BS: Happy Twelfth Night

Subject: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 03:43 PM

The partridge ended in the stew pot served with pear sauce. The turtle doves have been replaced by a whole flock of rock doves that empty my bird feeders three times a day. In Gaelic French hens are turkeys so I stowed them in the freezer for next Christmas.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 04:31 PM

Our turkey finished up in sandwiches, we haven't filled the feeders outside, yet, and we've no partridge, but it is neat to note the day..>-} We do have mourning doves hanging around. St. Stephen's Day, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: gnu
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 04:37 PM

I loikes me birch fried with salt and pepper and fresh bread with cold butter and black rum fer ta wash er down.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Monique
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 04:38 PM

The galette season has begun over here...

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 05:18 PM

Saint Stephen's day is 26 December - Boxing Day.

I've looked at the recipe from Monique, but how much is a T, how much is a t, and how big is a stick (of butter)?

When I was in a school in France nearly 50 years ago Epiphany cakes were provided for the school dinner on 6 January. Every table in the school dining room, about 8 people each, was given a circular, ring-shaped cake with a paper crown on it and a bean inside. The pupil who got the bean wore the crown.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 05:34 PM

The 4PM Choral Evensong on BBC R3 today was all about Epiphany.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 05:39 PM

Twelfth Night is the night of the 6th, not the 5th... so you still have time to work out that recipe!

The superstition of taking down the decorations by then is like April Fools' day - when the government stole our 11 days back in the 1730wossnames, Christmas was celebrated on what is now the 6th Jan. Anyone who still had decorations up then was considered a fool for not complying with the new calendar.

Orthodox religions still celebrate the birth of Christ on 6th Jan, so there's a chance for another go at the recipe!

Of course, if we're going to be pedantic, the Church recognises that the season of Christmas ends on Feb 2nd with Candlemas - known to many now as Groundhog day... Another example of the early Church taking a pre-existing festival of Imbolc (or the Feast of the Lactating Sheep as the Daily Mail would have it) and bending it to their own terms.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Monique
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 05:57 PM

Topsie, you were a lucky one because I've been in French schools for 50 years and I don't remember we ever had un royaume!
Galette: You have the metric for the recipe at the very bottom of it!

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 06:11 PM

Please accept my apologies Monique. You do indeed give the metric equivalents at the end of the recipe - but I see that some of the people adding comments had not noticed them either. I would be interested to know what T and/or t stand for.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Monique
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 06:29 PM

There're no apologies to be made! Check the comments to the blog post, Lisa says it on her Jan. 1st 2009 comment.
We've had galettes and royaumes in the supermarkets since Dec. 27th just because Christmas fell on a Saturday and Sunday's closed or it would have been the 26th! Then they'll sell frying pans to make crêpes two weeks before Candlemass, then Easter eggs and bunnies a month before Easter etc etc... maybe one day they'll sell stuff so much in advance that it'll be one year in advance and all will be at the right time again!

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 06:55 PM

A few years ago I saw for sale in my local super market . . . hot-cross mince pies! I haven't seen them since, so I assume they didn't catch on, but they seem to sell hot-cross buns all year round.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: katlaughing
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 10:56 PM

Monique, the children sound so precious. Thanks for the links.

Thanks for the correction, Topsie. I coulda sworn...:-)

LtS..LOL! My brother will enjoy hearing that.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 05 Jan 11 - 11:52 PM

T is for tablespoon, but t is for teaspoon. 3 t = 1 T

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 06 Jan 11 - 01:21 PM

We are celebrating in a Spanish Restaurant - 3 Kings Day. They came from Yorkshire - from the East Riding on camels!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jan 11 - 02:08 PM

Today is "Old Christmas" (or Little Christmas), and we take down the Christmas tree today because the needles are still dropping only one by one rather than in showers. The outside lights -- wound around the balcony railing -- stay up until Candlemas (2 February).

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 06 Jan 11 - 02:17 PM

In Ireland, it's often called "Nollaig na mBan" (The Women's Christmas), though my mother calls it "Old Christmas Day".

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 04:04 AM

... and a Happy Twelfth Night to you too. And I hope you will have a good As You Like It and a pleasant Much Ado About Nothing also.

〠~Michael~〠

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 04:36 AM

Hatfuls, capfuls, 3 bushel bagfuls and little heaps under the stairs...

hip hip hoorah, hip hip hoorah, hip hip hoorah!

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 05:14 AM

Technically Twelfth night is the night of the 5th January which in the old world would be the start of the twelfth day since they counted sunset as the beginning of a new day. Celebrations would take place that evening and then decorations taken down the following morning ie the 6th which was twelfth day. Greenery would then be taken back outside the home to encourage new growth. Sadly we have lost a lot of the old traditions partly due to the fact that the 'festive' season is thrust upon us so early that by the time Christmas day arrives many are ready to stop celebrating rather than begin.
When I was in France 30 years ago we didn't go back to school until after Epiphany but the shops sold Galettes du roi which contained small crowns - probably banned now much like sixpences in Christmas puddings.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: GUEST, topsie
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 06:15 AM

I hadn't heard that sixpences were banned in Christmas puddings - they are just harder to come by, and a 5 pee just isn't the same.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 09:35 AM

If this were mediaeval Britain, we'd all still be on holiday. Work didn't start again until Distaff Day - for the ladies - which was the first Sunday after Epiphany or Plough Monday - the first Monday after Epiphany for the men. Not that there was a lot of work done on Plough Monday; the plough and beasts were dressed in green or straw garlands, be-ribboned labourers and dancers followed and everyone paraded through the village into the church where the whole lot was blessed by the priest. Then they danced and paraded to the first field where it was blessed again, along with the ploughmen, and prayers offered for a good harvest to come. Many of these processions ended with a sword dance, where winter was ritually slain. There may have been beer involved, there certainly wasn't much work because no sooner had they cut the first furrow than they all took to celebrating again.....


Many of these traditions died out but can still be traced in the Plough Stotting and Straw Bear festivals that happen around the country and the traditional sword dances that continue.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Monique
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 12:13 PM

Mrs Duck, do you mean the "fève" in the galette? If so, there's still one in all the galettes and royaumes and they're prettier than 30 years ago.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: Mrs.Duck
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 12:27 PM

I expect so, Monique. Pleased to hear they are still in there.

Subject: RE: BS: Happy Twelfth Night
From: *#1 PEASANT*
Date: 07 Jan 11 - 04:12 PM

Actually old twelfth is not till the weekend of the 15th so still one to go.
We celebrate on the 15th in Baltimore
See baltimore wassail facebook group
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http://www.cbladey.com

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