Who Is Saint Barbara?
Saint Barbara is the patron saint of Middle Eastern Christians. Her feast is celebrated on December 4 to honor her martyrdom by her own father, who killed her for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.
Her father, who was a pagan, locked her in a tower because she was strikingly beautiful. As soon as she confessed her faith in the Lord, he wanted to kill her. She disguised herself and fled, pursued not only by her father but by the Romans, who were also persecuting her for her faith.
The Miracle of the Wheat Field
A miracle took place while she was running away. As she ran through a field of recently planted wheat, the wheat immediately grew tall to hide her steps from her pursuers. To this day, wheat remains a central symbol of Saint Barbara's feast across the Middle East.
How Christians Celebrate Saint Barbara Day in the Holy Land
Saint Barbara's Day is widely celebrated by local Christian communities in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Turkey. The holiday symbolizes the beginning of the Christmas season in the Middle East.
Burbara: The Traditional Saint Barbara Dessert
The traditional food served on this day is Burbara, a porridge style dessert made of boiled wheat berries mixed with sugar and many spices including cinnamon powder, ground anise, and ground fennel.
Burbara can be topped with a wide range of ingredients. Here are the most popular toppings used by Christians in the Holy Land:
- Dried cranberries
- Dried grapes
- Dried apricot
- Sugar coated fennel seeds
- Various nuts and seeds (almonds work especially well)
- Coconut shreds
- Cinnamon powder
- Sprinkles
Saint Barbara's Day is celebrated every year by gathering the family together to enjoy this delightful wheat berry sweet dish.
Happy Saint Barbara's Feast!
Hand Carved Saint Statues from Bethlehem
At our workshop, we craft Holy Land olive wood and Jerusalem stone religious pieces to help Christians in the Holy Land and around the world share their faith. While we do not yet offer a Saint Barbara figurine, we carry a wide range of beautifully carved Saint statues from Bethlehem.
Browse our stone mosaic artwork of Saint Michael with a hand finished wooden frame, our olive wood Saint Anne statue, our olive wood Saint John statue, and our olive wood Saint Francis of Assisi statue.
To see every Saint we carve, shop our hand carved Saint statues and view each piece in full 360 degree detail.
Bethlehem Handicrafts is proud to put the Holy Land in your hands with original olive wood carvings, hand crafted by Christian families in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
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