I couldn't resist stopping in the Louisiana Life tent to snap a photo of this St. Joseph's Day altar, crafted by Linda Sampson. Then when I caught her beading bees, I had to ask. She told me that bees are a traditional Christian symbol, chosen by both St. Bernard and St. Ambrose as their symbol, to emphasize their skills of "honeyed" oratory. Also, because they're such loyal, diligent workers, bees serve as a good role model for the Christian layperson. The things you learn at the Fest!

Sampson uses the beaded bees to decorate her altar, along with the amazing bouquets of beaded flowers she crafts. Part of a lost tradition, beaded flowers are from the days before fresh flowers became available year-long, along with plastic and silk flowers. This beadworker seemed proud to be reviving this old-fashioned art, and she's crafted the yearly St. Joseph's altar at the International House for about 10 years now.

I was so excited to see that her altar had large plates of lucky fava beans, which are for the taking. I needed to replace the lucky fava bean I got from Angelo Brocato's pre-Katrina St. Joseph's Day altar, which was stolen when I was robbed this winter. Needless to say, the luck in these beans does run out at some point. At any rate, Sampson informed me that the fava bean is a crucial part of the St. Joseph's altars, which originated in Sicily after a severe famine. Not unlike Irish potatoes, the Sicilian fava bean was the only crop to grow during the famine, saving them from starvation. As St. Joseph interceded with the fava beans and broke the famine, religious Sicilians began building him altars out of thanks.

Maybe I should go home and build a Jazzfest altar, so I have a safer place to keep my new lucky bean.