Catholics from a village in Myanmar’s northwestern Sagaing region have celebrated the feast of St. Michael called Michaelmas.

Hundreds of villagers joined the celebration at St. Michael’s Church in Monhla village where the parish priest led the Mass on Sept. 29.

Roman Catholics have been celebrating the valiant archangel since at least the fifth century.

The Leonine Sacramentary (the oldest surviving liturgical text in the Church) mentions that a basilica built along the famous Via Salaria near Rome was consecrated to the Archangels on September 30.

The Gelasian Sacramentary and Gregorian Sacramentary, written in the following 200 years, clarify that this was a celebration of St. Michael and that the accurate anniversary of the basilica’s consecration was September 29.

By the Middle Ages, Michaelmas had grown into a significant feast.

In addition to being declared a holy day of obligation, a designation the solemnity enjoyed until the 18th century, Michaelmas also gained a cultural and political character.

In the British Isles, Michaelmas marked the end of major harvests and signified the coming of fall.

This timing made the day a convenient time to conduct business: loans and rent expired on Michaelmas, contracts ended and needed renewal, and wages were paid. Soon, Michaelmas became an occasion for elections for both political and academic positions, too.

One of the three Archangels venerated by name in the Catholic Church, St. Michael is an important figure and an exceptional ally in the fight against the Devil. Michael is mentioned five times in the Bible, taking the role of a protector of Israel, a guardian of the dead, and, in Revelation, as the angel who defeated Satan and cast him from heaven.

This storied bit of celestial combat has earned St. Michael the role of patron to others who deal in deadly scenarios, including paramedics, mariners, fishermen, paratroopers, police officers, and military personnel. He is also the patron of grocers, perhaps because of his feast day’s connection with harvest time, or perhaps because going grocery shopping has become much tamer over the years.

ALSO READ Korean Catholics Honour The Elderly With A Photo Contest