SAINT ANNE—Feast Day July 26
According to Christian tradition, Saint Anne (also known as Ann or Anna) was the mother of Mary, the wife of Joachim and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the Bible's canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come from New Testament apocrypha, of which the Gospel of James (written perhaps around 150 AD) seems to be the earliest that mentions them.
In the 4th century and then much later in the fifteenth century, a belief arose that Mary was conceived of Anne without original sin.
Saint Anne is the patroness of unmarried women, housewives, women in labour or who want to be pregnant, grandmothers, mothers and educators. She is also a patroness of horseback riders, cabinet-makers and miners. As the mother of Mary, this devotion to Saint Anne as the patron of miners arises from the medieval comparison between Mary and Christ and the precious metals silver and gold. Anne's womb was considered the source from which these precious metals were mined.
The feast of St. Anne was one of the most celebrated holidays in our [Czech Republic] nation. Folk piety found in St. Anne a type of saint who knew the suffering of a long wait for a child, and because her prayers were finally answered, she became the personification of patience and hope.
Already on the eve of this holiday, music was playing at every building where there were any Annes or Aničky. The Prague markets were also unusually lively from early morning that day. Particularly exuberant merriment broke out at the Coal Market and the Old Town Market. The stalls of all the Annes were decorated with pine needles and colorful bouquets of flowers. A traditional procession with music passed through the Coal Market, stopping at each stall and playing the “love song” for the owners of the Annes. Then they went to the market, where the Aninki danced and had fun until late in the evening.
St. Anne with the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus, woodcut from the title page of a stall-keeper’s print, north Bohemia, 19th century
The procession on her feast day also traveled to St. Vitus Cathedral, because the image of St. Anne placed in this church was considered miraculous.
Since in Bohemia alone there are over ninety churches dedicated to St. Anne, there are numerous pilgrimages in our country next Sunday, which are widely attended, especially if the weather is favorable.
Saint Anne and the Virgin Mary and Infant Jesus; painted wood, Frenštát pod Radhoštěm or its vicinity, north-eastern Moravia. Mid 19th century
SAINT ANNA - COOL OF THE MORNING, PRANOSTICS
Folk piety found in Saint Anne a type of saint that they could connect with a number of pranostics. This is best seen in the history of Slovakia, where no other saint enjoyed greater respect and piety. Painted chapels in Slovakia are dedicated to Saint Anne, as well as the Passion of the Lord, because she is the patroness of diligent and rich harvests.
Her feast day is usually the turning point at the border between full summer and autumn, the beginning of the harvest, the farmer's toil, the patroness of the harvest and the field crop, as well as the protector of the family hearth and the farm. Therefore, the farmer observes nature in the spring and says: How many days before Saint George (April 24) does the willow turn green, so many days before Saint Anne (July 26) is the harvest.
In our country, it was said that around St. On St. Anne's Day, the harvest is in full swing: St. Anne took the sickle and reaped, or: On St. Anne's Day, the rye is reaped. Somewhere they said: St. James reaps, St. Anne bakes. In the mountains, it was commonly said: St. Anne guides the reapers to the wheat.
The cold dews of Anne herald good times.
If St. Anne is frozen, a cold winter is coming.
At St. Anne's Day, an hour of the day is lost.
When ants diligently climb and make mounds on St. Anne's Day, there is talk of a harsh winter.
On St. Anne's Day, the farmer reaps rye.
On St. Anne's Day, the rye is reaped.
From St. Anne - the rye is reaped.
Around St. Anne, cold mornings.
Saint Anne mourned the wheat.
Saint Anne mourned the rye.
If ants increase their mounds on Saint Anne, a harsh winter can be expected.
The Harvest and Farming Rituals
Saint Anne was viewed as the ultimate patroness of the fields because her day marked the peak of the summer grain harvest.
Popular Moravian sayings claimed that "Saint Anne leads the reapers into the field" and "she cuts what Margaret started."
Farmers watched the weather and morning dew closely on this day to predict whether the upcoming weeks would be dry enough for a successful harvest.
Strict Prohibitions and Superstitions
Women strictly avoided sewing or weaving on this day because they believed the threads would "tangle like human fates."
People believed that for three days and three hours around this holiday, the water would briefly "bloom" (turn toxic or infested).
Swimming during this precise window was thought to cause severe skin diseases.
Laundering clothes was also discouraged to prevent bad luck from hitting the household.
Communal Celebrations and Feasts
Villagers attended solemn church services and local pilgrimages (poutě). Families hosted small regional feasts, baking traditional Moravian sweet cakes (koláče) to share with relatives from neighboring towns.
Traditional recipes cooked during the feast of Saint Anne (Svatá Anna) in Moravian villages were deeply tied to the early summer harvest and grand regional feast days (hody). The old Bohemian and Moravian saying, "Svatý Jakub seče, svatá Anna peče" ("Saint James reaps, Saint Anne bakes"), highlights the custom of baking rich treats using the freshly harvested flour and seasonal summer fruits.
1. Dvojctihodné Moravské Koláče (Double-Filled Moravian Cakes)These celebratory sweet yeast pastries are unique because they feature two distinct fillings in a single cake.
They were baked in massive quantities for the Saint Anne parish pilgrimage feasts (poutě).
The Inside: A rich, sweet quark cheese (tvaroh) filling mixed with rum-soaked raisins is sealed directly into the center of the dough ball.
The Outside: Once shaped and placed on the tray, an indentation is pressed into the top, which is then filled with dark, spiced plum jam (povidla).
The Topping: The entire pastry is coated in an egg wash and generously sprinkled with a buttery sweet crumble topping (drobenka or mrvenička) before being baked to a golden brown.
2. Krajanec (Slovácko Buttermilk Flatbread)
Because women were traditionally forbidden from heavy textile work on Saint Anne's day, time was redirected toward labor-intensive kitchen preparation. In the southern Moravian region of Slovácko, families baked Krajanec, a quick, savory flatbread served to the harvesters in the fields.
The Dough: A soft, comforting dough made from wheat flour, baking soda, buttermilk, and a generous amount of rendered pork lard.
The Finish: The dough is rolled thin, brushed with extra melted lard, slashed diagonally with a knife, and heavily sprinkled with coarse rock salt and whole caraway seeds before baking.
3. Valašská Kyselica (Wallachian Sour Kraut Soup)While the sweet pastries took center stage for guests, the everyday meal for the hard-working reapers around Saint Anne's day was a hearty bowl of Kyselica. It provided the necessary sodium and calories during the hot July harvest days.
The Base: Thick, sour sauerkraut simmered together with potatoes and seasoned with bay leaves and caraway.
The Body: It is enriched with smoked pork sausage (klobása) or smoked meat, and heavily tempered with heavy sour cream.
The Twist: Depending on the specific Moravian micro-region, dried wild forest mushrooms or rehydrated sweet prunes were tossed into the pot to balance the intense sourness.
České lidové zvyky a tradice ve čtyřech ročních obdobích doplněné o malebné ilustrace z časů minulých.
