February 9: St. Appolonia

This Thursday, Feb. 9, is the feast of the virgin-martyr St. Appolonia,  She was an elderly deaconess who lived in the middle of the third century in Alexandria, Egypt. According to the writings of St. Dionysius, the Christians of that time endured a period of fierce persecution under the Emperor Decius because of the writings of a certain anti-Christian poet.  It seems that anti-Christian bias in the media is nothing new.  He wrote of the martyrdom of St. Appolonia, who was arrested and beaten so severely about the face that all her teeth were knocked out.  After this, the frenzied mob had built a huge fire and threatened to throw her into it if she did not somehow renounce Christ and offer to worship their pagan gods.  The deaconess asked them to loosen their grip for a moment so that she could oblige, but after a moment of prayer, she threw herself into the fire and gave her soul to God.  She chose martyrdom rather than betray Christ.  Because of the fact that she suffered so much dental pain, she is often invoked as the patron saint of dentists, and those suffering dental afflictions.  Some even say that St. Appolonia is the real tooth fairy!  Children leave their lost baby teeth near her statue or icon and she comes during the night to retrieve them, and leaves them a treat in return!

In our house, we homeschool so, in honor of St. Appolonia, this week each year is celebrated as "Dental Health Week”.  Time for new toothbrushes and dental supplies!  Go over proper oral hygiene with the children and update your dental appointments!

Make a St. Appolonia icon (or statue) to show the tooth fairy that you know who she really is!  You can do an online search for an icon of our saint to print and frame for the occasion, and place a little dish beneath it near your family icon corner so that any little lost teeth can be exchanged for coins or gifts!  My friend Beth Shimkus made this St. Appolonia doll for her children.

At our house, candy corn is known as “St. Appolonia’s Teeth” because we fill a jar with them for an "All Hallow's Eve" party game.  Each guest at the party must guess the number of "teeth" in the jar.  At the end of the party, whoever guesses nearest the actual count wins the jar!  

Although candy corn is our family's favorite symbol, any type of corn can remind us of St. Appolonia's lost teeth!  Here is a recipe for a great corn relish to serve for the feast.

St. Appolonia Corn Salad

In a large skillet, melt 2 tsp butter or olive oil.  Add a small finely minced onion and a diced red pepper. (You can use any variety of pepper, but the spicy ones can remind us of the fiery end our dear saint met!)  When it is softened, add a bag of frozen white corn (teeth!) and continue to sauté till the corn becomes roasted, once again reminding us of the fire.  Remove from the heat, and transfer to a serving bowl.  Meanwhile, make a dressing of the juice and zest of one lime, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp red chili paste (or to taste), 1/2 tsp of honey or brown sugar, and about 1/4 c olive oil, salt and pepper.  Pour over the salad and serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy Tooth Fairy Day!