A very special thanks to any and all of you who have graciously stopped by now and again. Hard to believe that today marks my 500th posting of this blog. When I started back in 2006, I didn’t even know what a blog really was. So I think I was mostly ramble journaling. But in time, I tried out and learned some techniques that I hoped would bring a smile to your face or a tear to your eye. Ok, so that was a bit cheesy, but you get the idea.
With that. It’s a new year. And as always, if I am not talking about holidays, or history, I find someway to incorporate food. Most of all, I love to try to find things you may have never heard about, or simply forgotten. how about this one: Epiphany (by the way…I hope you will click here to subscribe to this blog. Forget the bookmarking thing, it’s a hassle!)
This week was the celebration of EPIPHANY. Do you know what that is or where it came from? Interestingly too, the 112th Congress officially opened on Epiphany this year. (They were ushered in on the heels of one of the most historic elections since 1921!)
Epiphany, in Greek, means “appearance”, “manifestation” and it is has been known for centuries as the Christian feast day which celebrates the revelation of God made Man in the person of Jesus Christ.
In Italy, children, on the eve of January 6 fill their socks with candy and presents if they are good or a lump of coal or dark candy if they are bad.
Over in France, people eat the gâteau des Rois in Provence or the galette des Rois in other regions. This is a kind of king cake, with a trinket (usually a porcelain figurine of a king) or a bean hidden inside. The person who gets the piece of cake with the trinket becomes “king” for a day.
Abigail Adams (wife of President John Adams), while in France on behalf of America, wrote a letter to her sister about one particular occasion in Paris where her family was eating a King Cake. While excitedly looking for the bean, the future President Adams landed the prize much to the dismay of their son, John Quincy Adams.
For many of us, it’s not about the bean or the baby king. The word “epiphany” has become known as the word defined in Webster’s which means: a moment of sudden realization or insight.
Perhaps this bit of info was an “epiphany” of sorts for you today. If anything, the real epiphany for all of us is that we face the reality of a New Year. May it be a good showing, or appearance, in your life this year. And keep an eye on those upcoming feast days and holidays. You can be sure that I will be here doing the same!
Best to you!
Stephanie
