Michaelmas at Home, Part Two: More Festive Ways to Celebrate the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels

In my previous post, I shared the history, meaning, and biblical background of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, along with delicious recipes for Blackberry Hand Pies and Roast Chicken to mark the day.

If you missed it, be sure to go back and read that one first, it’s packed with theology, Scripture, and practical ways to understand who the angels are and why we celebrate them.

Now, let’s keep the celebration going with a few more fun and meaningful traditions, perfect for gathering your family, engaging your kids, and connecting your table with the life of the Church.

Read about angels in the Bible

Read about the different angels in the Bible: Revelation 12, Ezekiel 10, Revelation 8, Luke 2:13-15, Genesis 19:1, Psalm 91:11, Matthew 24:31.

Light sparklers or fireworks

In San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, Michaelmas is joyfully celebrated with La Alborada, a pre-dawn festival (4 a.m.!) filled with fireworks, music, and processions honoring St. Michael as defender of the light.

Bring the tradition home:

• Surprise your kids with a sparkler walk at dawn (or dusk!)

• Light candles and sing a hymn to start the day

• Enjoy a sunrise breakfast together as a celebration of light overcoming darkness

  
  

Bake an Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a perfect dessert for the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Top it with seasonal blackberries in honor of an old Michaelmas legend, which says that blackberries turn bitter after the feast because Lucifer cursed them when he fell from heaven and landed in a blackberry bush.

Bake Traditional Scottish Bannocks

In Scotland, bannocks - simple, round barley or oat cakes - were baked for Michaelmas. They symbolized sustenance, blessing, and the turning of the seasons.

Make your own: Bannocks are quick to whip up and perfect for kids to help with. Serve warm with butter, jam, or honey for an easy, rustic breakfast or snack. Here’s a great recipe.

Slay the Dragon!

One of the most iconic images in Scripture comes from Revelation 12: St. Michael battling the dragon, a symbol of Satan and the forces of evil. This moment captures the spiritual warfare that continues even now, and the victory we have through Christ.

Make it fun for kids:

Create or buy a dragon piñata. Let children “slay the dragon” in the backyard with a baseball bat or stick. Talk about what it means for Michael to fight for us still today.

Sing “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”

This hymn is a powerful chorus of praise, joining our voices with the angels and saints:

“Alleluia, angel choirs above are raising,Cherubim and seraphim, in unceasing chorus praising…”

Perfect for family prayer time, morning devotions, or even while baking together.

Tip: If your family enjoys singing, try teaching one verse each year and build your hymn knowledge slowly over time.

Let’s Get Ready Together

Celebrating Michaelmas in our homes gives us an opportunity to recover a feast that Christians once knew and observed well. The blackberries, bannocks, hymns, and other traditions are so fun, but they also help us remember what the feast teaches: that God created far more than what we can see, that the angels continually worship and serve Him, and that every power opposed to God remains under His authority.

However you choose to celebrate, I hope Michaelmas helps your family see the world a little more as Scripture describes it and gives you another occasion to praise God for the whole of His creation, both seen and unseen.

the recipe -

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tablespoon sugar

1 cup cake flour (no cake flour? See note at end of the recipe for a substitution)

12 egg whites, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Do NOT grease the angel food cake pan.Put sugar in a food processor and pulse about 15 times until the sugar granules are finer. Sift flour with 3/4 cup of the sugar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, use the whisk attachment to whip egg whites, extracts, and salt until it becomes a bit frothy. Add cream of tartar and whip until the mixture forms soft peaks.Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, while the mixer is running. Continue beating until the mixture is glossy, smooth, and holds a stiff peak.

In three additions, sift the flour/sugar mixture over the top of the beaten egg whites and carefully fold. Once incorporated, spoon batter into the pan. Run a knife or a thin spatula through the batter to break up any air pockets. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon.Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the top is lightly golden and cracked, and the cake bounces bake when lightly touched.Cool the cake upside-down in the pan, using a bottle in the center, the attached feet that are part of some pans, or handles balanced on something sturdy. Let cake cool completely, about 2 hours.Run a knife along the edge and center tube of the cake. Invert onto a cake plate and give the cake a few good shakes. If the cake does not release, repeat the steps.

Cut with a serrated knife and serve with whipped topping.

Cake Flour Substitution

For 1 cup of cake flour, sift together 14 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift one more time.