Christmas 2008
The seventh of January in a hard winter, and the twelve dishes that are a fast rather than a feast.
A blessed Christmas to everyone marking it today.
A detail that took me years to understand. The Christmas Eve table has twelve dishes and looks like abundance, and it is technically a fast: no meat, no dairy, nothing rich. Mushrooms, fish, grains, vegetables, dried fruit.
So the abundance is in variety rather than in quantity or expense. Twelve modest dishes made from what a household has, arranged to look like plenty. That is a design decision made by people who did not always have plenty and wanted the table to say otherwise.
It is one of the wisest things I have encountered in any tradition. A poor household and a rich one can both set that table correctly.
A peaceful evening to yours.
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