Friday, December 19, 2014
Christmas in the bayou
In Lutcher, Louisiana, (which is where I am originally from,) we have a special Christmas tradition for lighting Santa's way on Christmas Eve. We build huge unique Bon fires on our levees that boarder the Mississippi River. The construction of these elaborate Bon fires begin at the end of November. The residents build Bon fires in the form of swamp cabins, castles, tanks, or whatever floats their boat. On Christmas Eve night around 7:00 pm we light the Bon fires to light papa Noel's way through the bayous. In the bayou papa Noel doesn't have a sleigh of reindeer instead he arrives in a pirogue driven by gators. Papa Noel uses this method of transportation in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana because according to legend and history the reindeer refused to go through swamps and his sleigh was too big to navigate the swamps. Many of the original settlers would build homes in the swamps and lived on whatever food the swamps provided. There are still homes and camps in our bayous and swamps that are very much inhabitable and to many living in the swamps as their anscetors did is still very much apart of every day life as well as tradition. With the lighting of the Bon fires to light the way there is yet another tradition, the festival of the Bon fire. Being Louisiana we tend to find any reason to throw a party. So the festival of the Bon fires began. On this night everyone and their families come out to do a little celebrating while lighting the Bon fires on the levee. We come together as a community andput differences aside and pass on the tradition to our kids.
Friday, December 5, 2014
The Tea Party
Since being with Sean the last couple of years and us moving onto our farm, I have grown a lot as a person and have been thrown into a pleasantly strange new little world. While Sean seems to have grown up in a family that has a bit more social standing than mine, I have realized that I'm not completely out of place. Keep in mind that neither I nor Sean have ever come from money although neither of us have ever really wanted for anything.
My grandparents, like most peoples grandparents who came up during the great depression, had a classy refinement that would be hard pressed to be found in the younger generations. My grandmother, who to this day has always had an Audrey Hepburn quality to her, tried her hardest to teach me proper manors and how to be a lady. My Grandfather, who seemed to have a clark gable refinement to him even when hunting and fishing, always tried to teach me to be smart and tough. I think my Grandfather won out as I grew up a tomboy. Always wanted to go fishing and hunting when I was little. My Grandmother use to try and talk me out of fishing but would give in as it was more lady like than hunting, which I was never allowed to do.
My mother, as well as my grandparents, has always worked but my mom has never been an outspoken person where my aunt, her sister, has always had a refinement that matched my grandmothers and an outspoken wit to match my grandfathers. I myself have always been more on the shy quiet side and always lacked a certain confidence when around others. Although I have mastered the art of "social illusion". Most people who meet me, even the ones who've known me awhile, don't believe me when I tell them I'm shy.
When I say I've grown a lot since being with Sean, it's true. I've been yanked out of my shell and thrown into social situations that I'm not use to being in. One of the things that the Sweeney women love to do and have seemed to make into an art form is to throw tea parties.
When most people think of a tea party they either think of little girls sitting around playing dress up and taking to stuffed animals and drinking imaginary tea from tiny cups. The other image that comes to mind is of old Victorian women sipping tea in the gardens and having idle chit chat and gossiping.
Well, I can assure you that I had no idea what to expect when I was told that I was attending a tea in lieu of a bridal shower last October.
My soon to be sister in law, Bridget, who is also the tea party throwing guru of the Sweeney women , told me that sky and I were to wear dresses and funny hats to the tea. Luckily I had two 50's style sundress that fit both sky and myself and I just so happened to have an old straw sunhat from when I was a kid, Sky had a fedora that just so happened to go perfectly with the dress she was to wear.
Well, the day of the tea party arrived and as always sky and I were fashionably late. I was a nervous wreck and it takes a while for me to get half way descent looking hair.
When we got there, Bridget's living room had been turned into a very formal dinning room. The tables were set with fine china, candles, napkins, silverware, the works. Finger foods were passed around and tea was poured. There was laughter and idle conversations. To me it was something out of the handbook for the rich and social.
As of recently, Sky and I had been invited to another Tea. This one for Sean's grandmother's birthday. This time it was a little less formal but equally as nice. When we got home from this last tea, I had made up my mind that We needed a tea set. I do like to drink hot tea from time to time, but I've never had a "proper" Tea set.
