| Eid il-Burbara | |
|---|---|
 ABurbara dish | |
| Observed by | Christians andAlawites in Lebanon Syria Palestine Jordan Turkey[1] Georgia |
| Type | Religious |
| Celebrations | cooking traditional food, wearing costumes, chants/hymns, decorations |
| Date | 4 December |
| Next time | 4 December 2026 (2026-12-04) |
Eid il-Burbara orSaint Barbara's Day (Arabic:عيد البربارة), and also called theFeast of Saint Barbara, is aholiday annually celebrated on 17 December (Gregorian calendar) or 4 December (Julian calendar) amongstMiddle Eastern Christians inLebanon,Syria,Jordan,Palestine andTurkey (Hatay Province).[1] It is also celebrated as Barbaroba (ბარბარობა) amongstChristians in Georgia.[2] Beyond its observance within Christian communities, Eid il-Burbara is also celebrated among theAlawite communities in certain regions.[3][4][5]
Its celebration shares many elements withHallowe'en, though coming from a much earlier tradition, and unrelated to the feast of the dead. Traditionally, adults and children wearing disguise go around houses in the villages dancing and singing the story ofSaint Barbara; and in each house, they are offered food (and sometimes money) specially prepared for that feast.[6] The general belief amongst Levantine Christians is that Saint Barbara disguised herself as many different characters to elude the Romans who were persecuting her.
Thetraditional food made on this feast isBurbara, a bowl of boiled wheat grains,pomegranate seeds,raisins,anise, and sugar, which is originally from the Christian village ofAboud inPalestine. It is offered to children who go from one house to another in costumes.[7] The dishBurbara dates back to at least the 19th century.[8]
In theMiddle East,Middle Eastern Christians cook a dough that is filled with walnuts or cheese, calledQatayef. Other popular traditional holiday foods includeawameh andzalabiyeh.[9][10] Heavy traffic occurs in bakeries because of people buying the traditional food for this holiday. Children go trick or treating[11] while singing a special song for Eid il-Burbara.[12]
A common practice in Lebanon on Eid il-Burbara finds its source in the story ofSaint Barbara who, it was believed was miraculously saved from persecution while fleeing: She ran through freshly planted wheat fields, which grew instantly to cover her path.
This miracle is celebrated symbolically by planting wheat seeds (or chick peas, barley grains, beans, lentils, etc.) in cotton wool on Saint Barbara's feast day. The seeds germinate and grow up to around six inches in time forChristmas, when the shoots are used to decorate the nativity scene usually placed below theChristmas tree.
TheSouk el Tayeb inBeirut celebrates this festival every year.[13]
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