DECEMBER 4, commemorated in many countries as Saint Barbara’s Day, celebrates Saint Barbara of Nicomedia (Turkey), the patron saint of miners and geosciences in general.
It’s commemorated by the British, Australian, and New Zealand armed forces, and by the United States army and marine corps.
Several mining institutions also honour it, such as some branches of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and the WA Mining Club.
Accounts place the early Christian Greek martyr in the third century in Heliopolis Phoenicia (present-day Baalbek, Lebanon), where she was regarded as one of the 14 Holy Helpers – a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because their intercession was believed to be effective, especially against various diseases.
Often portrayed with miniature chains and a tower, Barbara continues to be a popular saint in modern times, perhaps best known as the heavenly advocate of armourers, artillerymen, military engineers, miners and others who work with explosives.
As the legend goes, when Barbara decided to be a Christian against her father’s wishes, she fled town and hid in a crack in nearby mountain rocks.
Her father found her and killed her, but was then himself struck down by lightning, leading to her association with incendiary devices.
She may also be associated with miners because of her hiding place within rocks.
Among the Australia places which observe the day is the mining town of Kalgoorlie, in WA, where colossal mining vehicles rumble down the main street festooned with mascots, Christmas angels and a couple of famous footy sons.
Celebrating the saint, miners, and the mining industry’s contribution to the state’s heritage, economy and community, the annual festival draws in thousands of visitors.
