December 8th, also known as St. Mary’s Day, is when the students of St. Mary’s International School happily receive ice cream, specifically “Choco Monaka Jumbo,” every year. Many students enjoy this frozen treat without giving much thought to the date itself. A local student, 13-year-old Jonathan, after being asked if he knew why they were served ice cream, says, “I don’t know, but I think they should keep it because I like eating the Choco Monaka”. Jonathan was among 62 of 64 surveyed students who responded similarly to the question. But truly, what is this event about? Is it merely an arbitrary date chosen for the consumption of ice cream, or is it a celebration of a past event?
In a meeting with Doctor Ashmore, the Middle School Principal, she explained, “It has been a tradition at St. Mary’s before I was here”. Further explaining, Doctor Ashmore said knowing the brothers, she thought it was probably to “just to make kids happy.” Upon further discussion with Dr. Ashmore, she clarified that December 8th isn’t a day for Choco Monaka Jumbos; rather, it is a day “to honor our patron of St. Mary’s.” After this, she provided an old document used previously to teach about this specific day.
The document contained information about December 8th, St. Mary’s Day, which turned out to be known as “the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception” around the world. Upon further online research, it was found that the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception was a celebration of the belief that Mary was free of original sin or “preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (h), which many Christians worldwide celebrated. Although it is the same day Mary was given the information that she would bear God’s son, it is not a celebration for Jesus, but for Mary herself.
With this newly found information, it is shown that the true meaning of St. Mary’s day isn’t about eating ice cream, but it is a celebration for our school’s patron, Saint Mary, the woman who bore God’s son. Many students these days are unsure about what these events/topics are about, like why our school mascot is “Titans”, why the swim team has a different mascot, and why our school has a carnival. Although it may seem harmless, but sometimes it couldn’t be as portrayed in the story “The Lottery” where not understanding an event’s backstory was dangerous, showing that students in our school may want to learn more about the event.
