Where does the phrase “even St. Gotemis” come from?

If someone tells you to wait until Christmas, you better lose hope. This expression means that you are waiting endlessly for something that will never happen. But why do you have to wait until Sint Gotemis? Who or what is this and when will this day happen? And why is there a statue of St. Gotemis in Breda?

This is where St. Gotemis comes from (maybe)

According to Genootschap Onze Taal, it is not really known where the name “sint-juttemis” comes from. It may very well be that he is a saint and a feast entirely made up. This would explain why “even St. Gotemis” is never meant. This whole holiday does not exist. And so you can wait indefinitely.

But the name Sint-juttemis could also be derived from an extant person. In some calendars, August 17 is marked as St. Gotemis’ Day. This is the name of the day of St. Jude of Arnstein, who lived in Germany in the middle of the 12th century and was also called Jutta.

Another theory says that Saint Eutimis was named after Pope Joanna. She could have been called Gott and she wouldn’t have had her own vacation. The expression “wait till St. Gotemis” would be a reference to her non-existent vacation.

Statue of St. Gotemis in Breda

Although it is uncertain who St. Gotemis was and if he actually existed, this mysterious figure has his own statue on Riederstraat in Breda. Why? This has to do with carnival.

In the early 1900s, the Catholic Church banned the ceremony in Brabant, because it was said to be too licentious. Every time the inhabitants of Breda asked the bishop when the carnival would finally be celebrated, they received the answer, “With St. Gotemis.” So never. In 1936 this changed and carnival was allowed to be celebrated. During the 55th anniversary of the Breda Carnival, in 1991, the statue of St. Gotemis was unveiled on Ridder Street.

Thus St. Gotemis’ wait was not endless after all.

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