Every December 4, Santa Bárbara is commemorated in many countries of America and Europe, the day on which, according to legends, she was murdered for professing the Christian faith.
Santa Barbara she is protective and miraculous, a fighter against enemies and injustices. She is part of the 14 Holy Helpers of the Catholic Church, and is one of the figures with the greatest devotion in American territories such as Cuba.
The Saint became a helper of Catholics, of those who go through difficult and desperate situations, of those who are in danger of death and those who do not have a sacrament.
In Cuba, the saint syncretizes with the Orisha Shango of the Yoruba religion, marking the union of characteristics of both warrior and protective deities of their devotees.
December 4th: Devotion to the Saint and the Orisha Shango in his day
Red roses, red wine and carmine fabrics, apples, cinnamon and other items head the tribute of its faithful to Santa Barbara, every December 4.
Santa Barbara Day, It is a millenary tradition in the world, a ritual that in Cuba joins that of the Orisha Shango and both are celebrated on the same day by visiting the National Shrine dedicated to the saint, located in the Párraga neighborhood, in the municipality of Arroyo Naranjo, to which they go with flowers, candles and fruits, they thank and ask for miracles.
But there are many who celebrate the saint and the Orisha by dedicating a simple altar to her in their home, with all those elements that they adore. The devotees await next to the altar at 12 o'clock at night on the eve of the celebration.
In the celebration of Santa Barbara we prepared an altar in his honor:
An altar is a space for worship, devotion and faith, you can do it in a simple way to celebrate the Saint and the Orisha Shango:
- Ornaments and red fabrics: As it is its representative color, we must surround the altar with carmine-colored blankets or fabrics. You can also use decorations and lights to beautify the altar.
- A representation of the saint: We add a statue or image of Santa Barbara before which we pray and thank.
- Roses and red candles: At the feet of the saint we place red roses, representative of the passion and courage of the warrior deities, and we light the candles to illuminate her in her festivities. We can also place other types of flowers to entertain her, but those are her favorites.
- Red apples: The favorite fruit of Santa Bárbara are the red apples, which we place on the altar as an offering.
We can also place other offerings, such as some types of fruits, homemade sweets such as torrejas, red wine or sweet wine, preferably dark in color, always what is given from the heart and with faith is well received by the deities.
The altar is ready to worship the saint, we can talk to her and pray to her to thank her for the blessings she grants us in life and her eternal protection.
I pray to the Blessed Saint Barbara:
We share a simple prayer that we can dedicate to Santa Barbara:
Blessed Santa Barbara, protect me and my family from problems, from storms, from gossip, from intrigue, from the evil of my enemies and make sure that they cannot against me.
Protect us with your sword and cover us with your cape, my family and me.
Don't let anything bad happen to us.
Amen.