Acordarse de Santa Barbara cuando truena

[poli]

Is this phrase akin to the English: foul weather friends or no athiests in fox holes?

[Perikles]

Isn't this just a Catholic response to a thunderstorm?

[JPablo]

That's right, Perikles.
@Poli, I am not familiar with the English maxims you give, but in the following thread you have a decent explanation (in the first 2 paragraphs)
http://www.meteored.com/ram/725/mete...uena%E2%80%9D/

This is like "Don't leave after tomorrow what you can do today" type of idea... I.e. you are not prepared for an emergency, and then in the middle of the storm you realize you should have been more farsighted... (Santa Bárbara protects people from the storms... so the tribal... Catholic religion professes...)

I like Mark Twain quote, (antithetically, but funnier)
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.

[poli]

This is interesting. Sta. Barbara looms large in the Cuban santaría religion which is like Haitian voodoo. The santaria god Changó goes under the guise of Santa Barbara despite the fact that Changó also represents African masculinity. In Santería Changó is the god of thunder. They are both storm gods

What an interesting blend of cultures she represents down in the Caribbean.

My original guess was completely wrong about the meaning of acordarse con Santa Barbara cuando hay trueno.

My guess it that the storm goddess has been around for longer than we can imagine.

[JPablo]

Wow, that is very interesting, Poli. (I was "joking" around when I used "tribal" in my previous post, referring to the Spanish Catholic "tribal" religion, but then you tell me this, and I go WOW!)

I took a look in Wikipedia, too, to remember Zeus, Thor, Perun... the thunder gods...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_thunder_gods

[sosia]

good link Jpablo
as stated, "praying to god only when something bad approach us"
saludos

[JPablo]

That's right, Sosia.

[Elaina]

Originally Posted by poli

This is interesting. Sta. Barbara looms large in the Cuban santaría religion which is like Haitian voodoo. The santaria god Changó goes under the guise of Santa Barbara despite the fact that Changó also represents African masculinity. In Santería Changó is the god of thunder. They are both storm gods

What an interesting blend of cultures she represents down in the Caribbean.

My original guess was completely wrong about the meaning of acordarse con Santa Barbara cuando hay trueno.

My guess it that the storm goddess has been around for longer than we can imagine.

Yes! I have heard of Santa Barbara bendita when there is a thunderstorm but usually from the lips of Cubans...... there is this little shop that has the biggest statue of Sta. Barbara with a little fence that surrounds her and has places for people to leave their offerings. Usually bread, money, beer, soda, etc. It is quite a spooky place!

[poli]

Originally Posted by Elaina

Yes! I have heard of Santa Barbara bendita when there is a thunderstorm but usually from the lips of Cubans...... there is this little shop that has the biggest statue of Sta. Barbara with a little fence that surrounds her and has places for people to leave their offerings. Usually bread, money, beer, soda, etc. It is quite a spooky place!

It's kind of fun though. Elaina, those shops are called botánicas, and it's nice to know they exist in Wisconsin too. New York and New Jersey have lots of them expecially along Bergenline and Roosevelt Avenues. If something is really bothering you, you can go there a buy a despojo. I did. It didn't work, but it was an interesting experience.