SAINT BLAISE´S DAY

bideobuttom
13.sanblaseko opilakThe following day to Candlemas Day is Saint Blaise’s Day, 3 February. Special blessings were bestowed also on this day (and in some places the custom continues).

Certain laces are sold in shops and stalls nearby churches. They are thin laces that come in different colours. Apart from the laces, sweets, fruits and bread rolls are taken to church.

Once blessed by the priest, Saint Blaise laces and the edibles are believed to have a magical power to cure and fend off sore throats and related illnesses. These blessed items are not supposed to be thrown away or disposed off. They should be burned.

On this day (and in all other festivities celebrated during this cycle, starting from Candlemas Day to the end of Carnival time) a kind of French toasts, either made with bread or custard, are eaten in most houses. This typical dessert is mentioned many a time in the seasonal songs.