Popular religion was practised by the common people in Europe in medieval times. Before the advent of humanism, many phenomena were explained in religious terms. A natural disaster was an act of God and Catholics believed that its consequences could be rectified by praying to the appropriate saint.
Religion therefore dominated men's lives. Traditional Catholic beliefs, as authorized by the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, were mixed with pagan beliefs, some of which were localized to the area in question. Pagan festivals, practices, superstitions and customs often had both a religious aspect and a non-religious aspect, for example harvest festivals.
