St. Paraskeva

Yarrow's nameday was last Friday, the 28th, and we were able to celebrate it well, with a bonfire, cider, lots of light and a bright starry sky. I was thrilled that the feast-day was on Friday this year, because St. Paraskeva is the saint of Fridays, of preparation for Sunday's glory, of anticipation and hope. She is the saint of the home, of women's work, and the soil. Stories tell of St. Paraskeva rushing in to punish women who neglect their duties, absent mothers, lazy home-makers. She tends to bless and punish through the eyes, and in her icon, she is shown with eyes on a plate. Her holy oil is especially for treating afflictions of the eyes, I've no idea why.

St. Paraskeva has many feast-days, one, I think for each of the countries in which she's popular. The 28th of October is her Russian feast-day, and since I met her through the Russians I hold that one. Yarrow's grandparents gave her an Icon of Paraskeva on her first day. The party was fun, she spent the majority of it eating or asleep, but love was all around, and it made the night richer.