Days of Feasts
Medieval History

Days of Feasts


Happy Feast of the Circumcision everybody! That's what was on the medieval liturgical calendar anyway. In the Middle Ages, there'd been revelry since at least December 6 (Saint Nicholas Day), often since November 11 (Saint Martin's Day) - had to do something to stave off those winter months.  The Roman Saturnalia rituals had never really left entirely (and of course are commemorated every time a Christmas tree is decorated), but there's one Roman tradition to talk about that had a cool revival in the Middle Ages and has since fallen away today.  The étrennes were the gifts and gift exchanges of New Year's Day, self-consciously revived by the Valois court, as Brigitte Buettner's gorgeous article "Past Presents: New Year's Gifts at the Valois Court c. 1400" (Art Bulletin 83:4 (Dec. 2001): 589-625) will tell you.  While the Valois practiced their "vello-mania" (another great phrase of hers from another great article) we reveled in deep friendships and fantastic culinary feats.

Dear Alison made one of her phenomenal brunches - everything is made from scratch and I really do think of a medieval kitchen and the warmth of a hearth. Plus, it's a pleasure to watch the kids devour everything in sight.  This time last year, we were having our first bites, our first realizations of distance, our first outings. I realize that I could relive last year almost day by day - a daunting opportunity for nostalgia.  No need - I think of Brittany every single day anyway.  It's amazing, really, how many comings and goings there are in these cozy, settled days: Mallory is getting ready to go back to college, Grandmama will be taking off... thank goodness for the home-made cinnamon buns, the company, the warmth...

And then St. Sylvester's (New Year's Eve!) at Pedar and Rebecca's. The menu, without further ado:
And so a happy new year was had by all.  The kids actually stayed up until midnight, and were for the first time excited at the change from 2010 to 2011 - some wonderfully meaningless event that is a thrillingly meaningful moment.  They're starting to stir now, so there's no time to write, but that's ok - there's a momentum to everything now: a week from today, we leave for Israel!

And herein lies my hope for all of us this year: belonging and understanding and anticipating - something this picture of the girls seems to have captured for just a moment.




- Cease Your Toils
During the time that Brillat Savarin wrote The Physiology of Taste (for the 30 years prior to his death from pneumonia in 1826 after standing in the glacial abbey of Saint-Denis to attend the 30th anniversary commemorating Louis XVI's execution),...

- Whatever This Might Mean
very far away from anywhere elseA year is not an entirely arbitrary cycle. The planet does spin pretty decidedly all the way around the sun once, give or take that bit that adds up to Leap Year, for that amount of time. But a year anniversary does seem...

- Preparations
MS. Douce 199, fol. 252r, Bodleian Library at OxfordDisplaced image, I know, what with this being a scene of Whitsunday (after Easter), but the feasting and the sharing of tales of adventure to Arthur does call to mind the spirit of this season, as we...

- Very Sad
A.-F. Desportes, Dog and Pheasant, 1780sThis painting has always reminded me of Sawyer: change the coat to black and elongate the tail, and there's our hound.Was. I'm so sad to write that we've decided to find another home for Sawyer. ...

- Glimpses
Oliver's been questioning Santa's existence, though at this point he has "no evidence that Santa does not exist," as he puts it.  But, crafty kid that he is, he thought of leaving the iPhone with its built-in camera and asking Santa in the...



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