Original scientific paper
The Saint Barbara’s cult in Croatian Christian tradition
Marko Dragić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5362-6814
Abstract
Saint Barbara is an exceptionally worshipped saint in both Western and Eastern Christian church. She is also worshipped by Protestants. She is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Churches, chapels, altars, statues, paintings, toponyms, crematonyms (names of objects), sanctonyms, phytonyms (names of plants), and anthroponomys are a clear testimony of Saint Barbara’s cult in Croatian Christian tradition. Croats tell original legends and tales about Saint Barbara. In Christian tradition Croats orally transmit oral lyrical poems and prayers to Saint Barbara. Diverse customs, rituals, processions and divinations are connected with the cult of Saint Barbara. Custom of sowing wheat is of ancient pre-Christian origin. Boys and young men, položaji, went from house to house early in the morning to congratulate the Saint Barbara feast day. Housekeepers would sprinkled wheat on the boys, and, afterwards, would throw corn grains on the floor so the boys would pick them up. Also, a panspermic stew was prepared. In the previously mentioned examples ancient pre-Christian apotropaic, panspermic and sympathetic elements, which Croats have Christianized in the meantime, interweave. Example of this is a superstition from the Northern Croatia that a person who starts making a broom on Saint Barbara’s feast day and finishes it on Christmas Eve day will be able to detect a thief. The paper quotes and interprets legends, customs, rituals, processions and divinations connected to the cult of Saint Barbara in Croat’s Christian tradition in the Republic of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Serbia, the Republic of Montenegro and in the province Gradišće situated in the Republic of Austria in a multidisciplinary manner.
Keywords
legends; prayers; customs; processions; rituals
Hrčak ID:
142222
URI
Publication date:
23.7.2015.
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