In the UK they can't seem to decide if Monday 17th or Monday 24th January is the most depressing day of the year this year. The January blues seem to have hit harder this year than previously - I guess a combination of 'flu, roads full of pot holes, VAT rises, austerity measures, redundancy notices and stories about murder on the BBC website is enough to dint the happiest of spirits.
Here in rural France, January is a particularly convivial time. People send New Year cards and those arrive all through January. Most clubs and societies have their AGMs at this time of year - a new committee for a new calendar year seems to be the philosophy. These meetings always end with a glass of something or two (usually alcoholic) and a sharing of a galette des rois or Kings cake (again generally more than one).
The tradition of the galette is a long one, and round here they are either made of brioche - a lovely light sponge, and frosted with sugar flakes - or what they call frangipane - a layer of puff pastry, almond paste piped thickly into the middle and then another layer of puff pastry and baked to a rich golden colour. Both styles of galette have in common that each will contain a feve or bean - originally it was a real bean, nowadays it is a small porcelain figurine (highly collectable), and in rare cases a small gold coin. Whoever gets the slice of galette with the feve is king for the day and also gets a gold card crown. Such ceremonies go on all through January, we normally get three or four rounds, and who can be glum with that?
It is also a time for group dinners - the Comite des Fetes had theirs in December, but the one for Huguette's walking group was on the 14th January, and last night, the biggest knees-up of the year took place - the dinner dance for the volunteers who worked at the Comice (see previous posts). As the big centre in Bauge is being renovated, they hired five coaches to transport over 300 of us to away south of Saumur, where in a local centre, the Comice band had set up and one of our local caterers had been hard at work. Apertifs, a four course dinner, lots of wine and methode traditionnelle (Saumur fizz which is as good if not better than champagne), dancing - what a night! We caught the early coach home (1:30am) with the pensioners and those who were working or hunting this morning (Sunday), but the hardened party animals stayed on until gone 4am, alternately waltzing and bopping the night away.
With February, we are into the pancake season, so we won't be glum then either, and with March the hard work of the peasant starts again - there is no time for being down in rural France. To close, a couple of photos of last night's party.
Much better than January here - but at least in Scotland we get to celebrate Burns Night! I like the idea of sending New Year cards - I love getting post.
Posted by: Anne Donald | 26 January 2011 at 07:01 PM