Saint Barbaras is the patron saint of miners,artillerymen and a few others. She is invoked against thunder and lightning and all accidents arising from explosions of gunpowder.
So why am I telling you this and how do I even know about this Saint. Well because of my husband who works in underground civil engineering therefore blasting and causing explosions.
Every year on the 4 December they always have a ceremony where this saint is placed in the tunnel to protect all who work there. I find it funny but also respect that they still follow traditions like this.
In Switzerland they really made a big thing of the whole ceremony what with them being quite religious. Today in Hong Kong they'll be celebrating the Saint Barbara,which also means a few glasses of red too many.
I really respect the work that my husband, my dad and all the other men and a few women do. Its far from easy. Its far from the 9-5 job. But to tell you the truth, my husband would become seriously depressed if he had a job like that. And I'd become seriously depressed having to live with him being seriously depressed.The work conditions are far from ideal infact they can be quite harsh. Hot, wet, sometimes humid, dark, noisy.
The projects that they work on are always one of a kind , never been done before so new techniques and new ideas have to implemented. And ofcourse everything has to be finished by... yesterday.
So here's to all the so called 'miners' out there Happy Saint Barbaras Day!
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