Mikołaj resurrected the beer drinkers who did not manage to pay the bill for the brewed drink before their death. Brigitte, instead of multiplying wine, multiplied barrels with golden liquor. And Luke the apostle? He was a doctor, so he knew that a chilled mug would be the best for any ailment.
1. St. Nicholas
Mira's bishop has very important things to do, such as overseeing heavenly over a dozen cities or all of the children. He is also a patron of reconciliation between East and West. Orthodox believers worship him in a special way. As emphasized by Joanna Boruczenko in the pages of the magazine "Etnolingwistyka", it is almost equal to the cult of God. This may have to do with the fact that Santa to their ancient ancestors ... was indeed a god of sorts.
The Christianized inhabitants of Rus were initially reluctant to completely get rid of their old beliefs, so when a new religion was introduced, they adopted it in their own way. According to scientific analyzes, Saint Nicholas of Mira has a lot in common with the Slavic Weles. And the two gentlemen quickly began to merge with each other ... And Mikołaj was offered truly pagan sacrifices.
As Nicholas, following the example of a pagan colleague, patronized cattle, feasts were organized in his honor when the fever appeared. A special bull was bred, sacrificed to him and feasted, giving the saint the best piece. The feasts, of course, could not take place without a proper meeting.
The Santa Claus holiday was also celebrated in a big way. According to experts, "being sober on that day was considered indecency." And Mikołaj began to be considered a "beer god". Anyway, Mira's bishop had a miracle related to alcohol. Well, the saint, according to legend, resurrected three young men who were killed for ... failure to pay the bill at the inn.
The owner of the tabernacle wanted to punish them well and make money on it. He killed the young men, cut them up and prepared them as a snack for the beer he had given to Santa Claus. The saint immediately recognized that something was wrong, found the remnants of the unfortunates in the back and brought them back to life, so that they would pay for the mugs they had drunk ...
2. Brigid of Kildare
Saint Bridget of Kildare had nothing to do with the Slavic deities anymore. Not this region, because the indicated patron is one of the most important saints in Ireland. She became famous as the founder of the Kildar Monastery, which had a great influence on the Christianization of the country. She is one of the patrons of the green island. By the way, she also patronizes dairy products and beer, of which she was a personal lover.
Patrick Joseph Tuohy, "Saint Bridget".
One of the miracles attributed to it is associated with the golden drink. The priestess of Kildare was famous for her hospitality. As Mika Rissanen and Juha Tahyanainen write in the book "The foamed history of Europe. 24 pints that made beers ” :
When a thirsty traveler came to Kildare and she had nothing to drink, St. Bridget turned the water in which she bathed into beer . On one occasion, she sent a barrel of beer to one of the parishes , which multiplied during the trip, and the frothy drink was enough for eighteen churches .
One of her prayers, in which she confesses that she would like to give God a great lake full of golden liquor and watch how the Blue Family drinks from it for all times .
3. St. Luke
Saint Luke the Evangelist is definitely the first beer saint. He was born in Antioch in Syria and was baptized around A.D. 50, when he became a disciple and companion of Paul of Tarsus. He was probably a doctor by profession, although later legend calls him an icon painter. There is no specific legend linking him to brewing, but he is officially recognized by the Church as the patron saint of brewers.
The article was based on, among others, the book "Spieniona Historia Europa. 24 pints that made beers ”Miki Rissanena, Juha Tahyanainen (Agora 2017). You can buy it on the publisher's website with an attractive discount.
As Christopher Mark O'Brien emphasizes in the book "Fermenting Revolution:How to Drink Beer and Save the World":
As a doctor, he may have understood […] the health benefits of drinking beer. At that time, hundreds of herbal brews made of beer were commonly prescribed for ailments of all kinds. Besides, no theory seems to explain why this most illustrious and ancient saint would be sanctioned as the official ecclesiastical patron of brewing.
4. St. Wacław
The uncle of our first historical ruler, Dobrawa, also deals with beer from the height of the heavenly meadows. The Czech prince at the beginning of the tenth century was brought up by his grandmother, later Saint Ludmila, who was finally strangled to death on the orders of her daughter-in-law, the ruthless Princess Drahomira. Wacław was educated at a school in Budweis, which is called Budweis in German. The similarity of this name with the name of Budweiser beer is by no means a coincidence - it is made in this city.
The relationship of the Czech prince with brewing does not end there. As Thomas J. Craughwell claims (probably more on the basis of legend than facts) in his book "Saint's for You !:300 Heavenly Allies for Architects, Athletes, Brides, Bachelors, Babies, Librarians, Murderers, Whales, Widows, and You":Imposed the death penalty on anyone caught exporting Hungarian hops. Remembered by hoppers, he is the patron saint of Czech brewers. He is the ancestor of Wenceslaus II, who in the thirteenth century persuaded the Pope to lift the ban on brewing beer.
Saint Wenceslaus releasing prisoners.
Saint Wenceslas's relationship with beer and alcohol in general was a bit like a dance with death. The Czech prince was almost abstinent. As a devout Catholic, whenever he indulged himself, he would run to church the next morning to apologize for the sin of drunkenness.
This custom was used by his younger brother, Bolesław the Cruel. He got his brother drunk, and he, since the dawn, of course, rushed to appease God for his sins. Bolesław waited for him in front of the church and killed him there, then seized power in the country.
5. St. Gambrinus
Let's start with the fact that there was no Gambrinus. As the authors of "Stories about Beer" write, his real name was Jean Primus (Jean de Brabant, Jean le Victourieux) and he was the son of Henry III, Duke of Brabant.
Beer King Gambrinus. Photo released under CC BY-SA 4.0 license by Wolfgang Sauber.
He was born in the mid-thirteenth century and seized power in Brabant, Limburg and Lower Lorraine after his brother's death. This patron was not canonized, however, throughout Europe, he was considered the blessed protector of both beer lovers and brewers. As Mika Rissanen and Juha Tahyanainen write in the book "The foamed history of Europe. 24 pints that made beers ” :
Legends say that he got the ability to brew this drink from the Egyptian goddess Isis. Gambrinus also had the idea of hopping and won many battles thanks to the courage he gained from drinking beer.
This is not the end, because there are dozens of beers in the Church, more or less official patrons. Anyway, it is hardly surprising that this intention is so popular…
Bibliography:
- Boruczenko J., B. Uspienski:The cult of St. Nicholas in Rus , Lublin 1985 in:"Etnolingwistyka" vol. 3/1990.
- Craughwell T.J., Saint's for You !:300 Heavenly Allies for Architects, Athletes, Brides, Bachelors, Babies, Librarians, Murderers, Whales, Widows, and You , Quirk Books 2007.
- O'Brien Ch. M., Fermenting Revolution:How to Drink Beer and Save the World , New Society Publishers 2006.
- Summon P., Summon; s Miscellany of Saints and Sinners , Canterburry Press 2005.
- Primke R., Szczerepa M., Szczerepa W., Gawędy o Piwie, ERGOS 2007 Publishing Agency.
- Rissanen M., Tahyanainen J., A foamy history of Europe. 24 pints that made beers , Agora 2017.