Happy Eid il-Burbara: trick or treat!
December 2, 2024 2:43 PM   Subscribe

The Feast of St. Barbara You have some time to prepare your costume for the Feast of St. Barbara, celebrated by Middle Eastern Christians on December 4th. Go house to house for local tasty treats as you participate in a tradition that pre-dates the pumpkins and ghouls of US Halloween.

St Barbara was an early Christian martyr who some believe used costumes to hide herself from pursuing Romans. Today children in costumes go door to door for treats such as Burbara with candy-like colors, and a sweet crunch.

Hurry and plan your costumes, children! Don’t miss out on your treats this winter.
posted by supermedusa (1 comment total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Go house to house for local tasty treats as you participate in a tradition that pre-dates the pumpkins and ghouls of US Halloween,

Actually, Halloween is All Hallows' Eve, the day before All Souls' Day, a day when the souls of the dearly departed return to visit their kin. And All Souls Day is a cross-quarter day and the beginning of Winter on the Celtic calendar.

In Iran and across Central Asia, Nowruz is a pre-Islamic holiday celebrated on the vernal equinox with small tables of ceremonial treats and viands set and children throw chadors over their heads and go door to door banging on pots and begging for candy. Now where have we seen something like that before? So all these holidays are part of a braided stream that ultimately goes back to Babylon and times immemorial.
posted by y2karl at 4:04 PM on December 2


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