Well today is the 6 January, the last day of the Christmas festivities. Again at dinner time we were listening to Radio Canada from Montreal and Monique Giroux the host of the music show had a special 1969 French Song of that year. It was a great year for French songs in Canada and in France, many hits for sure and some duds. I was 12 years old in 1969 and the Host Monique Giroux was 6 years old. It was so strange to hear all these old songs, many made me smile remembering Montreal then, we lived in Snowdon and the big street was Queen Mary Road name after the wife of King George V.
My father was the manager of the Bonaventure Hotel which was operated then be Western International, the hotel part of United Airlines, my Mom was in real estate in Westmount, then a really expensive stone mansion was $50,000. For some unexplained reason this Holiday Season I have been thinking a lot about my parents and my childhood years in Montreal. Our Prime Minister then was Pierre E. Trudeau, the father of our current PM Justin, who was not even born. It was also the year before the October Crisis which would see Martial Law impose for 6 months with the army occupying the streets. Being in Quebec, despite our young age I remember how aware we were of the political events.
This beautiful mosaic in the cathedral of San Vitale in Ravenna of the 3 kings dressed in the Gaul style with pants and the red phrygian caps bearing gifts to Jesus.
This being the Feast of Epiphany, La Befana brought me a gift. In Italy she is the old lady who gives gifts to children on this day, there is NO Santa in the Italian tradition. BULGARI is my favourite.
Will also made Peanut Butter cookies, they are very good but not the 22 dozens the recipe called for.
Home at 04:10 pm with the sun setting in the West.
Urspo said:
Fascinating there is a witch in Italian culture what with Catholicism and all the witch hysteria in European history.
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larrymuffin said:
Not a witch, but an old lady who is cleaning her house and encounters the 3 wise men who ask her where to find Baby Jesus and she does not know but goes out looking and brings gifts.
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Urspo said:
It says witch on the internet
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David Nice said:
And the italian for witch can be either strega or befana (the Merry Wives in Verdi’s Falstaff want Mistress Quickly to dress up as ‘una befana’ to spook the fat knight).
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larrymuffin said:
What internet site is that?
Obviously not an Italian one, some crappy Chinese site no doubt
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Moving with Mitchell said:
So beautiful. I love the different traditions around the world and don’t like seeing Santa gaining such a foothold (sleigh-hold?) here in recent years. And, oh, Bulgari!
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David Nice said:
Pedantic footnote: the three kings are in the frieze on one side of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, not San Vitale (which has Theodora etc).
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larrymuffin said:
really? I have to check this out.
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David Nice said:
Trust me. I was there in July.
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roijoyeux said:
Your living room is very classy … mine is emptier but from it, we also can see the sun set (and from my bedroom the sun rise, it’s very convenient) …
… La Befana looks like a nice lady, I did not know her, now I do !! Thank you, dear Larry!!
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larrymuffin said:
C’est une photo de la cuisine et de la salle à déjeuner.
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