Saint Catherines Day
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Overview
Saint Catherine's Day, celebrated annually on November 25th, honors Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of unmarried women, lacemakers, milliners, and dressmakers. In France, it is particularly known for the tradition of "Catherinettes," unmarried women aged 25 or older who wear elaborate, often green and yellow, hats to celebrate and hope for a suitable spouse.
Origin and story
The tradition of Catherinettes wearing elaborate hats is especially prominent in France, where young unmarried women reaching 25 celebrate.
Green and yellow are the traditional colors for the Catherinettes' hats, symbolizing knowledge and faith, respectively.
Quick facts
- DateNovember 25
- TypeCultural / community observance
- Great forFriends, Families, Classrooms, Teams
Ways to celebrate
By the early 1900s, French milliners had spotted a marketing opportunity in an old folk custom: unmarried women turning 25 without a husband, known as "Catherinettes," traditionally wore elaborate homemade hats on this day, so hat-makers began staging their own St. Catherine's Day parades to show off new designs — turning a folk tradition about spinsterhood into an unofficial holiday for the hat trade itself.
Wear the colors on purpose
- If you make or wear a hat today, lean into yellow for success and green for hope — the two colors traditionally worked into Catherinette hats.
Read about the milliners' holiday
Helpful resources: HATalk covers how hatmakers adopted the day as their own in "St Catherine's Day – A Milliner's Holiday."
Look into the wider tradition
- The British Hat Guild's traditions page covers how St. Catherine became linked to milliners and hatters across Europe, not just in France.
Did you know?
Parisian fashion houses once threw lavish Catherinette parties for their unmarried female employees, who would parade their elaborate hats down the Champs-Élysées and rue de la Paix.
Fun facts
- The tradition of Catherinettes wearing elaborate hats is especially prominent in France, where young unmarried women reaching 25 celebrate.
- Green and yellow are the traditional colors for the Catherinettes' hats, symbolizing knowledge and faith, respectively.
- Saint Catherine of Alexandria is venerated in Catholicism as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, known for her virginity and martyrdom.
Sources and attribution
External links may lead to third-party websites.
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FAQ
- When is Saint Catherines Day?
- It is observed on November 25 each year.
- What is Saint Catherines Day?
- Saint Catherine's Day, celebrated annually on November 25th, honors Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of unmarried women, lacemakers, milliners, and dressmakers. In France, it is particularly known for the tradition of "Catherinettes," unmarried women aged 25 or older who wear elaborate, often green and yellow, hats to celebrate and hope for a suitable spouse.
- How do people celebrate Saint Catherines Day?
- Wear or make a hat in yellow and green, the traditional Catherinette colors for success and hope, and read up on how French milliners turned this old folk custom into their own holiday by the early 1900s.
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