"The Revelation of James"
Christians, from the earliest times had an interest in knowing more about Jesus' family, especially about his mother and his grandmother. Ann is the name of the Jewish woman who was Jesus' grandmother. Ann is the Virgin Mary's mother. We know nothing about Ann from the Bible.
Simple Way of Life
Since history has not passed on anything extraordinary about the life of Saint Ann it is safe to assume that she led the life of a typical Jewish woman of her time. What we see in many present day third world countries perhaps gives us some insight into the simple way of life of the woman known today as Saint Ann.
Life in most ancient cultures would have women spent much of their time with household chores and the needs of her family. Even today in places like Africa, China, India and other Asian and Latin American Countries women are very busy from morning to night. They are seen early in the morning walking to get water from a river, a well, or some other water supply. One can see them washing their infants, combing a daughter's hair, gathering wood and sticks to make a fire for cooking. During the day, women will gather food from their gardens and go to the town market to buy and sell vegetables, fruits, and dried fish. They assemble at grinding mills with bags of corn or kernels of wheat to have them ground into flour. Often they will perform their daily routine with a child perched on their backs and a few more children at their side. Usually one sees women walking along in a small procession of relatives or neighbors. They will prepare an afternoon meal and sometimes bring it to their husbands at work in the fields. They will help raise the chickens, rabbits and goats, will milk the cow, and in the late afternoon when it is cool will go out into the fields along with their husbands to spade and hoe the land, plant seeds, or harvest the padi or other cereals.
When passing a friend or neighbor's house, they'll often stop by for a little chat.