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St. Catherine's Day commemorates the martyrdom of St. Catherine. St. Catherine was beheaded by Emperor Maximinus II in approximately 305 AD in Alexandria. November 25 became the commemoration date in the 10th century, and many churches and particularly nunneries in Europe were dedicated to St. Catherine. In Lutheran countries, including Estonia, this day has also been associated with Catherine, the wife of Henry VIII. In Estonia, five parish churches and at least as many chapels have been dedicated to St. Catherine.

Similar to St. Martin's Day on November 10, St. Catherine's Day also marks the arrival of winter, but it holds less importance for Estonians than for some other Baltic Sea peoples (particularly the Germans). Also like St. Martin's Day, St. Catherine's Day is basically a secular holiday and is even somewhat pagan. Generally, St. Martin's Day and St. Catherine's Day are described by their differences: St. Martin's Day is primarily a holiday associated with men and St. Catherine's Day is associated with women, which means that the latter day has acquired a strongly feminine meaning.

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15y ago

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