Each year, the Church of Therianism declares a Holy Day of Obligation on or around January 16th (most usually the Saturday before or after). While the date of the observance is universal (ironically, given St. Matthew’s famous critique of the Council of Nicaea’s ruling regarding the Quartodecimans), the manner of such celebrations differs greatly around the world.

We’re all familiar with how The Feast Day of Saint Matthew of Brunswick is celebrated here in America. It’s then that the faithful congregate in colorful cowboy costumes to play murder mysteries and TTRPG one-shots written by the saint in life.

In the city of New Brunswick, New Jersey, where Matthew is their patron saint, cowboy hats are placed atop the heads of every statue in town. In the morning a grand parade is thrown for the children down Easton Avenue and George Street, while at night an epic pub crawl is held for the adults throughout the same city blocks.

And just as Americans eat corned beef on St. Patrick’s, turkey on Thanksgiving, and ham on Christmas, the staple dish of any true St. Matthew’s Day dinner is of course a porterhouse steak, aged anywhere from fifteen to sixty days, crusted with brûléed bleu cheese crumbles, and served with an au poivre sauce.

But did you know that in India, where cattle are considered sacred and steak is strictly prohibited, the signature dish of their Matthewmas is Buffalo chicken wings? For many in that country who are vegetarians it is the one exception to not eating meat they make all year long. Here are so more facts about how St. Matthew’s Day is celebrated around the world:

In Latin America, St. Matthew is known as El Vaquero. Throughout the region, most notably in Brazil, rodeos are held at high noon. These differ from other rodeos in that only bulls are ridden and wrangled; it is strictly forbidden there to ride a horse on Dia de São Mateus (who often exhorted the crowds at karaoke to “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”).

On the morning of Mattmas Eve in Holland, parents begin to consume copious amounts of champagne cocktails. Once they are sufficiently inebriated they walk to the corner cobbler (which are ubiquitous in the Netherlands) and purchase handcrafted leather cowboy boots costing hundreds of Euros. They leave the boots on their doorstep in the evening, and overnight Sintermaatt fills the footwear with science fiction and fantasy paperbacks.

The same figure is known throughout Britain as “Saint Matt the Dragon-slayer,” whom local legend tells “drove the Insidious One out of Rockoff.” Other English traditions include drinking cider, composing Therian Sonnets (distinct for their use of iambic heptameter), and telling the bloody bobbies to get bent when they try to censor social media posts.

Across the channel the people of France, from bourgeois billionaires to the poorest paupers, put on white tie attire, albeit with cowboy hats and boots, and dance the Quadrille, sometime the music suddenly stopping, and yet the dance goes on. Something similar is done in Germany, where the holiday is known as Jännerfest. There they wear black t-shirts with their tuxedo tails and dance drunk, having held a cocktail reception of smokey Manhattans and espresso martinis beforehand.

In Ukraine and other former Soviet territories, the youth hurl insults and curses at any elderly communists they happen upon throughout the Mattmas season. In Japan, young and old alike come together to play Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on whatever Nintendo consoles they own, often receiving the entire week off from school or work to do so. Alternately in Belgium, the game played is Baldur’s Gate III, with custom characters made to look like the saint.

Now you know just about more about how different cultures around the world celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Matthew of Brunswick. Of course, every family has their own personal traditions. Share yours in the comments below!