Paraskeva have been blessed by continuing these devotions. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to be introduced to St. They lived in the hearts and traditions of a rural and marginally literate population. The instructions for honoring the 12 Fridays of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa have never been recorded. Particular Devotions for Particular Needs The Friday devotions were particularly popular among women in desperate situations: women who longed for a spouse or a child became particularly devoted to Mother Friday and often kept “the Paraskeva Fast” every Friday in her honor. On the Paraskeva Fridays, everyone fasted and abstained’ from spinning, cleaning the house, and doing laundry. They took place on the Friday prior to major feasts. There were twelve specific Fridays, entrusted particularly to Paraskeva. Traditionally, the cult of Paraskeva spread throughout the year. Her feast day, October 28 th places her in the harvest season when we pile the fruits of the land up in preparation for winter.īut Mother Friday’s feast day wasn’t the only day of devotion to her. Named for the day on which is Blood of Christ dripped down to heal the earth, Paraskeva’s patronage is deeply rooted in the earth and the nourishment of the fields. Patroness of marriages, fertility, weaving, spinning, sewing, eye health and as a last resort in extreme circumstances, Paraskeva acts as a matriarch, dispensing wisdom, help, healing, and occasionally correction. Just as Therese, the cloistered Little Flower is pouring her heavenly help down upon missionaries Paraskeva, the virgin martyr pursues her maternity throughout eternity.
Paraskeva, Virgin-martyr quickly became, in the hearts of her devotees, Mother Friday.
The rich, often unfounded devotions that spring up around saints present a fantastic introduction to the nature and heavenly interests of these holy people. Indeed, it’s always problematic to limit a saint to the mere facts of their lives and deaths. That is really all we know about Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, Paraskeva-Friday but her legend and cult were never limited by lack of information. Named by Christian parents for the day of Christ’s Passion, Paraskeva was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian. Her name means “Friday” in Greek and represents her devotion to the anticipation of Joy during seasons of sorrow. Long ago and far away, in the sacramental imaginations of Eastern European Christians: both Catholic and Orthodox one Paraskeva loomed especially large in devotional life. With shared icons, devotions, and feasts, they weave in and out of the church year, often neglected in the west.
The primary Paraskevas are often viewed as a collective. There are at least three saints named Paraskeva (or Paraskevi) in the Catholic Church and though they have distinct feast days and devotions, oftentimes, these Paraskeva meld together in our minds as Mother Friday, patroness of marriage, home, and spinning.
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