By the time Sean had gotten home from work I was busy studying and shopping for tea sets.
I even read up on the proper etiquette for tea parties. Sean and I finally agreed on a tea set by the time we went to bed, which if all goes well I'll get for Christmas. I even went as far as to take Sky and her best friend Cindy to the English tea room the following Saturday. Sometimes I tend to throw myself full heartedly into things, This whole tea thing is one of them.
In all of my craziness I did learn a ton of new information. Apparently the art of the Tea party is not dead and is actually making a come back. The art of Tea has never and will never be dead in England, mind you. However, it does seem to be making a come back in the southern states. I can't speak for the northern states.
I will be posting another blog on tea etiquette, for those of you who may be interested and I will try to also post a few recipes on tea party foods.
My grandparents, like most peoples grandparents who came up during the great depression, had a classy refinement that would be hard pressed to be found in the younger generations. My grandmother, who to this day has always had an Audrey Hepburn quality to her, tried her hardest to teach me proper manors and how to be a lady. My Grandfather, who seemed to have a clark gable refinement to him even when hunting and fishing, always tried to teach me to be smart and tough. I think my Grandfather won out as I grew up a tomboy. Always wanted to go fishing and hunting when I was little. My Grandmother use to try and talk me out of fishing but would give in as it was more lady like than hunting, which I was never allowed to do.
My mother, as well as my grandparents, has always worked but my mom has never been an outspoken person where my aunt, her sister, has always had a refinement that matched my grandmothers and an outspoken wit to match my grandfathers. I myself have always been more on the shy quiet side and always lacked a certain confidence when around others. Although I have mastered the art of "social illusion". Most people who meet me, even the ones who've known me awhile, don't believe me when I tell them I'm shy.
When I say I've grown a lot since being with Sean, it's true. I've been yanked out of my shell and thrown into social situations that I'm not use to being in. One of the things that the Sweeney women love to do and have seemed to make into an art form is to throw tea parties.
When most people think of a tea party they either think of little girls sitting around playing dress up and taking to stuffed animals and drinking imaginary tea from tiny cups. The other image that comes to mind is of old Victorian women sipping tea in the gardens and having idle chit chat and gossiping.
Well, I can assure you that I had no idea what to expect when I was told that I was attending a tea in lieu of a bridal shower last October.
My soon to be sister in law, Bridget, who is also the tea party throwing guru of the Sweeney women , told me that sky and I were to wear dresses and funny hats to the tea. Luckily I had two 50's style sundress that fit both sky and myself and I just so happened to have an old straw sunhat from when I was a kid, Sky had a fedora that just so happened to go perfectly with the dress she was to wear.
Well, the day of the tea party arrived and as always sky and I were fashionably late. I was a nervous wreck and it takes a while for me to get half way descent looking hair.
When we got there, Bridget's living room had been turned into a very formal dinning room. The tables were set with fine china, candles, napkins, silverware, the works. Finger foods were passed around and tea was poured. There was laughter and idle conversations. To me it was something out of the handbook for the rich and social.
As of recently, Sky and I had been invited to another Tea. This one for Sean's grandmother's birthday. This time it was a little less formal but equally as nice. When we got home from this last tea, I had made up my mind that We needed a tea set. I do like to drink hot tea from time to time, but I've never had a "proper" Tea set.
By the time Sean had gotten home from work I was busy studying and shopping for tea sets.
I even read up on the proper etiquette for tea parties. Sean and I finally agreed on a tea set by the time we went to bed, which if all goes well I'll get for Christmas. I even went as far as to take Sky and her best friend Cindy to the English tea room the following Saturday. Sometimes I tend to throw myself full heartedly into things, This whole tea thing is one of them.
In all of my craziness I did learn a ton of new information. Apparently the art of the Tea party is not dead and is actually making a come back. The art of Tea has never and will never be dead in England, mind you. However, it does seem to be making a come back in the southern states. I can't speak for the northern states.
I will be posting another blog on tea etiquette, for those of you who may be interested and I will try to also post a few recipes on tea party foods.
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