Taking Part in a Swiss Tradition Because a Hallmark Movie Told Me To - St. Thomas Feast Day Tradition
I have always been interested in celebrating the silly hashtag holidays (like National Pie Day or National Trivia Day)
and trying out different traditions and fun activities so when I watched the movie Let It Snow and saw
the main character partake in this ridiculous little Swiss tradition for the feast day of St. Thomas
I knew I wanted to give it a go as well. BUT FIRST....I researched. lol
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What Is the Tradition?
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According to the movie, on December 21st, the feast day of St. Thomas, an unmarried woman
is supposed to follow a set of steps before getting in to bed that night so as she is sleeping
she will dream of the man she is to marry. Sounds a little far fetched to me, but hey like I said
I am a sucker for some silly traditions/holidays and being the single, unmarried woman I am I
figured I couldn't fit the part any better. lol The steps you are supposed to take
before going to bed are as follows:
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1.) Step on a stool to get into bed.
2.) Next stand on your bed and take off your shoes.
3.) Spin around 3 times and then throw your shoes toes first at the door.
4.) Sleep with your feet on the pillow at the head of the bed.
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So how much truth lies behind this supposed tradition? Turns out quite a bit.
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Who is St. Thomas?
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Saint Thomas, A.K.A. St. Thomas the Apostle, Didymus, or even Doubting Thomas was born in
Galilee, Israel and was one of Jesus' infamous twelve apostles. His "rise to fame" in the
religious community best comes from his doubt that Jesus had in fact rose from
the dead on Easter Sunday. He was a real gotta see it to believe it kinda guy.
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24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus[a]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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There isn't much else known about St. Thomas. Aside from a few moments of doubt he
was a very dedicated follower of Christ and remained so until his death on December 21st, 72 AD
when he was speared to death. Guess he really wanted to get
his point across that Jesus was a pretty cool guy.
(Is it bad form to make puns about a Saint's death? If I
wind up...smited?...smote?...well....we all know why. lol)
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So now we know who St. Thomas is and the sad connection between him and
December 21st. (Fun fact his feast day was actually moved to July 3rd so it would no longer interfere
with advent according to Catholicstand.com) However, now, on to the important
part....is this tradition real or just some movie fun?
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Is This Tradition Real?
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If you guessed real....YOU ARE RIGHT! In fact there are a lot of little traditions associated
with this day, which also just happens to be the shortest day of the year, that take place all around the world.
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According to Catholicculture.org in Tyrol (state in Austria) and parts of Canada December 21st is known
as pie day (although not the kind of pie I like lol). Residents of these places will bake meat
pies for the family and then freeze them until they can be reheated and
scarfed down on the feast of the Epiphany.
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In England this day focuses on charity and many poor women were known to go around begging.
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And of course in Austria and Switzerland legend says that unmarried girls can dream of their
future husbands if they follow the above aforementioned steps.
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But Does It Work?
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In my experience...no...it doesn't. lol I have been partaking in this St. Thomas tradition for 3 years
now and I have yet to dream about anyone in particular. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
Or maybe it is a sign that I am never going to get married. Either way, results or not, this is
still a tradition I plan on continuing for years to come. It is a lot of fun to do, even though I
feel a bit silly doing it, and I think everyone should try it at least once. Who knows...maybe
one day I will see my future.
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Enjoy reading about this Christmas tradition? You can read about more
fun Christmas traditions from around the world in my article here.
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References:
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St. Thomas Feast Day Information
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