ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST'S DAY

A special reverence and interest is attached to St. John—'the disciple whom Jesus loved.' (1)
The only disciple of Christ to not to forsake him in the hour of His Passion at the foot of the cross and he was the first to reach the tomb; when he met the risen Lord at the lake of Tiberius, where he was the first to recognize Him. Also, he is also attributed as the writer of the Epistles of John, and the book of Revelation.

St. John the Evangelist, with St. John the Baptist, is considered a patron saint by the fraternal society of Free and Accepted Masons (better known as the Freemasons).The festival of St. John on December 27th is the beginning of the lodge year in many jurisdictions of that fraternity, and is marked by special commemorations.(2)

December 27th is Saint John the Evangelist day, which is the 2nd feast day in the year to celebrate the Holy Saints John. The placement of the holiday also marks the winter solstice, which is directly opposite Saint John the Baptist’s day at the summer solstice in June making a notable completion in the cycle of the solar year. The actual dates are slightly off, but you get the symbolism.

Among all the nations of antiquity, the equinoxes and solstices were ever regarded as seasons of great importance. Especially in the ancient mysteries, was great stress laid upon the solstices, and the winter and summer solstice, the shortest day and the longest day of the year, commemorated with great ceremony. The well-known Masonic symbol, the point within a circle bounded by the two parallels - refers to this - the point, the sun, the centre of the solar system; the circle, the earth's orbit around the sun; the parallels, where they touch the circle, the winter and summer solstice, the limit of the sun's apparent course to the Northward and Southward of the Equator(3)

The Masons, finding the St. John's day of the church occurred about the time when, for reasons having nothing to do with St. John the Evangelist, they had been in the habit of enjoying a festival season for ages, chose to call it St. John's day, and so observe it; until those who have inherited their Masonry, having overlooked the true Masonic reason for the celebration at this season of the year, have very generally ceased to celebrate it, even as the anniversary of one of their patron Saints.

We regard it as very much to be regretted that Masons fail to celebrate the day of the Evangelist St. John. It is a loss to Masonry. It is a surrender of an opportunity to direct the minds of the Fraternity to the origin of their Institution, antedating the times of Christ and the Evangelist, antedating the times of the ancient Druids, who in celebrating the great winter festival were merely commemorating a season which had been observed by men and Masons from the beginning. (3)