The forgotten holiday: Epiphany

When Christmas and New Year’s Day are over, most of us contemplate with angst the long stretch of holiday-free months ahead of us, until Easter gives us something to celebrate again. And yet, there is one festivity worthwhile observing after New Year, one that is celebrated in countries like Italy, Russia and Spain. It has festive traditions associated with it and can be made into an enjoyable occasion in its own right. It is Epiphany.

Celebrated on 6^th January, Epiphany is a Christian festivity, commemorating the arrival of the Magi (aka the ‘wise men’ or ‘three kings’) at the stable where the infant Jesus was born. They brought their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the new-born king. The Epiphany quite literally celebrates the manifestation of the divinity to humankind, as this is when a human being first set eyes on the son of God.

In Italy, kids hang up their stockings by the fireplace, on the night between the 5^th and 6^th of January, with the expectation of receiving sweets – if they have been good. In old times, naughty kids were warned to expect coal rather than sweets. Over time, coal has turned into a confection that looks like coal but tastes delicious.

Who brings the sweets? A magical character known as La Befana, a good witch who travels across the night sky on a broomstick. The origins of La Befana are ancient and unsure. Some think she has pre-Christian roots, in local folklore – others claim she is part of the Christian tradition. The former hypothesis has La Befana as evolved from a pagan goddess. The latter theory has it that the Magi, on their way to see Jesus, asked for directions and a housewife who was busy cleaning (explaining the broom reference), accompanied them on their way. Others claim La Befana is a chagrined mother who was driven mad by the loss of her child and is therefore roaming the planet in an endless search for him.

Whatever the truth may be, La Befana continues to fascinate thousands of kids (and adults!) bringing magic to households across Italy well after Christmas.

The Epiphany of course, is celebrated in other ways too, with processions and parades across city centres in Spain, with the Magi as the focal point. In fact, many Spanish kids receive their presents on the 6^th January.

If you would like to introduce your kids to the magic of the Epiphany and fill their stockings with sweets and a cheeky portion of sweet coal, we have the below recipe for you! (In Italy you can purchase sweet coal in any supermarket but it is impossible to find outside of Italy).

 

Christmas Films Advent Calendar

One of the debates that comes around at this time of year, is that of top Christmas films, and it is a discussion of which I will probably never tire. There are plenty of discussions to be had around what is and is not – Die Hard, anyone – a Christmas film. Whether the aforementioned is better than The Muppets’ Christmas Carol, and of course which film should hold the coveted title of Best Christmas Film. The discussions will never be settled, and nor should they be; what matters is enjoying them all, or at least, as many as possible.  To that end we have decided to take the advent calendar approach, lining up 25 films to see us into Christmas Day. What follows is our order and though some date/film combinations are flexible for us, others e.g. The Polar Express, is immovable from its Christmas Eve slot.

Dec. 1^st – Christmas in Connecticut: new to some, perhaps, but a frothy, not to mention bonkers, start to December.
Dec 2^nd – Home Alone: enough said.
Dec 3^rd – The Bishop’s Wife: Cary Grant and David Niven: two classic gents of the silver screen for the price of one in a simply charming film.
Dec 4^th – The Man Who Invented Christmas: The story about most people’s favourite Christmas story.
Dec 5^th – How the Grinch Stole Christmas: Jim Carrey in green fur. Good fun, though perhaps more for the kids.
Dec 6^th – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: chaos descends, in the shape of Chevy Chase, on a family Christmas vacation.
Dec 7^th – Narnia: snowy, frozen landscapes, ice queens and talking wolves and lions. Proper fairytale charm.
Dec 8^th – Joyeux Noël: the story of the Christmas truce football match in 1914. Sombre, but worth it, and a reminder to be thankful for what you have.
Dec 9^th – Bridget Jones’ Diary: you know, Colin Firth in a Christmas jumper.
Dec 10^th – Die Hard: for some the best Christmas film ever, if indeed it is a Christmas film.
Dec 11^th – Scrooge: for my money the actual best Christmas film ever, with Alastair Sim – a much underrated actor – in a definitive portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Dec 12^th – Miracle on 34th Street: pick your version – the black and white one for me – and enjoy a fine example of the “child reminding the adults what Christmas is all about” trope.
Dec 13^th – The Nightmare before Christmas: the folks behind Halloween try to do Christmas for a change. Brilliant animated musical.
Dec 14^th – It’s a Wonderful Life: Jimmy Stewart nearly loses it all, before Clarence comes to his rescue and earns his wings. “Atta boy, Clarence!”

