Saint Barbara's Day~ December 4th
Catholic saints are holy people who lived on this earth but led
extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to
God's invitation to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each
one of us to be a saint.
Most saints have specially designated feast days so that we can
remember these holy men and women in a special way. The feast
of Saint Barbara falls on the 4th of December and is traditionally
celebrated by certain branches of the military with a formal dinner
and presentation of the Order of St. Barbara, an honorary military
society of the United States Field Artillery.
The Saint Barbara feast is usually observed with traditional
breads and other wheat foods that symbolize the harvest.
On St. Barbara’s Day, you and your family can celebrate
the feast of Saint Barbara with a crown cake to signify the crown
of martyrdom and the crown of glory Barbara received in heaven.
If you are pressed for time, a gold-paper crown on a cake or a
gumdrop crown is acceptable. Another idea is a wreath of roses
and lilies made of icing which can be put atop a cake.
On Saint Barbara s day, unmarried members of the household are
supposed to go
out into the orchard and cut twigs from the cherry trees and
put them into water. There is an old belief that whoever's cherry
twig blossoms on Christmas Day can expect to get married in the
following year. Put the stems in a vase in a dark corner, each
one with a nametag, and on Christmas Day they will be eagerly
examined; the blossoms and twigs provide a nice table decoration
for the Christmas dinner.
This year, during your St. Barbara feast, think about how God
has called you to be a saint. Remember your Saint Barbara Day
medal and offer your rosary or say a prayer for all our enlisted
men and women who are in harm’s way.
Crown of Martyrdom
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