Interesting beliefs attached to 21 December

Do you know some of the popular beliefs about 21 December? What convictions are related to this day? Sokszinuvidek.24.hu collected all the interesting facts in connection with this day to which not only popular beliefs can be connected, but also the Winter solstice. Let’s see more information about it!

What is 21 December about?

This day is usually referred to as the day of the incredulous St. Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus. He is remembered for his disbelief when the Apostles announced to him Christ’s Resurrection. He was not present when Jesus Christ appeared in front of his disciples, and when the apparition was reported to him, he was incredulous about it. Furthermore, he said that he would only believe it, if he saw it with his own eyes. When Jesus appeared again in front of his disciples, Thomas was now among them. Jesus summoned him to put his fingers into his wounds, and so he did.

Thanks to this experience, he returned to his faith. He just wanted to see the Resurrection of Christ with his own eyes which gave basis to the popular saying these days:

“I am the servant of St. Thomas, and I will not believe it unless I see it.”

Consequently, those referred to as behaving like Saint Thomas, refuse to believe in something until they can be sure about it.

What are some of the beliefs related to this day?

1. Pig slaughter

It is a common thing to slaughter pigs on the day of St. Thomas. The fat of the animal is funnily called the “Thomas fat”. It is held that this type of fat does not turn rancid easily when exposed to the open air, so it is suitable for treating wounds, pimples and other skin diseases. A further interesting fact is that the blood of the pig was used for the treatment of arthritis in the old days, but it was also a common practice to combine it with incense, holy water or onion.

While pig slaughtering exists in some parts of the country, in the Mura region, for instance, it is strictly forbidden to slaughter pigs on this day because otherwise, St. Thomas will decrease the livestock of the individuals year by year.

However, in Göcsej, animal slaughtering is not forbidden, but it is believed that those who slaughter a pig on this day always have to  slaughter an animal on 21 December because if not, some animals of the livestock are going to die.