Give us back our saints! Happy St Barbara's Day -- wasn't it on 12/4?

St Barbara's Day--a day of wheat and cherry branches

Wheat plays a super-big role in these December feasts which herald Christmas!

St. Barbara, previously held 12/4
St. Nicholas on 12/6 and
St. Lucy on 12/13

Prior to the days of lab-sourced meat and bugs, whole wheat sustained our ancestors. Jesus multiplied loaves to feed hungry mouths. To nourish hungry souls, Jesus chose bread as His Eucharistic medium. The saints too--through the hand of God--multiplied bread to feed the poor and the starving seemed thankful. Now EBT and SNAP displace our beloved saints. I could be wrong but, do we see similar gratitude today? Meanwhile, our favorite saints are "cancelled" from the liturgical calendar ie Sts Philomena, Christopher, etc; as our Magisterium evaporates. St Barbara's mother was a Catholic who died young. St Barbara's tutors were secretly Catholic i.e. potentially St Polycarp. She was curious, liked science, loved God's stars, and lightening. But her father was a pagan politician, in thick with the Romans. St Barbara stood fast in her faith until exposed, even becoming a martyr at her father's hand. Without powerful saints, who will intercede and mentor us in humility, thanksgiving and gratitude? While we just gathered for a secular thanksgiving--true thanksgiving lies in the Bread of Life--not turkey, cranberries or football. St Barbara's Day festivities are worldwide and rich with legends, parades, botany, feasting, intercession and thanksgiving, see bullets. Short on time?--skip to the last paragraph. The point is: the world is devoted to this persecuted saint, who only wanted access to the Sacraments. See her edifying, wholesome family movie here. St Barbara, pray for us!

St Barbara is listed among the 14-Holy Helpers. This group of powerful saints was formed by Germanic cultures in the 14th century to seek intercession against the various plagues. Each saint had their own assigned illness i.e. St Blaise was assigned swallowing problems and ENT ailments. Most likely, St Barbara's beauty was the inspiration for her intercession against the disfiguring smallpox.

An Eastern country wheat tradition is the Catholic St. Barbara was fleeing from her pagan father across a newly planted wheat field. Legend says it became tall and camouflaged her until her father's anger passed. This may explain the Eastern country tradition of baking special breads and wheat dishes in St. Barbara's honor. (2)

In Greece, a boiled wheat porridge (koliva), a wheat broth known as Varvara and honey cakes were baked to invoke St. Barbara's protection against smallpox.

In China's village of Siyi, honey cakes were leavened by the Catholic wives, flattened and covered with honey. They placed them outside on tables for when the priest came. He would bless and invoke St Barbara's intercession. The cakes were shared with passersby. Overtime, what we call parades were the result.

In Turkey's village of Baindir, the women brought koliva to the road instead of honey cakes. (3) St Barbara is rumored to have been born in Turkey.

In Bulgaria, a boiled porridge was served with honey, similar to our oatmeal. It was first given to the kids, family and then neighbors to invoke St. Barbara's aid against smallpox. In some areas, a honey-smeared loaves were baked and laid on windowsills with a drink to welcome St. Barbara. Then, it was believed that St. Barbara would come to visit their homes through the chimney. If she found the house clean and tidy and refreshments prepared, she would protect the children from smallpox. (4)

Catholics in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Palestine know St Barbara’s Day as Eid il-Burbara. The traditional dish prepared is a wheat porridge known as burbara, sweetened with various spices, dried fruit, nuts, sugar or honey. (5) Kids go to neighboring houses dressed in St Barbara masks and costumes singing "Barbara songs," to be rewarded with a bowl of burbara or other special sweets. St. Barbara, according to legend, donned various disguises to--attend Mass? --and escape her pagan father and Romans persecuting her. (6)

In some Syrian homes, the children bring sweetmeats to poor or mourning families as gifts. (7)

In Syria on St. Barbara's Eve, family, friends and neighbors are invited over for a sweetmeats feast of honey, nuts, fruits and wheat. Burbara is boiled over the fire and then mixed with rose water, honey and spices. In the aroma, the head of the house narrates St. Barbara's life to guests, after which they feast in her honor. (8)

In the south of France on St. Barbara's Eve, wheat seeds are placed in three dishes, symbolizing the Holy Trinity. As they are watered and sunned, the green shoots and sprouts are used to adorn the great Christmas Eve feast. (9) After the meal, the wheat shoots frame the Nativity set to pay homage to baby Jesus of Bethlehem.

In Austria and the Levant areas, the same custom is observed. (10) Austrians call it "Barbara wheat" and place the shoots around the candle at the Christmas Eve feast.

The Hungarians also germinate wheat seeds, but on the feast of St. Lucy, 12/13. Throughout Advent, the peasants prayed fervently to St. Barbara or to St. Lucy that the wheatfields would be protected from storms and disease. (11)

French peasants watch the wheat growth noting sprouting time and height to predict the coming harvests' success. A Provençal saying affirms: "When the wheat goes well, everything goes well." After Christmas, the shoots are planted in the fields to bring blessings on the harvest for the new year. In some areas, dried shoots are burned during thunderstorms to invoke the protection of St. Barbara, patron saint of thunder and artillery. (12)

A German legend theorizes that her pagan father locked St. Barbara was in her tower--to keep her from the Sacraments? --she found a dry cherry tree branch. She placed it in a cup and watered it with a few drops of her drinking water every day. On the day of her execution, it bloomed and she rejoiced as she realized soon her soul would bloom in eternal life with her spouse, Jesus. (13)

In Germanic countries, a cherry tree branch was cut on St. Barbara's Day and placed in a bowl of warm water next to the stove. This would force the branch to blossom in time for Christmas. The cherry-branch was known as "St. Barbara's Branch" or Barbarazweig.

In the absence sweet or sour cherry branches, elderberry, apple, chestnut, lilac, sloe, forsythia and/or hawthorn were used to make St Barbara Branches in different regions. (14)

Similar to French wheat sprouts, St Barbara Branches would adorn the Nativity set giving St. Barbara the honor of offering flowers to the Christ Child. Making a Barbara branch or Barbara wheat would be a lovely custom to incorporate into American homes.

There were many predictions associated with the St Barbara branch. If it had many blossoms around Christmas, the new year would be blessed with a successful harvest. (15) The person whose branch had the most blossoms by Christmas was said to be Mother "Mary's favorite." (16) If a single marriageable girl's branch blossomed on Christmas, she might be married in the coming year.

How can anyone say there is no support for St Barbara? How do we get her back on the calendar? She is the patron for artillery, lightening, smallpox, and so much more. She heralds Christmas. St. Barbara's botanical events are an ancient symbol of new life, with wheat and cherry blooms mid-winter. This symbolizes Christ's coming as a bud from the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:2) in the dead of winter, bringing new life for our souls. These charming customs inspired us as kids to honor St. Barbara by taking something dead (branches and wheat seeds) and giving it new life (blossoms and shoots). Offering greens and blossoms are the perfect gift for the Author of life on the Birthday of birthdays.

Give us back our saints!

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