Stories Of London

A VERY PRECIOUS GIFT

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JANUARY, FEBRUARY & MARCH

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Truly, A Face To Launch a Thousand Ships

The Zombies – This Will Be Our Year

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The January Photograph of Her Grace The Duchess of Cumberland County
This photograph captures my first meeting with Her Grace upon her arrival at my house

The Academy of St. Martin In The Fields – WINTER from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
Sir Neville Marriner, Conductor & Alan Loveday, Solo Violinist 

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The first month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars is January (Latin, Ianuarius), which is named after Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in  Roman Religion and Mythology. The month has thirty one days and is, on average, the coldest month of the year within most of the Northern Hemisphere and the second month of Meteorological Winter.  It is the warmest of the year within most of the Southern Hemisphere.

Dean Martin – June in January

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There are a number of days in January that have a particular significance: January the first, is New Year’s Day, the first day of the Gregorian Calendar Year. The Eastern Orthodox Church Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, observes the first day of the New Year on January 14th (i.e., January the 1st according to the Julian Calendar).

Parties are held on New Year’s Eve which, perhaps, continue long into New Year’s Day. At at the stroke of midnight, it is custom for many in the English-speaking world to sing the song, Auld Lang Syne, a Scottish song with lyrics written by Robert Burns (1759-1796) in 1788.

Andy Stewart (1933-1993) & The White Heather Club (1960) – Auld Lang Syne

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Today most large cities observe the passing of the Old Year to the New with fireworks at the stroke of midnight. Other global New Year’s Day traditions include making New Year’s Resolutions, many of which are quickly broken!

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The last day of the Old Year in Scotland is called Hogmanay. It is normally followed by further celebration on the first and second day of the New Year. Celebrations include the giving of gifts, parties and visiting friends and neighbours with special attention paid to First-Foot …. and a wee dram or two!

Jimmy Shand (1908-2000) & His Band – Eightsome Reel

Scottish Traditional Dancing

Jacobite Sword Dance (Medley) performed by The Gordon Highlanders

The Scottish Sword Dance (Ghillie Callum) is performed at prestigious New Year’s Eve events
such as the Hogmanay Gala Ball at The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh,
and at special events & occasionally at Cèilidhs

Hogmanay Celebrations

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In Scottish, Northern English, and Manx (i.e., The Isle of Man) folklore, the First-Foot  is the first person to cross the threshold of a household on New Year’s Day and is seen as someone who is generally a tall dark haired man who is not already in the house, and who comes bearing symbolic gifts such as a lump of coal, coins, whisky, shortbread and a Black Bun (a fruit cake covered with pastry). A First-Footer is considered to bring good fortune to the house for the coming year while fair-haired and red-haired people, bring bad luck. It is believed that the origin of this ceremony comes from the time of the Viking Invasion to Britain, where most of Vikings were fair-haired. A fair-haired stranger at the door suggested troubles and caused fear and alarm.

Top Right: Symbols of First Foot – Money, Whiskey, Coal & Black Bun

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Chinese New Year

Not all people celebrate the day as the start of the New Year. The first day of the Chinese New Year (almost known as The Spring Festival) falls on the New Moonthat appears between the 21th of January and 20th of February . This year, 2026, New Year falls on February 17th, and marks The Year of the Horse.

Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), is celebrated by Jews during September and October where the exact date is the New Moon of Tishrei, which is the seventh month counting from Nisan (the first month of Spring).

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The Magi & The Holy Family

The Choir of Kings College Cambridge – We Three Kings of Orient Are

The Feast Day of Epiphany marks the end of the Twelve-days of Christmastide. It commemorates the Visit of the Magi (The Three Wise Men) and the Baptism of Jesus and is observed on January 5th or 6th (Gregorian Calendar) or the 14th (Julian Calendar). 

