Observed in the U.S. Virgin Islands—St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John—Hurricane Supplication Day marks the beginning of the hurricane season. Special church services are held to pray for safety from the storms that ravage these and other Caribbean islands. The custom probably dates back to the “rogation” ceremonies (from the word rogare, meaning “to beg or supplicate”), which began in fifth-century England. Rogations usually followed a frightening series of storms, earthquakes, or other natural disasters. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary