Merry Old Christmas

Posted on January 6, 2021 by vanbraman

Today is Old Christmas and is commonly celebrated by the Amish in America.

Three Wise Men - The Three Magi - Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar - Wise Men - OrientI have seen two explanations for this day so I will share both of them.

First, since it goes along with the picture above, January 6 is celebrated as the day when the Three Wise Men visited Christ and gave their gifts.

W. Belch - December - London > Norwich - Horses and Coach - 12 Days of ChristmasThis is also 12 days after Christmas and is the end of the 12 days of Christmas.

Another name for today is Little Christmas for this reason.

This day is also known as Epiphany as it is the day that Christ was revealed. Different religious traditions differ as to which event in Christ’s life is celebrated. Some celebrate the visit of the three wise men while others celebrate either the first miracle at the wedding at Cana or the baptism of Jesus.  Although this is sometimes given as the reason for Old Christmas this is unlikely why the Amish celebrate the day.

Basically, Epiphany and Old Christmas are celebrating different events.

Calendars.com, 2019 calendars, New YearA better explanation for celebrating Old Christmas is the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar. When the calendar changed in 1582 the Catholic church set the date of Christmas to December 25.  Many protestant groups, including the Amish, continued to use the older Julian calendar for holidays. This is why it is referred to as Old Christmas.

ham, mashed potatoes, green beans, turkey, rollsOld Christmas is celebrated a bit different than Christmas. There is still a large gathering of family together and the sharing of a feast. However, the Amish fast until noon on this day and the feast is in the afternoon or evening.

Steven

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National Hot Tea Month 2021

Posted on January 5, 2021 by vanbraman

January is again National Hot Tea so I will of course be drinking lots of hot tea this month.

But, then again that is a normal month 🙂

Taiwan Tea, Healthy Tea, Loose TeaI especially enjoy drinking hot tea during the colder months. Especially if it is a good quality tea like this oolong tea from Taiwan. See: Taiwan Tea

Steve Smith Teamaster, brahmin tea, loose tea, black teaRecently most of my hot teas are full leaf teas. Some have been gifts from friends or colleagues and others have been sought out while traveling.Teepott, Tea Pot, Tea Cup, Trendglas Jena, ZycloThe purchase of a special tee cup in Germany also started a collection of tea accessories like infusers and storage containers.

I also have some tea items that belonged to some of my ancestors, but they will be subjects of future posts.

setting temperature, tea steeping adjustmentsI also had to get A New Tea Kettle as some teas require different temperatures for the water.

Tea Prep, Sophia Blend, Sophia Peabody, Jolie TeaI put to use a set of tea towels that had been embroidered by my Mother. You may have seen them in my tea posts. They are a set of seven, one for each day of the week, that feature Amish children.

Many of the teas that I have bring back memories as I drink them.

  • Where did I buy the tea?
  • Who gave me the tea?
  • Who did I buy the same tea for?
  • Visits to the country where the tea is from.
  • Memories triggered by the taste or aroma of the tea.
  • ………

So, put on the kettle and enjoy some nice hot tea this month.

Steven

 

 

 

 

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