December 4
Feast of Saint Barbara
Barbara is the patron saint of blowing things up. One of the legendary martyr-virgins of the pre-Constantinian period, Barbara was placed in a tower by her father (and is thus often depicted in art with such a structure.) She rejected marriage and when her father learned she was a Christian he attempted to kill her. Miraculously she was transported to a mountainous region where she was betrayed to the authorities by a shepherd. Roman officials tortured her but she clung to her Christian faith and performed miracles. Finally she was beheaded by her father who was shortly struck dead by lightning.
Probably because of the manner of her father’s death, she is the patron saint of artillerymen, armourers, gunsmiths, miners and those with dangerous work. When the great Rialto Fire of 1514 broke out in Venice, the head of St Barbara was paraded “around the burning areas because it was believed to have great preventive powers in such matters.” Alas, it availed naught. It is still customary in many places to put an image of St Barbara at the entrance to new tunnels that are being dug.
In Europe it is customary to take the branch of a fruit tree and bring it indoors on St Barbara’s Day. Placed in a vase of water it should blossom on Christmas.