Eid il-Burbara

Stories and disguises

Saint Barbara's narrative forms the heart of the celebration. According to Levantine Christian belief, the saint wore various disguises to slip past the Roman authorities who hunted her. In memory of her escape, both children and adults dress in costumes and wander through their neighbourhoods or villages. They perform songs and dances recounting her life and survival at each doorstep. Hosts welcome the costumed visitors by offering small change and freshly made festival foods, mirroring ancient local customs of communal sharing.

Traditional festival sweets

The central dish of the day is burbara, a warm preparation of boiled wheat grains tossed with sugar, raisins, pomegranate seeds, and anise. The recipe originated in the Palestinian Christian village of Aboud and has been documented since at least the nineteenth century. In addition to this sweet grain bowl, bakers prepare qatayef, a folded dough filled with fresh cheese or chopped walnuts. Other beloved fried sweets include zalabiyeh and awameh. Bakeries experience significant crowds as families gather these treats for visitors and evening gatherings.

Sprouting the wheat

Another custom practiced particularly in Lebanon reflects a miracle attributed to Saint Barbara. Tradition holds that as she ran from Roman persecutors, she hurried through freshly seeded fields, which instantly sprouted to hide her tracks. To recall this event, households place wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils, or beans onto moist cotton wool on festival day. Over the following weeks, the green shoots reach about six inches in height. Families then carry the sprouted greens to the base of their Christmas tree, using them to garnish the nativity crèche.

How Eid il-Burbara is kept

On Saint Barbara's Day, children and adults put on costumes and masks to wander between homes in their villages. They sing traditional hymns and songs telling the saint's story, receiving money and special holiday foods from neighbours. Families also wet seeds of wheat, barley, or legumes on pads of cotton wool so they sprout over the coming weeks. Throughout the day, households and bakeries prepare sweet dishes such as burbara grain bowls, stuffed qatayef, awameh, and zalabiyeh to share with visiting guests and family.

When and where

The festival takes place every year in December. Communities that follow the Julian calendar observe Saint Barbara's Day on 4 December, while those adhering to the Gregorian calendar celebrate it on 17 December.

Eid il-Burbara is kept across the Levant, particularly among Christian and Alawite communities in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, and Turkey's Hatay Province. In Georgia, Christians celebrate it under the name Barbaroba. Public gatherings also take place in urban settings, such as the yearly festivities at Beirut's Souk el Tayeb.

What Eid il-Burbara means

Disguises reflect Saint Barbara's flight from Roman persecution, when she supposedly changed characters to evade capture. The practice of sprouting wheat on cotton wool recalls the legend of newly sown fields growing instantly to conceal her footsteps. Using these green shoots weeks later at the Christmas nativity connects Barbara's story directly with the upcoming celebration of Christ's birth.

On the table

• Burbara
• Qatayef
• Awameh
• Zalabiyeh

Questions people ask about Eid il-Burbara

See also

KoliadaA traditional winter caroling and solstice festival kept across Slavic EuropeChichilakiA shaved hazelnut branch crafted as a Georgian Christmas tree and burned at EpiphanyNovy GodA secular winter celebration of decorated trees, family feasts and midnight giftsEid al-FitrThe feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits home

Good reading and sources

• عيد البربارة: من هي القديسة التي "هربت مع بنات الحارة"؟BBC, Article
• عيد البربارة: من هي القديسة التي "هربت مع بنات الحارة"؟BBC, Article

• Eid il-Burbara on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.