Saint Barbara's Day for Catholics

Saint Barbara is one of the revered saints of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the 14 holy helpers in earthly affairs December 4 is a memorial date for the great martyr, whose earthly life took place at the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries Young Varvara lived in Phenicia and was the daughter of a noble pagan aristocrat The girl was distinguished by rare beauty, so the father, fearing for the fate of his daughter, chose to keep her locked in a high tower Being under house arrest during long hours of solitude, Varvara occupied herself with contemplating the world around her and in her thoughts independently came to the idea of ​​a single God Years passed, and the time came for the beauty to get married; her father was forced to take the girl out into the world to meet the families of potential suitors In one of the houses of Iliopolis, Varvara met Christians, whose speeches awakened the flame of faith in the soul of the pagan daughter Having learned about Varvara's secret baptism, her father became angry and took her to the ruler of the city for trial After being persuaded to renounce Christianity, the girl was subjected to sophisticated torture But even these monstrous methods could not make Varvara an apostate The ruler of Iliopolis invited the cruel parent of the great martyr to punish his daughter himself The distraught father beheaded the girl with a sharp sword The saint immediately ascended to heaven to the Heavenly Father, and the executioner, along with the head of the city, were struck by lightning Already in the 4th century, the relics of the saint were transferred to Constantinople, and several centuries later they came to the Russian lands The relic was so revered that during the Tatar-Mongol invasion it was hidden for a long time from the destroyers and kept intact Today the relics rest in the St Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv, but many pieces of the relic are kept in churches in Europe and even North America The Great Martyr is the patron of crafts and artisans; one should turn to her for help in everyday work Varvara is recognized as the protector of those who died from sudden or violent death, that is, all those who died without repentance According to popular belief, praying to Varvara protects against thunderstorms and lightning Interesting traditions associated with the great martyr spread among the Western Slavs Girls tell fortunes using branches of fruit trees or bushes Thin branches, called barbarki or barborki, are broken off, brought into the house and placed in water, and at Christmas they see how the plant behaves A twig with blossoming flowers prophesied a quick wedding, and the green foliage that sprouted promised the fulfillment of one’s most cherished desires In the Czech Republic, barborkas were three girls in snow-white clothes who could be seen on December 4 on the winter streets They presented good children with delicacies, and frightened naughty children with canings Thus, St Barbara's Day began a series of merry winter holidays leading to Catholic Christmas