*Ø* Blogmanac July 25 | Oyster Shell Day, or, from fisherman to horseman
Feast of St James the Great
This Apostle (not to be confused with James the brother of Jesus whose ossuary was allegedly found recently) was a son of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee, and brother of John the Evangelist. He was among the circle of people closest to Jesus. He was tried and executed in Jerusalem in the year 44 CE by Herod Agrippa.
St James the Great is the patron saint of Spain, where he is said to have preached, and it was in Spain that a remarkable transformation came over the legend of this fisherman. At the Battle of Clavijo, 841, between Ramiro, King of Leon, and the Moors, when the Christians were losing, St James appeared in the field, on a charger decorated with scallop shells, and armed, he slew 60,000 of the Moors. The Spaniards founded the Order of St James of the Sword (Santiago de Espada).
‘A stupendous metamorphosis was performed in the 9th century when from a peaceful fisherman of the Lake of Gennesareth, the apostle James was transformed into a valorous knight, who charged at the head of Spanish chivalry in battles against the Moors. The gravest historians have celebrated his exploits; the miraculous shrine of Compostela displayed his power; and the sword of a military order, assisted by the terrors of the inquisition, was sufficient to remove every objection of profane criticism.’
Edward Gibbon
The city of Compostela became the seat of the saint, from the legend of his body having been found there. He has been seen fighting later at Flanders, Italy, India and America. Or, so it is said. Charles V conquered Tunis on St James's Day. Pilgrims to the shrine wore a scallop shell on cloak or hat.
When his relics were being conveyed from Jerusalem, where he died, to Spain, in a ship of marble, the horse of a Portuguese knight plunged into the sea with its rider. When rescued, the knight's clothes were found to be covered with scallop shells. It might be that the use of the scallop device derives from the pilgrims' using shells as primitive cups and spoons, or it might derive from the earlier Roman festival of the sea goddess, Salacia (WA, Jul 23).
The pilgrimage to Compostela became almost as popular and important in medieval Europe as that to Jerusalem. Because of this, 17 English peers and 8 baronets have scallop shells in their arms as heraldic charges. Note that it is not only in Europe that scallops and pilgrimages go together. In 19th Century Japan, too, certain pilgrims adorned themselves with scallop shells.
Remember the grotto
English children in olden days collected old shells, bits of coloured stone and pottery, leaves, flowers, and so on and built a little ‘grotto’. This harked back to the old ritual of constructing shell grottoes on St James's Day for the use of those who could not afford the pilgrimage on that day to the shrine at Compostela. The English children would cry “Pray remember the grotto”.
St James’s wort (Senecio jacobaea) was named after this saint, perhaps because it was used to treat diseases of horses (and St James is known to the Spanish as a horseman) or because it blooms around this time. The name St James’s wort was also sometimes used for ragweed and shepherd's purse. Apples were blessed on this day by the priests, and at Cliff in Kent, England the rector traditionally distributed a mutton pie and a loaf to as many as ask for it.
At the Fiesta de Santiago in Loiz Aldea, Puerto Rico, villagers still act out the characters from the battle of St James against the Moors. Some wear their faces painted white, dressed as Spanish Conquistadores, while others impersonate the Moors, who are represented (of course) as grotesques, with carved, horned masks. Some villagers become clowns, and others “crazy women” (men dressed in women’s clothes).
There is an old English saying that “Who eats oysters on St James's Day will never want”. St James's Day falls during what also became known as the close season for oysters, meaning that by act of parliament they are prohibited to be harvested until today. We may assume that oysters obtainable so early in the season would be a luxury only eaten by the rich.
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Feast of St James the Great
This Apostle (not to be confused with James the brother of Jesus whose ossuary was allegedly found recently) was a son of Zebedee, a fisherman of Galilee, and brother of John the Evangelist. He was among the circle of people closest to Jesus. He was tried and executed in Jerusalem in the year 44 CE by Herod Agrippa.
St James the Great is the patron saint of Spain, where he is said to have preached, and it was in Spain that a remarkable transformation came over the legend of this fisherman. At the Battle of Clavijo, 841, between Ramiro, King of Leon, and the Moors, when the Christians were losing, St James appeared in the field, on a charger decorated with scallop shells, and armed, he slew 60,000 of the Moors. The Spaniards founded the Order of St James of the Sword (Santiago de Espada).
‘A stupendous metamorphosis was performed in the 9th century when from a peaceful fisherman of the Lake of Gennesareth, the apostle James was transformed into a valorous knight, who charged at the head of Spanish chivalry in battles against the Moors. The gravest historians have celebrated his exploits; the miraculous shrine of Compostela displayed his power; and the sword of a military order, assisted by the terrors of the inquisition, was sufficient to remove every objection of profane criticism.’
Edward Gibbon
The city of Compostela became the seat of the saint, from the legend of his body having been found there. He has been seen fighting later at Flanders, Italy, India and America. Or, so it is said. Charles V conquered Tunis on St James's Day. Pilgrims to the shrine wore a scallop shell on cloak or hat.
When his relics were being conveyed from Jerusalem, where he died, to Spain, in a ship of marble, the horse of a Portuguese knight plunged into the sea with its rider. When rescued, the knight's clothes were found to be covered with scallop shells. It might be that the use of the scallop device derives from the pilgrims' using shells as primitive cups and spoons, or it might derive from the earlier Roman festival of the sea goddess, Salacia (WA, Jul 23).
The pilgrimage to Compostela became almost as popular and important in medieval Europe as that to Jerusalem. Because of this, 17 English peers and 8 baronets have scallop shells in their arms as heraldic charges. Note that it is not only in Europe that scallops and pilgrimages go together. In 19th Century Japan, too, certain pilgrims adorned themselves with scallop shells.
Remember the grotto
English children in olden days collected old shells, bits of coloured stone and pottery, leaves, flowers, and so on and built a little ‘grotto’. This harked back to the old ritual of constructing shell grottoes on St James's Day for the use of those who could not afford the pilgrimage on that day to the shrine at Compostela. The English children would cry “Pray remember the grotto”.
St James’s wort (Senecio jacobaea) was named after this saint, perhaps because it was used to treat diseases of horses (and St James is known to the Spanish as a horseman) or because it blooms around this time. The name St James’s wort was also sometimes used for ragweed and shepherd's purse. Apples were blessed on this day by the priests, and at Cliff in Kent, England the rector traditionally distributed a mutton pie and a loaf to as many as ask for it.
At the Fiesta de Santiago in Loiz Aldea, Puerto Rico, villagers still act out the characters from the battle of St James against the Moors. Some wear their faces painted white, dressed as Spanish Conquistadores, while others impersonate the Moors, who are represented (of course) as grotesques, with carved, horned masks. Some villagers become clowns, and others “crazy women” (men dressed in women’s clothes).
There is an old English saying that “Who eats oysters on St James's Day will never want”. St James's Day falls during what also became known as the close season for oysters, meaning that by act of parliament they are prohibited to be harvested until today. We may assume that oysters obtainable so early in the season would be a luxury only eaten by the rich.
Pip Wilson's articles are available for your publication, on application. Further details
Receive similar items free each day with a free subscription to Wilson's Almanac ezine. Send a blank email
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