Saint Catherine

Today we are celebrating Saint Catherine.

There are many Saint Catherines, but the most celebrated one is probably the early 4^th century Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as ”Saint Catherine of the Wheel” or the “Great Martyr Saint Catherine”. (You can read more about her here.) After different methods of torture, she was finally beheaded by the Roman Emperor Maxentius. 

Saint Catherine is or was the patroness of many, including young maidens.This makes the link to the French tradition to ”celebrate” girls, still unmarried at the age of 25, on the Saint Catherine’s day.  The unmarried – referred to as “Catherinettes”, are supposed to wear fantasy hats with coloured bands (green for wisdom, yellow for faith), to go out dining with friends and perhaps go dancing, maybe in the hope to find a future husband before the end of the day. (Originally you were also supposed to make a prayer to Saint Catherine.)

On the Square Montholon, along rue Lafayette…

… you can find a statue of some “Catherinettes”. It was made in 1908. Things have changed since then. Maybe those days, more than 90 percent of the girls had found a husband before the age of 25, today the percentage may be around 10 or 15. Less and less people get married and if they marry, the average age for the female partner has during the last 50 years increased from 23 to 30.

I took these photos about a week ago in the sun and the autumn colours…