- Joined
- May 12, 2010
- Location
- Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
When you count Christmas as the first night, the twelfth night falls on January 5, the vigil or eve of Epiphany. Twelfth night is a festival older and technically more important then Christmas in parts of Christendom. Epiphany commemorates three crucial events in in Christian history: the Baptism of Jesus, the visit of the Three Wise Men to Bethlehem, and the Miracle at Cana. It is one of the chief occasions celebrated in England. They have feasting, and masked balls. It is also a day of gift-giving in many lands.
The custom of choosing a King for Twelfth Night was brought to England by the Romans. The enormous cake baked for Epiphany contained a bean and a pea. When the slices were served early in the evening, the man who found the bean was crowned King of the Bean : the pea finder became the queen.
Twelfth Night continued unabated when the colonists brought the holiday to this country. In old Virginia, Twelfth Night was called Old Christmas and was the occasion of grand balls and parties.
There was a great amount of food for Twelfth Night. The Cake commanded the center of the main table. Around the great cake, were trays of tempting little cakes, tarts, nuts, and candies. The house owners used all the crystal and silver and china they owned.
A menu for Twelfth Night from South Carolina consisted of:
Overnight Smoked Turkey
Pickled Shrimp
Scalloped Oysters
Miniature Rolls
Sauteed Walnuts
Sugared Nuts
Tiny Sweet Rolls
Banbury Tarts
Homemade Fudge
Candied Orange and Lemon peel
Twelfth Night Cake
Wassil
Shrub
it was a great feast.
from: "The Southern Heritage Celebrations Cookbook" published in 1983 by Oxmoor House.
The custom of choosing a King for Twelfth Night was brought to England by the Romans. The enormous cake baked for Epiphany contained a bean and a pea. When the slices were served early in the evening, the man who found the bean was crowned King of the Bean : the pea finder became the queen.
Twelfth Night continued unabated when the colonists brought the holiday to this country. In old Virginia, Twelfth Night was called Old Christmas and was the occasion of grand balls and parties.
There was a great amount of food for Twelfth Night. The Cake commanded the center of the main table. Around the great cake, were trays of tempting little cakes, tarts, nuts, and candies. The house owners used all the crystal and silver and china they owned.
A menu for Twelfth Night from South Carolina consisted of:
Overnight Smoked Turkey
Pickled Shrimp
Scalloped Oysters
Miniature Rolls
Sauteed Walnuts
Sugared Nuts
Tiny Sweet Rolls
Banbury Tarts
Homemade Fudge
Candied Orange and Lemon peel
Twelfth Night Cake
Wassil
Shrub
it was a great feast.
from: "The Southern Heritage Celebrations Cookbook" published in 1983 by Oxmoor House.