St. Barbara is observed by Catholics and Protestants alike. Legend has it that because of her grace and beauty her father locked her in a tower. During this time she watered a cherry tree branch and it began to bloom. From this comes the "Barbarazweig," the custom of bringing branches into the house on December 4 to bloom on Christmas. In some areas St. Barbara is also the day to bake Kletzenbrot (a fruit cake).

According to legend St. Barbara died at Nicomedia (Izmit) in Asia under the Persecution of Maximus in 306. Later legends relate that her own father, who had kept her prisoner in a tower, dragged her before the judge and accused her of having converted to Christianity against his will.

St. Barbara is the patron saint of the miners and artillerists. Soldiers would put her name on canons. She may also appear with St. Nikolaus or as a gift-bringer in her own right.

The early days of December are good for bringing in flowering branches for forcing to bloom. Well suited are forsythia, apple, chestnut, cherry, lilac and jasmine. If outdoor temperatures have been around 32 to 40 F for six weeks most buds are ready for forcing. Cut stems on a mild, none-freezing day. Look for branches with swollen buds. Mash the ends and submerge the branches in a bathtub of cool, not icy, water for several hours. Leave branches for a few days in a cool place. As soon as the buds appear to swell bring them into a warm room, not too close to the source of heat. Spray from time to time with lukewarm water, and when the bloom buds appear, place them on a window sill for they need a lot of light and cool air, so that the bloom will stay fresh longer. Change water every two days. Thin branches force quicker than thick ones; the flowers should appear anywhere from one to five weeks later.

Ruth Reichmann
Max Kade German-American Center

From Charles Panati's Sacred Origins of Profound Things
"Venerated in Italy throughout the Middle Ages, Saint Barbara was suppressed by the modern Church, which could only find fanciful legend as the basis for her existence."

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