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Elf

Scrooge: A Christmas Carol

The Holiday

Home Alone

White Christmas

Dec 15^th – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York: a sequel that is nearly up to the standard of the original. Excellent fun.
Dec 16^th – The Santa Clause: Tim Allen reluctantly and haplessly becomes Santa Clause after doing in the old one.
Dec 17^th – Elf: sometimes cringeworthy, but sometimes utterly hilarious. Something for everyone.
Dec 18^th – Die Hard 2: the same stuff (well, not “stuff”, but you know what I mean) happening to the same guy twice – in an airport.
Dec 19^th – Love Actually: complete with dancing Hugh Grant and a nativity lobster.
Dec 20^th – Trading Places: riches-to-rags-to-riches/rags-to-riches classic. And of course, the Mozart overture is unmistakable.
Dec 21^st – The Snowman: only half an hour or so, but such a wonderful story, with Aled Jones doing his stuff.
Dec 22^nd – The Muppets’ Christmas Carol: Miss Piggy reins it in as Mrs Bob Cratchit, and the rest of the muppets cast are perfect too. Beautifully judged take on the Christmas story.
Dec 23^rd – The Holiday: unashamedly romantic with a nice side order of cinema nostalgia.
Dec 24^th – The Polar Express: get home from the carol service, get a cuppa, get cosy, and get ready for Christmas: that’s our routine.
Dec 25^th – White Christmas: (after a re-watch of Home Alone, if our household is anything to go by): a remake that is more famous than its original and contains a couple of Christmas classics.

5 places for a Christmas day tipple

 

As the lights switch on in our beloved Cirencester and the festive spirit begins to fill the air, the anticipation of a few days to celebrate with friends and family building, we turn our thoughts to celebrations. We love the pre-Christmas parties, hunting for stocking fillers, planning menus and putting up the decorations around the house.

When it comes to the big day, as much as we like to get cosy and spend the day with the family, we always build in a little break, to pop out and toast Christmas with friends. It breaks the day and it gets us out of the house for some fresh air. After unwrapping the presents, breakfast and some food prep, we dress up in our festive gear and hit the road to a jolly country pub to meet friends for the customary Christmas day aperitif. Mine is usually a Bloody Mary with all the trimmings, Worcester sauce, celery salt, pepper, lemon, horseradish and a drop of sherry. Yes, you heard right – sherry: it may sound naff but it really lifts the whole thing, a proper pick-me-up!

When it comes to the choice of pub, it has to be a traditional Cotswold pub, cosy and friendly, with a big open fire and local community. We used to visit the Seven Tuns in Chedworth in its heyday, when it was the beating heart of the surrounding countryside. On Christmas day it would be brimming with the locals coming in for a tipple, sporting wellies, dogs and collecitvely, enough tweed to reupholster all the furniture in the place. Talk about festive, the friendly hubbub was the spirit of Christmas itself, and we’d sit around the crackling fire and listen to the chatter, stroke the dogs and delight in the beauty of the countryside from the windows set within the thick stone walls. Over the years we have tried a few other places, all – happily – equally charming and heart-warming in their way. This year we’ve yet to make up our mind, but we have a few strong candidates lined up, that we’d like to share with all our Cotswold readers. And if you’ve any recommendations, we’d just love to hear them! The current shortlist reads thus:

	1. The Golden Heart. A lovely, cosy, traditional – it dates back to the 16th Century, no less – pub that sits in a dip on the A419 between Cirencester and Birdlip, with a log fire and lots of personality. You can perch on a stool or sit at a table in one of the quaint nooks and crannies. Real ales and hearty pub food on offer too. And a-mazing banoffee pie. http://www.thegoldenheart.co.uk/
2. The Bathurst Arms, North Cerney. A chalky pink farmhouse that stands out as you drive along the old Cheltenham road, this delightful pub is set within beautiful countryside and by a gentle stream. Genteel and beautifully refurbished, it has lots of character and that almost essential open fire. It is always lively and jolly and the food is always very good. It has good WiFi too, which is useful for any teenagers that you may have reluctantly agreed to be dragged away from the television. http://www.bathurstarms.co.uk/contact.htm
3. The New Inn at Coln St Aldwyns. We are big fans of this little jewel of a pub. It has atmosphere, great food, friendly service and it is set in the heart of a charming Cotswold village. And we know it is frequented by one of the best chefs up and down the country. Bob from Made by Bob. Need you say more?  http://www.thenewinncoln.co.uk/
4. The Inn at Fossebridge. Charm itself, this is an idyllic place, a cosy, warm place set within a gorgeous garden and by a stream – with dreamy walks accessible from the back. I’ll let you into a little secret. We call it ‘the Dibley pub’. If you are familiar with that awesome series, ‘The vicar of Dibley’, you’ll probably get the feeling of what we mean. It is your classic village pub, where people meet to chat and gossip – a million miles away from the frantic pace of life in the fast lane. Talk about therapeutic! http://www.thenewinncoln.co.uk/
5. The Twelve Bells, Cirencester. We are, after all, Cirencestrians, so no list would be complete without a local. A historical pub right in the heart of Cirencester, with a tradition of serving real ales, the Twelve Bells is an unfussy, yet cosy, kind of pub with that has maintained an old-fashioned charm which is, where possible, what’s required on Christmas day. It is popular and friendly and it serves tasty pub food. http://www.twelvebellscirencester.com