Midsummer Night's Eve!

A good friend of mine reminded me this morning that tonight will be a special night because:

"Tonight is Midsummer Night's Eve, also called St. John's Eve. St. John is the patron saint of beekeepers. It's a time when the hives are full of honey. The full moon that occurs this month was called the Mead Moon, because honey was fermented to make mead. That's where the word "honeymoon" comes from, because it's also a time for lovers. An old Swedish proverb says, "Midsummer Night is not long but it sets many cradles rocking." Midsummer dew was said to have special healing powers. In Mexico, people decorate wells and fountains with flowers, candles, and paper garlands. They go out at midnight and bathe in the lakes and streams. Midsummer Eve is also known as Herb Evening. Legend says that this is the best night for gathering magical herbs. Supposedly, a special plant flowers only on this night, and the person who picks it can understand the language of the trees. Flowers were placed under a pillow with the hope of important dreams about future lovers."

As a new beekeeper I did not know that St John the Baptist was the Patron Saint of beekeepers...I always viewed him as the patron Saint of French Canadians whom Pope Pius X designated in 1908! Then this new fact intrigued me.

There are many patrons Saint who are "dedicated" to beekeepers, apiarists or the bee; they are celebrated at different time during the year.

Patrons Saint of Bees:

St Ambrose de Milano (337-397) became bishop of Milan, and one of the most influential

ecclesiastical figures of the 4th. century. There is a legend that as an infant, a swarm of bees settled on his face while he lay in his cradle, leaving behind a drop of honey. His father considered this a sign of his future eloquence and honeyed tongue. For this reason, bees and beehives often appear in the saint's symbology. The celebration is November 7 or 11 depending on the documents read. (pictured St Ambrose with the beehive)

Another one is St Modomnoc, an Irish youth who wanted to be a priest. He left his beloved Ireland to study at a monastery in Wales. While a novice, Modomnoc was given charge of the bees and he loved it. He cared for them tenderly, keeping them in straw skeps in a special sheltered corner of the garden, where he planted the kinds of flowers the bees loved best. Many years later, when he returned to his beloved Ireland, a swarm of bees followed his ship. When he landed , Modomnoc set up a church at Bremore, near Balbriggan in Co.Dublin. Here, he established the bees in a pleasant garden similar to the one in Wales. To this day, the place is known as "the Church of the Beekeeper." The celebration is held on February 13 (I'll try to remember that during the frigid cold winter of Minnesota!)

Patrons Saint of Beekeepers and Apiarists:

St Valentine of Rome, yes that St Valentin! Who knew... maybe cupid was too busy!

There is more to St. Valentine than just love. He is the patron saint of epileptics, and, like Julius Caesar, may have suffered from the ' falling sickness' himself. This is why epilepsy was once known as Valentine's sickness. He is also the patron saint of beekeepers, but the connection there is fuzzy, perhaps related to the sweetness of honey and sweet gifts as tokens of love. Pope Gelasius declared February 14th as St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D., but the Roman Catholic Church dropped St. Valentine from the calendar of official, worldwide Catholic feasts in 1969!

St John the Baptist is also known as patron saint of beekeepers. Cousin of Jesus, better known for his baptisms (he baptized Christ, after which he stepped away and told his disciples to follow Jesus.) and preaching a message of repentance to the people of Jerusalem. He lived in the desert which was actually a grazing land, unfit for growing crops but able to sustain the life of hermits and herds. He fasted and prayed. In those days, it was not rare for hermits to seek a life of solitude in the desert. That he ate locusts (grasshoppers, if you prefer) invariably draws a shudder, but this was not uncommon, and is not today, when Arab and African people still dry and save them as protection against famine. Or they may have been carob beans, a common "fruit" used for thousands of years in Mediterranean lands and called by the name of locust. Wild honey, on the other hand, sounds quite delicious.

It is fascinating to read and learn how the honey bee has been revered and loved through time. With all those patrons saint, and the history at stake... I hope my honey bees will be happy, gentile and prolific to show once more that they really have to be "Respected".