Saint Joseph's Day

What the day is

The day carries more than one title: the Feast of Saint Joseph, and the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. It belongs to Western Christianity and honours Mary's husband, who was Jesus' legal father. In the Catholic Church it ranks as a solemnity. Provinces of the Anglican Communion keep it as a feast or a commemoration, and Lutheran churches as a feast or a festival. Orthodox Christians also remember Joseph on 19 March, alongside other dates of their own, such as the Sunday after Christmas and 26 December.

How it began

19 March was given to Joseph in a number of Western calendars by the 10th century, and Rome had adopted the custom by 1479. Pope Pius V brought it into the whole Roman Rite with his constitution Quo primum in 1570. Its standing changed over time: it began as a second-class double and a feast of precept, was restored to the list of precepts in 1917, and was later raised to the first-class double, the rank now called a solemnity. A second feast, honouring Joseph as Mary's spouse and patron of the whole Church, ran from 1870 to 1955. Pius XII then added a feast of Saint Joseph the Worker on 1 May.

When it falls

Most years the feast lands inside Lent, the season of fasting before Easter. Because it ranks as a solemnity, the 1983 Code of Canon Law allows it to set aside the usual Friday obligations. Bishops' conferences have been free since 1969 to move it outside Lent. If 19 March falls on a Sunday that is not Palm Sunday, the feast moves to the next free day, often 20 March. Since 2008, a clash with Holy Week pushes it back to the nearest day before, usually the Saturday. Communities that use the 1962 Missal instead transfer it to a date after 19 March.

Altars and food

Saint Joseph's altars are the best known custom. A carved figure of Joseph crowns a three-level structure, and the levels are read as the three persons of the Trinity. People set out flowers, limes, candles, wine, blessed dried fava beans, breads, cakes, cookies and zeppole; the food goes to poor households on the day itself. Crumbs of bread on the dishes stand for the sawdust of a carpenter's bench. Since the date sits in Lent, nothing meat is served. In Calabria families and neighbours share lagane e ceci, a pasta and chickpea dish, under the name u cumbitu; Sicily has maccu di San Giuseppe.

Around the world

In Malta the day is a public holiday called Jum San Ġużepp. Shops and businesses close, Mass is said in the morning, families go out for a picnic, and the afternoon and evening bring band processions and fireworks. Mdina and Rabat hold the chief events, and Żejtun keeps a council day of its own. Spain joins the feast to Father's Day, El Dia del Padre, when children fix breakfast for their fathers or offer small presents, and Valencia's Fallas last five days and end on 19 March. Italian towns light fogheraccia bonfires on the eve, above all around Rimini. Polish congregations sing hymns in Joseph's honour, and Filipino families in rice-growing areas such as Iloilo hold banquets.

How Saint Joseph's Day is kept

On the day itself Catholics go to Mass and Lutherans to the Divine Service, and many worshippers wear red. Blessed dried fava beans are carried to church and then placed on a household altar built for Joseph. In Malta the morning brings Mass and the afternoon a picnic, while a procession carries a figure of the saint through the streets in the evening. Sicilian parishes and Italian-American communities give food to people in need. In Spain children prepare breakfast for their fathers and give small gifts. Polish congregations sing hymns written for Joseph. Italian towns light bonfires on the eve.

When and where

The date is 19 March, which normally puts the feast inside Lent. If it lands on a Sunday other than Palm Sunday, it moves to the next available day, usually 20 March. Falling in Holy Week, since 2008 it shifts to the nearest day before 19 March. Since 1969 bishops' conferences may move it out of Lent.

It is kept wherever Western Christian churches are found, and most visibly in Italy, Malta, Spain, Poland and the Philippines, while San Marino and Portuguese and Croatian communities mark the same date as Father's Day. Maltese observances centre on Mdina and Rabat, Italian bonfires on Romagna and Rimini, and the Fallas on Valencia.

What Saint Joseph's Day means

For those who keep it, Joseph stands for quiet, faithful fatherhood and for work done with the hands, which is why carpentry tools appear among the day's images and why bread crumbs recall sawdust. A Sicilian account tells of a drought in the Middle Ages, when people asked Joseph to plead for rain and promised a banquet in return. The rain came, and the fava bean that saved them is still laid on altars. On Lipari, sailors rescued from a storm vowed to honour him every year.

Questions people ask about Saint Joseph's Day

See also

Good FridayA solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.Holy WeekThe solemn seven days leading to Easter, recalling the final week and Passion of JesusHoly SaturdayThe closing day of Holy Week, a Saturday of waiting, fasting and vigil before EasterKol NidreAn Aramaic declaration of vow annulment that opens the Yom Kippur evening service in Jewish synagogues.

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle

• Saint Joseph's Day on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.