Saint Barbara's Day

What Is Saint Barbara's Day?

December 4th is Saint Barbara's Day, commemorating a young woman said to have embraced Christianity and been executed in the Roman Empire around the 3rd century, when the faith was banned. The observance has been carried on mainly in Europe, and it is notable for how closely its customs tie into the run-up to Christmas.

Cherry Branches and Christmas Blossoms

Legend holds that cherry buds Barbara had placed in a vessel while imprisoned bloomed on the day of her execution. From this story came the custom of putting cherry branches in water on December 4th.

• Origin: Barbara, a young woman said to have been executed for her Christian faith in the 3rd century
• Barbara branches: cherry branches placed in water on this day, awaited to bloom around Christmas
• Barbara's wheat: wheat soaked in a dish of water, with the sprouting around Christmas read as an omen for next year's harvest
• "Barbara in white": the name given to snow falling on this day, heavy snow foretelling a good harvest

Rural Memory, Written in Omens and Weather

Customs like Barbara's wheat and "Barbara in white" grew out of village practices of reading next year's harvest at the threshold of winter. Falling roughly four weeks before Christmas, the day overlaps with the season of Advent in Europe.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Buy some branches, put them in a vase, and watch them through year-end
• Read about European customs in the weeks before Christmas
• Sketch out your plans for the four weeks leading to Christmas
• Look for Japanese sayings that read the coming year from a single day's weather

A Season That Begins Quietly

The cherry branches of December 4th are set out in hope of blossoms by Christmas. It is a custom of the early winter that makes the waiting itself part of the pleasure.