In parts of France, Germany, and Syria, St. Barbara‘s Day is considered the beginning of the Christmas season. In southern France, especially in Provence, it is customary to set out dishes holding grains of wheat soaked in water on sunny window sills. If the “St. Barbara’s grain” grows quickly, it means a good year for crops. There is a similar custom in Germany and the Czech and Slovak republics, where cherry branches are placed in water and tended in the hope that they will bloom on Christmas Eve. In Syria, St. Barbara’s Day is for feasting and bringing food to the poor. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary