Twelfth Night

 Greetings.

Christmas traditions are many and varied and, for many years, I have followed the Twelve Days.

I have a special meal on Christmas Day and the same menue again on the evening of 6 January (Epiphany, or Twelfth Night).

I usually have roast Gressingham duck breast with Pigs in Blankets, bread sauce, gravy, roast potatoes cooked in duck fat, red cabbage cooked with orange peel and cranberry sauce.

Red wine with the first course-obviously...

Dessert is an individual portion of Christmas pudding with a generous serving of my homemade brandy butter.. with  a nice madeira to wash it down( from a nice Victorian decanter)

This meal is served on Royal Worcester  and eaten with silver cutlery.

If I am still hungry, I may eat some dried fruit later with either madeira , or some brandy( from my regency decanter)

Here is my table set for the Twelfth Night meal.

In past years (under the Twelve Days tradition) I have ensured that all decorations have been down before going to bed on 6 January. 

In this I thought I was being true to the medieval tradition of Christmas.

I have recently discovered ,however, that I was mistaken.

Medieval folk in England celebrated Yule. This runs from Martinmas ( The Feast of St Martin of Tours on 11 November) to Candlemas ( Celebrating the Christ Child's presentation at the temple, on 2 February) , including the whole of Advent and several feasts in its scope.

Decorations should be down by the end of Candlemas Eve ( evening of 1 February).

Thus, this year and henceforth, I shall be following this true tradition. I will, however, still limit the number of feasts I celebrate during Yule to a maximum of three...or the work of easing their effect will be overly onerous once Yule is done.

Until next time

Adieu