ST MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE + THE FESTIVAL OF MAGWIT IN ST LUCIA; 17th OCTOBER

ST MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE +

THE FESTIVAL OF MAGWIT IN ST LUCIA
17th OCTOBER
The author of Drinking with the Saints: The Sinner’s Guide to a Holy Happy Hour* gives us the history of St Margaret Mary Alacoque, who lived from 1647-1690. She was bedridden for four years with rheumatic fever “when she made a vow to enter religious life, at which point she instantly became better”. Later in her life she forgot about the vow and, complying with her mother’s wish for her to marry, started attending social events with her brothers. But one night, after returning home from a carnival ball in her finery, she had a vision of Jesus, scourged and bloody, reproaching her and telling her how much he loved her because of her vow.
She then entered the Visitation Convent as a nun, receiving further visitations from Jesus, who instructed her to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart and made Twelve Promises to her for those who kept this devotion, including the grace of final repentance for those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months. This has remained a popular devotion, (although, as usually seems to be the case, there was considerable opposition initially). Her work was a short devotional treatise entitled, “La Devotion au Sacre Coeur de Jesus” which was published posthumously in 1698.
In honour of this saint and the connection with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the author, Michael Foley, gives us a recipe for a splendidly named drink, "Heart Warmer No 1 – (yes- there are other heart warmers)!
½ oz Vanilla liqueur
½ oz Peppermint white liqueur
½ oz Amaretto
6 oz freshly brewed hot coffee
Pop all the ingredients into an Irish coffee cup, stir, swill and toss it down to kick start your devotion!"
I was referred to this drink by a theological expert, (who pointed out that it is not an historical drink to celebrate this feast day).
This being said, a perusal of the Festival of Magwit, in the Caribbean island of St Lucia, makes the Feast Day of St Margaret Mary Alacoque extremely attractive!
LA MAGWIT
In the Caribbean island of St Lucia, there are two Flower festivals each of which have their own societies; the Rose, whose patron saint is St Rose of Lima and who feast day is celebrated on 30th August and the Marguerites, whose festival, (La Magwit), is celebrated on the feast day of St Margaret Mary Alacoque, on 17th October.
The Cultural Development Foundation, on their site, states that the festival dates back across generations, "each flower’s celebration unveiling elaborate pageantry reminiscent of the European court, but with their music richly evocative of Africa." The festivals are “the invention of the peasant class who stage a parody of their social superiors. A ‘King’ and a ‘Queen’ preside over every ‘Society’ which is comprised of mock princes and princesses, military and legal personnel”. On the Feast Day all members of the society, dressed in costumes of their respective roles, march to the church for Mass, which precedes their parade through the streets, before returning to the Grand Fete.
There are weekly song-filled evening get-togethers, which consist of all-night singing and dancing sessions where drinks are sold and various games are played. Members sing, dance and try to steal sweeties off the table without getting caught by the Polis (Police) and appearing before the Magistwa (Magistrate) to pay a fine. The central figure at the evening festivities is the Chanteur/Chantelle, (lead singer), who sustains the spirit of the evening. The instruments are rustic, including the anba goj (violin), banjo, quarto, guitar, shak-shak, baha, gwaj (grater) and drums.
It all makes you want to go there, doesn't it?!
* Michael P Foley, Regnery History, 2015, at p. 285.









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