Holy Barbara honored in Norway
Tunnel workers in Snekkestad Norway held a festival on 4th December, that day is dedicated to Saint Barbara who is the patron saint of Miners.
The employees, many of whom are Catholics felt it was appropriate to combine the festival with the Christmas holydays.
The festival began by going into the tunnel where there was an image of Saint Barbara blessed by Catholic priest from Holmestrand.
After the speech ceremony and singing by the local choir from Holmestrand the guests were invited to feast at IAV / Marti project site.
Barbara plays an important role in the Catholic faith, she is the patron of Miners, weapons factories, stone cutters, geologists and firework technicians. It seems that she is good for pre-prayer for firefighters, masons and lighthouse keepers. She also attends the sick and protects them against fire.
It is said that holy Barbara was born in 218 in the city Nicomedia in Turkey and that a roman tyrant Dioscorus was her father. Barbara was very beautiful but Dioscorus is said to have wanted to keep her away from all the lust and want to be spouse’s that were waiting. One day when he came home after a long absence, he discovered that Barbara had become a Christian and attended school which a Christian doctor ran.
Dioscorus immediately build a special house for Barbara where she was kept under house arrest. But Barabara resisted. She made the carpenters increase the bedroom windows from two to three, but it was to underline her faith. She also refused to marry the man her father had chosen for her.
This and more was the reason why she was sentenced to death and to be beheaded. As her father stood over his daughter's corpse after he had beheaded her a lightning struck his sword and he died instantly. This was looked as a sign of God's vengeance.
