The page you are currently looking at is my day-to-day blog. There are others! You can navigate to them by using the links on the right hand side of this page, and then between them in a similar fashion. Not An Ivory Tower is a collection of some of my writings deriving from my post-doctoral research with an inter-faith seminary in the States; Celebrating the Year offers thoughts, short liturgies, prayers, food suggestions, and decorative ideas for various festivals, times and seasons; Tro Breizh is the beginning of a devotional calendar of Breton saints; Threshold contains templates/scripts which can be personalised (with my help if you wish) for such occasions as births, betrothals, marriages, new homes, farewells, and partings; and Finding Balance is a series of workshops based on the chakra system. Explore, browse, enjoy - and please do send me your feedback via the comments boxes!

Friday 14 July 2017

Let them eat gateau?

So, Bastille Day - the Fête nationale of France - commemorating both the storming of the Bastille (and the liberation of all seven of its prisoners) in 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération celebrating peace and French unity the following year. And this year the parade in Paris included U.S. troops, to mark the centenary of their joining in the First World War, and was graced by the presence of Trump... We will pass over his comment yesterday of the 'good shape' of Mme. Macron.

 French holidays are a curiosity. Of the eleven public holidays, six are Christian festivals: Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, All Saints Day, and Christmas. The remaining five are New Year's Day, Labour Day, VE Day, Bastille Day, and Armistice Day.  

 In an avowedly secular state, is this a case of having your cake and eating it? Lacking which, we marked the day in good Elizabeth David fashion, with an omelette and a glass of wine. Salut!






Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)