Q. 1. What can you tell me about the "Blessing of the Throats." I have never heard of this practice.

A. 1. The "Blessing of the Throats" is a ritual prescribed and authorized by the Roman Catholic Church, usually observed on the feast day of Saint Blaise on February 3 rd.

The ritual proceeds as follows: During the blessing (which usually takes place either before or after the daily Mass), the priest holds two candles tied together with a red ribbon in the form of a cross at the throat of the person seeking a blessing and prays aloud: "Through the intersession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God preserve you from throat troubles and every other evil. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

The two candles are blessed on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (February 2), at which time they are joined together in the form of a cross.