Friday 13 April 2012

Happy Quasimodo


File:Victor Hugo-Hunchback.jpg
This Sunday is Quasimodo Sunday, so called because the first words of the introit for the antiphon decreed for this day by the Roman Church are from 1 Peter 2v2:

As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Which in Latin is:

Quasimodo geniti infantes rationale sine dolo lac concupiscite ut in eo crescatis in salutem

In Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame a horribly deformed child is discovered abandoned at the cathedral on the first Sunday after Easter, and is thus named after the day. So happy Quasimodo.

5 comments:

  1. I always thought quasimodo meant 'half formed', huh...

    -C.B

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  2. Huh, indeed. Had always thought quasimodo was closely tied to "hunchback", and it certainly is today... even if we can look backwards and see the separation.

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  3. As fascinating as usual. I think 'Happy Quasimodo Day' has yet to catch on as a friendly greeting, however.

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  4. Just wait until the greetings card industry gets hold of this.

    Ian

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  5. I have made some recipe postcards for Quasimodo Sunday.

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