Today, December 2, is the feast day of St. Bibiana, the patron saint against hangovers. This Christian virgin and martyr received this honor in a roundabout way.
As Catholic tradition tells it, Saint Bibiana (also known as Saint Vivian) was a Roman saint who lived in the 4th century. She was born into a wealthy and devout Christian family, and her parents raised her to be a devoted follower of Christ. When she was young, her parents were martyred for their faith (her father was tortured and her mother beheaded), and Bibiana and her younger sister, Demetria were stripped of their wealth and forced to live in poverty.
The Roman governor Apronianus, seeing that hunger and want had no effect upon them, summoned them to try and force them to renounce their faith and worship the Roman gods. Demetria, after confessing her faith, collapsed and died on the spot in front of the judge from fright and shock. Bibiana also refused, and after withstanding weeks of torture, was ordered her to be tied to a pillar and beaten with scourges (leather whips), laden with lead plummets, until she died. In death, her steadfastness and devotion to Christ inspired many other Christians. Her story spread throughout the Roman Empire, and she became a symbol of the strength and determination of the Christian faith, and entered sainthood.
So what does all of this martyrdom and sainthood have to do with hangovers? Well, Bibiana’s body was retrieved and buried at her and Demetria’s home, alongside her mother and sister. In the late 5th century Pope Simplicius built a church over what was believed to be their burial place. It was said that in the church’s garden a special “healing herb” began to grow that had the power to cure epilepsy and soothe headaches.
In Spain, Bibiana became known as the patron saint of those suffering from hangovers partly because of the reputation for soothing headaches, but also because her name resembles the Spanish word for drinking. In artworks, Bibiana is often depicted with a branch or a pillar. Her feast day is celebrated annually on December 2. (Her father’s is December 22, and that of her mother’s is January 4.)
Could this be mere pious legend, invented for no other reason than the fact that “Bibiana” resembles the word “Bibulus,” which means “fond of drinking”? That is one explanation, but it would have made more sense to anoint a Saint Crapulus, since believe it or not the word for “hung over” in Latin is crapulatus, not bibulus. Either way, it’s wise not to test St. Bibiana’s efficacy by getting a hangover just to see how much of a difference her intercession makes on your throbbing head and sensitive eyes.
Tonight, it seems “hair of the dog” drinks would seem to be appropriate, don’t you think? And don’t forget the toast: “Through the intercession of St. Bibiana, may we never need the intercession of St. Bibiana.”
—
Photo Credit: Christine Glade / Shutterstock.com