：Michaelmas daisy - 紫菀花）。
An Ancient Tradition
Michaelmas is the celebration of the feast of St. Michael. Roman Catholics have been celebrating the valiant archangel since at least the fifth century. The Leonine Sacramentary (the oldest surviving liturgical text in the Church) mentions that a basilica built along the famous Via Salaria near Rome was consecrated to the Archangels on September 30. The Gelasian Sacramentary and Gregorian Sacramentary, written in the following 200 years, clarify that this was a celebration of St. Michael, and that the accurate anniversary of the basilica’s consecration was September 29. (Sometimes record keeping isn’t an exact science!)
In any case, September 29 seems to have been when people actually observed the holiday. And while that basilica is now lost to time—it survives only as a somewhat unimpressive archaeological site in the Castel Giubileo suburb of Rome—the legacy of this important feast remains.
Ballots, Beer, and Blackberries
By the Middle Ages, Michaelmas had grown into a significant feast. In addition to being declared a holy day of obligation—a designation the solemnity enjoyed until the 18th century—Michaelmas also gained a cultural and political character. In the British Isles, Michaelmas marked the end of major harvests and signified the coming of fall. This timing made the day a convenient time to conduct business: loans and rent expired on Michaelmas, contracts ended and needed renewal, and wages were paid. Soon, Michaelmas became an occasion for elections for both political and academic positions, too.
Catholics would prepare for the solemnity with a short “St. Michael’s Lent,” so when Michaelmas finally arrived many Medievals took the holy day as a chance to party! Towns hosted processions, unveiled the first beer of the fall, and cooked special feasts. In Italy, it became popular to consume ales and desserts featuring ginger, probably because of the root’s association with good health. In England, eating goose was customary. People across Europe used the holiday to pick Asters (sometimes referred to as Michaelmas Daisies) to decorate their churches and homes.
One legend from the British Isles holds that when St. Michael defeated Satan, he cast Satan into a particularly prickly blackberry bush—a tale that developed into the practice of making blackberry jam and pies leading up to Michaelmas and avoiding the berries once the feast had passed. In Ireland, the faithful took the occasion as a chance to remember the dead.
Though the feast is no longer a holy day of obligation, it is still celebrated as a major solemnity by Catholics all around the world—including the Norbertines at St. Michael’s Abbey!
Defend us in Battle!
One of the three Archangels venerated by name in the Catholic Church, St. Michael is an important figure and an exceptional ally in the fight against the Devil. Michael is mentioned five times in the Bible, taking the role of a protector of Israel, a guardian of the dead, and, in Revelation, as the angel who defeated Satan and cast him from heaven.
This storied bit of celestial combat has earned St. Michael the role of patrons to others who deal in deadly scenarios, including paramedics, mariners, fisherman, paratroopers, police officers, and military personnel. He is also the patron of grocers, owing perhaps to his feast day’s connection with harvest time.
In addition to the famous “Prayer to St. Michael” authored by Pope Leo XIII (and a favorite of Pope John Paul II), there are a number of prayers and hymns seeking the archangel’s aid, including a Chaplet of Saint Michael, written by a Portuguese Carmelite nun called Antónia d'Astónaco following a private revelation from the Archangel himself.
Following the Light
Catholicism is a remarkably physical religion. We recognize a God Who became fully man. We encounter God’s grace in tangible ways in each of the seven sacraments. We acknowledge that physical reminders—icons, rosary beads, sacred music—are powerful tools to help draw our minds and hearts to spiritual realities.
The very architecture of our abbey church is built with physical reminders that draw us into the mysteries of our faith. A great example is the rose window, which is positioned in the church such that every Michaelmas, September 29, the light from the sun will pass through the rose window and rest directly on the high altar. (Plenty of churches in Europe feature this kind of “solar geometry,” but with the exception of many of the California Missions this ancient approach to construction is quite rare in the US.) This is a small but significant reminder of the intense power and grace found at each and every Mass when God, fully present in the Eucharist, descends onto the altar. It is an illustration of the unity of heaven and earth that occurred during the Incarnation and has occurred at every Mass since!
Honoring our Patron
Since its founding, our community has put itself under the protection of St. Michael.
On June 11, 1950, seven Norbertine Fathers from the Abbey of St. Michael in Csorna, Hungary, staged a daring escape from Communist authorities under the cover of nightfall. They did so with no time left to spare – the order came down for their arrest the very day after their escape! Under the protection of St. Michael, these men made it safely to the United States two years later.
For years, these seven priests worked and saved to found a community of their own, first with the Norbertines in De Pere, Wisconsin and later as chaplains and teachers in California. They were, at long last, able to found a new community in 1957, which they dedicated to St. Michael, who had remained a steadfast intercessor and protector.
Today, we continue to place our trust in this great archangel, who continues to intercede for us. We are honored to name him as our patron, and the celebration of his feast is always one of the most joyful moments of the year in our community.
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