Sainte-Catherine R de la Paix Meurisse 1932b

Catherinette was a traditional French label for a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

of twenty-five years who was still

unmarried Civil status, or marital status, are the distinct options that describe a person's relationship with a significant other. ''Married'', '' single'', '' divorced'', and ''widowed'' are examples of civil status. ''Civil status'' and ''marital stat ...

by the

Feast A banquet (; ) is a formal large meal where a number of people consume food together. Banquets are traditionally held to enhance the prestige of a host, or reinforce social bonds among joint contributors. Modern examples of these purposes i ...

of Saint Catherine (25 November). A special celebration was offered to them on this day and everyone wished them a swift end to their single status. Although the term has become rather old-fashioned in France, it is still sometimes used to refer to 25-year-old single women. The derogatory terms ''

spinster ''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...

'' and ''old maid'' were used in a similar context in the English-speaking world. In modern China, the slang term

sheng nu ''Sheng nu'' (; common translation: "leftover women" or "leftover ladies") is a derogatory term popularized by the All-China Women's Federation that classifies women who remain unmarried in their late twenties and beyond. Most prominently used ...

describes "leftover women".

Origin

Since the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, women had been under the protection of Saint Catherine (whilst Saint Nicholas cared for men). Women who participated in the group devoted to their saint were responsible for the confection of a beautiful headdress to "cap" her statue each year on 25 November. Young women left the group when marrying, hence "capping Saint Catherine" became synonymous with "still being a single woman at/after 25". Following the changes in the status of women and marriage in society, this custom progressively died all over France, with the exception of the hatmaking and

dressmaking A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Not ...

trades, wherein unmarried women, after they turned twenty-five, would attend a ball on Saint Catherine's Day in a hat made specially for the occasion; to wear such a hat was referred to as "capping Saint Catherine" (''coiffer sainte Catherine'').

References

External links

Legend of the Catherinettes
(in French) an

Marriage French culture {{tradition-stub