St. Barbara 2016: Christine Herrera
This will be the 90th year of St. Barbara appearing as part of Old Spanish Days, a tradition began in 1926 by the Native Daughters of the Golden West’s Reina del Mar Parlor No. 126. This year, the parlor, which was founded in 1901, selected their member Christine Herrera to portray the patron saint of Santa Barbara.
Who’s St. Barbara? This saint, for whom the Santa Barbara Channel was named by explorer Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602, is the patroness of protection from lightning and calamity, and is revered by artillerymen and mariners. Legend has it that she was martyred by her father for her Christian beliefs in the 3rd century somewhere near Turkey or Lebanon, but the 1,700-year-old details are a little spotty.