During the Nativity season, I love to embrace all things Christmas. But I especially love a good Feast Day theme that connects a Christmas activity to a saint! There are many traditions on the feast of St Barbara as she is a beloved saint celebrated throughout the world, but since she is considered the Patron Saint of Architects, builders, and stone masons, we chose to make our Gingerbread houses on her feast day to remember her story!

In the spirit of celebrating the meaningful traditions of the Orthodox faith, I invite you to consider adding this special feast day activity that I know your family and friends will love! Feast days are significant opportunities to deepen our spiritual connection to the body of Christ and to share in the joy of our faith with family and friends. This activity will not only enhance your understanding of St Barbara’s story but also create lasting memories as you bring together your loved ones in a meaningful way.

Scroll down for more suggestions on how we celebrate this feast as a family!

There are so many incredible saints in the Orthodox Church. It is one of the most unexpected blessings of my life to get to know them more and more each year! Admittedly, St Barbara is a saint I was not well aquianted with until recently. After reading her story with my kids, I realized her story is likely what the classic fairytale Rapunzle was based off! She has a really neat story, you should definitely read it! After learning more about her over the last few years, we began to have a special connection with her. A friend of mine shared with me that on her feast day, they make their gingerbread houses, and I was ecstatic! I knew that we would give that a try! So last year was our first year attempting to make our gingerbread houses on her feast and it was perfect! This time of year you can find Gingerbread house kits at almost any store out there, so if you’re looking for a simple way to embrace this feast, that is the way to go! You can also attempt to make your own gingerbread houses out of real gingerbread, or even cardboard. Either way, sky is the limit!

Watch our Instagram Reel as we make gingerbread houses:

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Instructions

Pick up a Gingerbread kit! Follow instructions in the kit. Simple as that. We don’t have to overcomplicate things! You can also create your own with this recipe.
Add your decorations and see if you can add 3 of something - 3 windows, 3 doors … to represent the Holy Trinity, just like the story of St Barbara.
You can even print out an icon of St Barbara and hid it somewhere inside or outside the home.
You can plan to eat it after Christmas or during the 12 days of Christmas!

Make it Meaningful

We don’t just do feast day traditions for the sake of traditions! They invite us to dive deeper into the life of the Church, into our life in Christ, by sanctifying everything we do for the glory of God! So when you set up this activity, be sure to read the life of St Barbara together, either online, or find her story in several publications. I shared a brief recap below if that’s helpful! This is an important part of any activity is helping our family understand the connections. Every year we can dive deeper into her life and grow to love her even more! Pictured: December My Synaxarion by Potamitis Press.

More about St Barbara

One famous story is - her father locked her in a tower to shield her from the evils of the world, and ironically the Christian faith. She learned about Christianity from one of her tutors and was secretly baptized. Her father decided to build a bathhouse next to her tower and gave very specific instructions on the design, forbidding anyone from changing it. St Barbara noticed there were only 2 windows in the bathhouse but thought 3 would be more fitting as they would honor the Holy Trinity. She insisted the builders change their design, and said she would take the blame if her father was upset.

When he learned about the deviation from the design, he asked his daughter about it. She took the opportunity to share with him about the Holy Trinity and the One True God. In rage, he ran after her, wanting to do great harm. She escaped and was concealed miraculously for a time. Ultimately her father became her tormentor and took her life because of her unrelenting love and devotion to our Lord. Through all her tortures, she was miraculously healed. We remember her today as a brave and courageous young woman who loved the Lord and gave up her life for Him, the ultimate sacrifice. O holy St Barbara, pray for us!

Blessed Feast!