November 25 – St. Catherine's Day

nPostednon November 25, 2013

St.nCatherine lived and died a long, long time ago – from around 282nC.E. to 305 C.E. A princess from Alexandria, Egypt, Catherine is saidnto have been a scholar who converted to Christianity at age 14, andnwho was beheaded by the Roman Emperor Maximinus II when she was innher early twenties. n

nThenholiday began in the Catholic church but soon became a prettynsecular celebration (like St. Valentine’s and Patrick’s Days). These days, itnis especially popular in French Canada and Estonia.

nFromna revolving wheel of firecrackers (called a “Catherine’s Wheel) andnthe baking of “Cattern cakes” in England to the celebration ofn“Catherinettes” (unmarried women) with greeting cards andnoutrageous hats (and sometimes parades wearing those hats) in France – St. Catherine’s Day is celebrated in many ways in Europe.

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nInnFrench Canada, girls make St. Catherine’s taffy for boys that theynlike. The holiday is sometimes called “Taffy Day” (but, you know,nin French). The reason for the association of candy with this feastnday is kind of random – a woman named Marguerite Bourgeois startedna public school in a tiny town that would eventually grow intonMontreal; she wanted to lure First Nations children to the school, sonNovember 25, 1658, she laid a trail of wrapped taffy on the groundnfrom the nearby First Nations settlement to the door of the school!nThat seems pretty creepy to me!
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InnEstonia, the holiday is a sort of feminized version of St. Martin’s Day. On the evening of St. Catherine’s Day, peoplendress up as kadri “beggars” in clean white ornlight-colored clothing, and they go from door to door, singing songs,ngiving “blessings,” and collecting “gifts.” Because womenntraditionally kept the herds of sheep while men farmed, the songs andnblessings deal with wishes for flourishing sheep herds, and thengifts are food, cloth, or wool. (On St. Martin’s Eve, people dressnup in dirty men’s clothes and go door to door wishing other familiesnharvest luck and collecting gifts of sweets .)

nBynthe way, the reason for the clean and white clothing for kadrinbeggars is because St. Catherine’s Day is associated with the startnof winter and the coming of snow.

nHownabout a mash-up of celebrations? Buy a big bag of taffy, and makenan amazing and flamboyant hat. Tonight, dress up in your best whitenclothing and the hat, and go door to door to wish your neighbors wellnand spread the taffy cheer. You can represent the Catherine’s Wheelsnby spinning glow necklaces on your arms as you walk from door tondoor! When you get home, enjoy taffy apple cake!n