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Today, in Catholic countries all over the world, Corpus Christi is being celebrated. What does that mean? Let us take you behind the holiday and see what it’s all about.
The Dominican Republic, being a predominantly Catholic nation, has always celebrated Corpus Christi as a population, and it has since been established as a national holiday, within which offices, schools, and the like are not to be working. But it is nothing more than an opportunity for a long weekend to spend at the beach, say, at Casa de Campo for instance? (*nod nod* *wink wink*)
Nope. As tantalizing as that beach idea may sound, there’s actually a rich tradition and history to this religious holiday.
Corpus Christi is Latin for Body of Christ and intends to celebrate the belief of the body of Christ and how it is, according to the Catholic faith, present in the Eucharist, with wine representing the blood of Christ and bread representing his flesh. This is celebrated with – you guessed it – a church service, specifically through a Eucharist.
The idea of the blood-to-wine and flesh-to-bread representation of Jesus Christ’s body arises from the tale of the Last Supper, in which Jesus is believed to have said the following:
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it; and he gave to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ […] And he took a cup, and gave thanks, and gave to them, saying, ‘Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many unto remission of sins.’
– Matthew 26: 26-28
This all makes for a celebration celebrated in churches all over the world. Around the world, festivals can be seen celebrating the holiday, however, here in the Dominican Republic, Corpus Christi is more commonly celebrated through a simple, more traditional church service.
…Okay, see, I know you read the headline and are probably wondering where the ox comes into play.
There’s a famous story that, while being officially rejected from the canon* by the Catholic Church, is long-held in Dominican folklore relating to the holiday.
The story speaks of an ox, referred to in Spanish as a buey, who, upon realizing that his master, a farmer, was going to work on the holy day, purportedly asked if there was any day he would be able to rest and proceeded to berate his master for working that day. Accepted by the Church or not, the story finds itself being constantly associated in the general Dominican mentality of Corpus Christi.
So, having delved into the story behind this religious holiday, from us here at Casa de Campo Living, allow us to wish you a happy one!
*canon: The Catholic Church determines events to be canon as religious occurrences or not, this determining whether the Church at large believes that event to have actually occurred.