Christianity in the Middle East: St Barbara's Day

In Orthodox Christianity, which has its roots in the East, 4th December is Saint Barbara’s Day.

For my late grandmother, who was Orthodox Christian, this was an important feast day because it was a day of celebration for St Barbara the Virgin Martyr. Legend says that St Barbara was born in Lebanon in about 273 AD – others says she was born in Nicomedia, which today is Izmit in Turkey. She was a daughter of a very strict father.

One day she secretly converted to Christianity and, fearing her father’s disapproval, she fled for Palestine. When her father learnt of her conversion, he threatened to kill her. But she was safe, having found refuge in a cave in a town called Abboud. In the cave, passing shepherds helped keep St Barbara safe from her father and fed her a simple warm bowl of barley each day.

One day she was spotted by her father’s soldiers who were on patrol. They dragged her out of the cave and took her back to her father, where she was subsequently beaten and tortured in punishment for converting to Christianity. Her father ordered her to renounce her Christianity and, when she refused, he decapitated her. In divine punishment, her father was struck by lightning and died.

This legend teaches us that in her faith, God saved her.

Every 4th December, Orthodox Christians celebrate the patron saint for her life and protection. The cave in which she found refuge was turned into a church. St Barbara’s Church still stands today in the town of Abboud, despite being partially destroyed by the Israeli military during the Second Intifada – apparently unaware of its Christian significance.

Every year the church celebration ends with the congregation serving Burbara – a pearl barley cinnamon, aniseed and fennel dessert – in remembrance of the shepherd’s hospitality to St Barbara. Churches across Lebanon and the Middle East, and even Russia, celebrate this day.

I remember in my childhood I would attend St Barbara’s Day service at the Holy Sepulchre with my late grandmother. The Orthodox church served us a bowl of Burbara at the church doors. I remember the excitement: it was the sweetest and most colourful bowl of porridge I’d ever had – barley topped with colourful sweets of pink, blue and silver sugar-coated aniseed balls. We would wish each other 'Kul sane wa intu salmeen', which in English means, 'For every year, may you find peace'.

That afternoon my grandmother spent hours in the kitchen preparing as if for a Christmas feast. Dinner was always roast chicken stuffed with a Palestinian stuffing consisting of spiced lamb mince and white rice. Dinner was served with a buffet of Arabic salads – hummus, fattoush, baba ghannoush. And of course, for dessert she made Burbara with her personal twist.

Her recipe had a lot more syrup than the Church’s recipe. She served it with a cup of black tea and a lump of white sugar. There is little as evocative as food. Remembering this dish makes me nostalgic for my homeland, particularly this year when, due to Covid, I am unable to return to visit my family.

Instead, this St Barbra’s day, I will make Burbara and remember. Happy St Barbara’s Day, Happy Eid, and kul sane wa intu salmeen!

Granny’s burbara dessert

Ingredients (for 2-3 people)

Pearl Barley

1 cup Cold water

3 cups Fennel seeds or powder

1 tsp Aniseed powder or stars

1 tbsp Ground cinnamon

½ tsp Brown sugar

1 tbsp Sultanas

Handful Raisins

Optional toppings: sugar-coated liquorice, candied chickpeas, manna, pine nuts, water-soaked almonds, walnuts, and dates.

Recipe

1. Soak the pearl barley overnight. Rinse it in a sieve the next day.

2. Place the rinsed barley in a saucepan and add your cold water.

3. With the saucepan lid on, turn the hob on high heat until the barley starts boiling. Then turn it right down to low heat and take the lid off.

4. Add the rest of your ingredients and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes.

5. Now is your chance to be creative. Serve the Burbara warm and add any or all of the toppings of your choice!

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