Varvara: the sweet soup with roots lost in antiquity...
Varvara is a type of porridge made of boiled corn, chickpeas, beans, wheat, dried fruits, and nuts (raisins, figs, roasted sesame seeds, walnuts, almonds, and pomegranate seeds) along with diced apple, sugar, and cinnamon. Traditionally, women in Thrace used to prepare it on the eve of the feast of Saint (Agia) Varvara, the patron saint of kids. On the day of the celebration, that is, the 4th of December, women used to share the soup with family and neighbors with kids so that the saint protects them.
According to tradition, the custom of preparing and sharing Varvara porridge is associated with the belief that Agia Varvara had the power to cure children's diseases, especially smallpox. Moreover, it was rooted in various legends about the production of wheat, which was necessary for the preparation of their precious bread. But even before that, the tradition seems to have its roots in ancient Greece, the worship of the goddess Hecate, and the so-called Hecate's Deipnon or Hecate's Supper which people offered to goddess Hecate to protect not only the wheat they had sown but even themselves for the evil.
It is reminiscent of ashure, the sweet porridge made by the Greek Muslims of Thrace, the Pomaks, celebrating Assyrian Day, and which they share with Muslim and Christian neighbors.
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