#st blaise

[denbo66]

February 3rd - Feast of St. Blaise (? c. 260's-316)

Physician and Bishop of Sebastea, lower Armenia (now Sivas, Turkey).

A day on which throats are blessed.

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Saint Blaise’s Buchty

I wore my veil (a vintage crocheted French shawl that was originally my mother-in-law’s) for the first time baking. This time I tied the knot behind my head and let either side drape in front. I definitely felt some sort of spiritual tug as I began kneading the dough in my headscarf.

Bread magic

Saint Blaise was said to protect against sore throat.

In the Krkonoše mountains bun sellers went to the church to have the buns blessed upon his feast day (February 3) and then went door to door selling Blažejova buns, which protected against sore throats.

In the Pilsen region bakers baked maulvtaškas, common buns, which were consecrated and sold outside of the church and were also said to protect against sore throat.

I couldn’t find any recipes specifically for St. Blaise’s Day, so I decided to make buchty, Czech sweetened yeast rolls, adapted from a Czech American recipe from My Czech Heritage Cookbook by LaVina Vanorny-Barcus.

Because of Saint Blaise’s association with cattle it is thought that there may have been some dual belief with the slavic god Veles (among other things a slavic god of the underworld, earth, vegetation, farmers and cattle) lurking under the guise of the saint.

In the Czech agrarian environment his patronage of animals was significant. Herders turned to Blažej when they drove their cattle to pasture, to protect their herd from wild animals.

[dvoeverie-stitches]

#152 St. Blaise - Illness, Animals, Wool Combers & Throat Disease

Patronage; Illness, Animals, Wool Combers & Throat Disease Died: 316 ADFeast Day: February 3St. Blaise was a physician of both body and

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Buchty (sweet buns) for St. Blaise’s Day

Saint Blaise was said to protect against sore throat.

In the Krkonoše mountains bun sellers went to the church to have the buns blessed upon his feast day (February 3) and then went door to door selling Blažejova buns, which protected against sore throats.

In the Pilsen region bakers baked maulvtaškas, common buns, which were consecrated and sold outside of the church and were also said to protect against sore throat.

I couldn’t find any recipes specifically for St. Blaise’s Day, so I decided to make buchty, Czech sweetened yeast rolls, adapted from a Czech American recipe from My Czech Heritage Cookbook by LaVina Vanorny-Barcus.

Ingredients:

1 cup luke warm milk (100° to 110°F)

2 3/4 TB butter

1 tsp salt

2 3/4 TB sugar (plus extra if your yeast calls for it for activation)

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp lemon extract

1 1/2 packages active dry yeast

3 to 3 1/2 cups flour

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk (100° to 110°F) I warmed mine in the microwave 50 seconds, but microwaves may vary.

My package said to let the yeast activate for 5-10 minutes. I went with 10 minutes and put my melted butter in the fridge to cool.

Add salt, sugar, melted and cooled butter and eggs to the milk and activated yeast.

Add flour gradually. I just stirred mine with a wooden spoon and then kneaded it for about 5 minutes.

Put in a warm place to rise 30 minutes.

Divide into 9 pieces and shape into balls and let it rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake at 375°F until golden on top.

Caroling on St. Blaise’s Feast Day in the Czech Lands

St. Blaise and Cattle

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Sweet filled Buchty from cooklikeczechs.com

Saint Blaise was said to protect against sore throat.

In the Krkonoše mountains bun sellers went to the church to have the buns blessed upon his feast day (February 3) and then went door to door selling Blažejova buns, which protected against sore throats.

In the Pilsen region bakers baked maulvtaškas, common buns, which were consecrated and sold outside of the church and were also said to protect against sore throat.

People also rubbed their neck with a wheat stick to ward off throat diseases on his feast day.

Source

Caroling on St. Blaise’s Feast Day in the Czech Lands

St. Blaise and Cattle

[anastpaul]

(via Quote of the Day – 3 February – St Blaise – AnaStpaul)

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Happy St. Blaise Eve!

St. Blaise buns

St. Blaise and cattle

Caroling on St. Blaise’s Feast Day in the Czech Lands

[dvoeverie-stitches]

Hromnice/Candlemas Eve

I rearranged my main altar to showcase my thunder candle. I experimented this year and made a mullein torch sprinkled with botanical incense (wisteria). And, of course, in the background is the piece I embroidered specifically in celebration of Hromnice and St. Brigid’s Day.

———

 “I remember the beginning of the seventies of the last century, when I was still a little boy, how my then more than 60-year-old grandmother lit a tall candle called a hromnikka, which she placed on a kosten - a chest with costumes, in front of the thunder and lightning accompanying a violent summer storm – next to the cross with the rosary.”

“The candle was not only used during the already mentioned storms, but also played an important role when a priest visited a sick person or a coffin with a deceased person. It was widely believed to ward off evil powers. The burning threshing floor was used for magical actions connected with securing the harvest. Farmers would put a burning candle in a heap of grain and pray for a bountiful harvest, elsewhere with a burning candle the farmer would go around the beehives three times to ensure an abundance of honey and to protect the hives from thieves and fire. Also, the wax from the candlesticks had magical power and it was possible to cast spells with its help. Embedded in millstones, he was able to influence the quantity and quality of flour. When it was glued to the shooting target, the opponent was sure not to hit. However, it was necessary to peel it off before its own wound, because it affected all shooters without distinction. Finally, the wax and the burning candles of the hromnička were also used in various ways in folk medicine.”

Source

I also included the my beautiful matryoshka dolls from Sitka Island in Alaska (alas, somewhat damaged by my then toddler niece) to represent the Virgin Mary as the holiday is very much associated with her—one of its names is the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To the left of the dolls are symbols of St. Dorothea (the framed postage stamp) whose day is the 6th of this month, and St. Agatha (the basket with bread, water, and salt) whose day is the 5th of the month.

To the right is a cow horn and cow figurines to represent St. Blaise, whose day is the 3rd of the month.