Eid il-Burbara
eid ilburbara saint barbaras day arabic عيد البربارة also called feast saint barbara holiday annually celebrated december gregorian calendar december julian calendar amongst middle eastern christian lebanon syria jordan palestine israel turkey hatay province also celebrated barbaroba ბარბარობა amongst christian georgia beyond observance within christian community eid ilburbara also celebrated among alawite community certain region celebration share many element halloween though coming much earlier tradition unrelated feast dead traditionally adult child wearing disguise go around house village dancing singing story saint barbara house offered food sometimes money specially prepared feast general belief amongst levantine christian saint barbara disguised many different character elude roman persecuting traditional food made feast burbara bowl boiled wheat grain pomegranate seed raisin anise sugar originally christian village aboud ramallah palestine offered child go one house another costume middle east middle eastern christian cook dough filled walnut cheese called qatayef heavy traffic occurs bakery people buying traditional food holiday child go trick treating singing special song eid ilburbara common practice lebanon eid ilburbara find source story saint barbara believed miraculously saved persecution fleeing ran freshly planted wheat field grew instantly cover path miracle celebrated symbolically planting wheat seed chick pea barley grain bean lentil etc cotton wool saint barbara’s feast day seed germinate grow around six inch time christmas shoot used decorate nativity scene usually placed christmas tree geography halloween kollyva lebanese greek orthodox christian christianity middle east maronites