Shuck the post-January 1 winter doldrums.

[No Elephants]

Or fuck the post-January 1 winter doldrums.

After all the winter holidays, January seems dull by comparison.

The weather is not all that nice, either, at least not in my northeastern corner of the U.S. Which is why we need to have fun with the highlights on the calendar this January.

Alas, and mea culpa, I have already failed you. I did not note that Epiphany is an occasion to eat King's Cake, though some eat it throughout the season of Mardi Gras or on Shrove Tuesday(more on that below). However, I give you my blessing to have it whenever you need a good time--and even to invite some friends over to share, if you like.

If the cake is relatively fresh and the icing is not excessively sweet, it's a great cake to have with coffee. (Many recipes online, if you are a baker, or order from one of the Louisiana bakeries that mails them all over the world, but best hurry if you are ordering.) Watch out for the coin or baby Jesus that some bakeries still bake inside the cake, though! I don't consider choking or breaking molars a festive time.


Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the third Monday in January, this year, January 21. For some, it may be more of a day of reflection than of celebration. I, do, however, take great encouragement that it was not really all that long ago that giants still walked the earth. I'll probably cook up more Hoppin' John. (And give the memory of J. Edgar Hoover and a few others the finger. I hope J. Edgar is looking down--or up--from somewhere, beside himself to know that his legacy is a joke and a byword, while King has his very own federal holiday. Come to think of it, I should rent the DiCaprio movie sometime, though not on MLK Day.)



As you know, Carnival, or Carnivale, is, in in many parts of the world, a time of feasting and festivities before the solemnity of Lent.

It's time to par-tay, from Venice to Switzerland to Rio de Janiero and our own Louisiana (thanks in no small part to its French connection. Parades will begin January 19 in Louisiana,. I'm guessing many around the world have already started celebrating. Indeed, for hard core celebrators, the religious/secular party never really stops. They go from All Saints Day to Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year to Epiphany to celebrating that Lent has not yet arrived.

Venice: http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Veneto/Venice-140867/Local_Customs-Venice-Carnival-BR-1.html

Switzerland (native land of the Vatican Swiss Guard, of course): http://www.swissworld.org/en/culture/seasonal_customs/carnival/

Customs vary with locale. As usual, wiki helps us out. (Bet you've never wondered before how Macedonia marks Carnivcal.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival



Regardless of when one start's celebrating, the last day of Carnivale is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, or Shrove Tuesday--the eve of Ash Wednesday, Ash Wednesday being the first day of Lent. This year, Shrove Tuesday, aka Mardi Gras, is February 12 (also the anniversary of Lincoln's birthday.

But, I will save February for another post. (Coming attractions for the next post: Chinese New Year, another good time, starts this year on February 9.)


Meanwhile, laissez les bons temps rouler during Carnivale, y'all.

Mask up, plan a parade, plan a Mardi Gras party for Shrove Tuesday, bake up a King's cake and have a coffee klatch, buy something purple or green and/or gold, whatever. Just find a way to enjoy. or reflect, if that is more your way.

[Enthusiast]

1. You create some interesting discussions, No Elephants.

I didn't know that the Epiphany is an occasion to eat King's Cake. I've never had King's Cake, not even before the celiac thing. It does look appealing. Not too sweet, as you say. They are available in all the larger grocery stores even here in Ohio at the right time of year.

Fuck a bunch of post-January 1 winter doldrums.

[No Elephants]

2. Why, thank you.

I once researched the calendar, both the scholarly side as to how it evolved and the traditions. I found it interesting.

For a while.



King's cake is indeed a pleasant yeast cake. The icing, however, can be way too sweet, depending on the baker. And the bakers who make it overly sweet tend to pour it on very thickly as well.

I would not have assumed that King's cakes would be available in Ohio. I've never seen one for sale in Boston and did not see them in Manhattan when I lived there. And both those towns have very diverse populations. So, I assumed that King's cakes were a Louisiana thang.

Only King's cakes I've ever had were sent to me for several years in a row by a friend from Louisiana with whom I've since lost touch.

They did come with a baby Jesus (the King) baked inside, along with some beads and coins. It was like getting a party in the morning mail.

Or, at least a fun coffee klatsch.


Ohio storekeepers must be smart. People like traditions. They'll buy something for that reason that they would pass up the rest of the year.

Does Ohio have many Greeks? It is a Greek Orthodox tradition, too. Greek Orthodox and Catholic Louisiana!

I laughed when I typed that, but, come to think of it, but the Orthodox and the Catholics were once a single religion, so it makes sense that they would have developed some common customs around religion and religious holidays.

Anyway, I love celebrating the seasons and the holidays. Indeed, I love any reason to celebrate. (What's not to love?)

[Enthusiast]

3. Columbus does have a Greek community.

And my sister's brother in law, from Northern Ohio, was Greek Orthodox. So, yes, we do have a Greek influence. And there is an annual Greek festival in Columbus. http://www.greekcathedral.com/index.cfm?page=festival

[No Elephants]

8. Thanks for that link. Neat music. Loved the dancers,too.

While Jesus is indeed THE king, I just read that the cake is named after the Magi, which explains why it is eaten on Epiphany.

*slaps forehead*

But the cake is "in season,"so to speak until Shrove Tuesday.

Epiphany is, of course, also the Twelfth Day of Christmas.


Greeks have a St. Basil's cake/bread on New Year's Day. It's called Vasilopita, which I think tranlates as Basil bread.

[formercia]

4. Nice Day here, Today

It's supposed to get colder as the Day progresses, so I will bid you all Adieu and run off and get some shit done outside.

Peace.

[No Elephants]

6. Stay warm, formercia.

[formercia]

9. A good Day.

Thank You for caring.:)
It was a nice Day and I was able to get a lot done that I had been putting off because of the cold. The Kittehs loved getting out and enjoying the Sun, as well.
:toast:

[No Elephants]

10. I love it when I stop procrastinating. You'd think that reward would

keep me from procrastinating, but it does not seem to work that way.

Posting is, for me, big-time procrastination. Sigh.

[NYC_SKP]

5. I'm always cheerful post-winter solstice...

As the days grow longer, again!

Thank you for an uplifting post!

:hi:

[No Elephants]

7. You're welcome, NYC. Joy at solstice time is probably in our DNA, or

burned into our collective memory from the days we lived in caves in Europe, well before global warming.

Longer days meant food would soon be more plentiful again, as would warmth, water and frolicking outside a crowded cave, filled with smoke (and probably a good amount of unpleasant odors).

Let the good times roll!