Photograph by Jim Monterey  

The Wiggles – The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Twelfth Day of Christmas can be celebrated on January 5th, which is known as Twelfth Night. Christmas decorations are removed on either day, although nowadays, they disappear much sooner. The Feast Day commemorates The Visit of the Magi (The Three Wise Men or Kings) to the infant Jesus when they came bearing gifts. The Feast Day is associated with various traditions including the baking of a King Cake and merrymaking. It was once common for children to make paper crowns and wear them at this time.

A King Cake & A Crown

-oOo-Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The actor Robert Baddeley ((1733–1794)) bequeathed three pounds per annum in his will to serve wine, punch and a Twelfth Night cake to the performers of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the Green Room each Twelfth Night.  The tradition of serving the Baddeley Cake has remained a regular event  ever since and missed only during war or when the theatre was closed.

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Martin Luther King Jr.

Since 1983, The Third Monday of January is known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day and observed as a Federal Holiday in the United States. Its establishment was the result of a 15-year campaign advocating for a national holiday to honour the Civil Rights activist and Baptist Minister who was a leader of the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. The first official observance of the holiday took place on January 20, 1986. The Day has since become a day of service, encouraging Americans to engage in community service and reflect on Dr. King’s legacy.

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Robert Burns – painted by Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840)

The Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796) was born in Dumfries in Scotland and is regarded as the National Poet of Scotland. Much of his writing is in a light Scots dialect of English, but he also wrote in standard English and is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement. Burns wrote  many poems which have been well received including Auld Lang Syne and My Love is like a red, red rose.

Kenneth McKellar (1927-2010) – My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose

Burns’ work and his life are remembered each year on his birthday by Scots and lovers of Scotland and Scottish culture all over the world with a special Supper, referred to as Burns Night. The Night consists of eating typical Scottish fayre including soup, usually Scotch Broth or Cock-a-Leekie. Following this the Centrepiece of the meal, a Haggis, is brought in while, if possible, a piper plays the Bagpipes. Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with chopped onion, oatmeal, suet, seasonings, and salt, mixed with stock and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach.

The Host of the evening’s celebrations next recites the Address to a Haggis, a poem written by Robert Burns in 1789, and at the lines:

His knife see rustic Labour dict, An’ cut you up wi’ ready slict

a toast is then proposed to the Haggis. Mashed potatoes (champit tatties) and turnips (bashed neeps) traditionally accompany it.

Haggis, Tatties & Neeps

Once the meal is over, one of the guests makes a speech commemorating Burns and proposes a toast, known as the Immortal Memory. A toast is then made to the lassies (women) in recognition of Burns’ fondness for them and sometimes a female guest will reply with a humorous toast to the laddies (men). Following the speeches there is singing of songs by Burns. At the end of the festivities, those present stand, join hands and sing Auld Lang Syne.

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Robert Burns lived for most of his life in poverty and died in debt from Rheumatic Fever. He died on the same day that his ninth child was born. His poems were not widely read during his lifetime, but have since received recognition throughout the world.

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International Holocaust Day is observed on January 27th and was designated by the United Nations in 2005 to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust (Hebrew: Shoah), marking the liberation on this day in 1945 of the notorious Concentration Camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Events are held each year to remember and honour the six million Jews together with the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution by promoting education and combating Antisemitism.

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One last point regarding days of importance in January is regarding the Emancipation Proclamation. On January 1st, 1863, Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all enslaved people in states that were still in rebellion would henceforth be free. The Proclamation transformed the meaning of the Civil War (1861-1865) between the Northern and Southern States and turned the Union Forces of the North into an Army of Liberation. The Proclamation also allowed African Americans to enlist in the military and ~200,000 black soldiers and sailors eventually became involved in the War.

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The February Photograph of Her Grace The Duchess

Josh Groban – February Song

February is the second month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The Romans named the month Februarius, which from the Latin februum, meaning purification with the ritual, Februa, being held on February 15 at the time of the full moon. The month has 28 days in Common Years and 29 in Leap Years, with the 29th day being called the Leap Day. February is the third and last month of Meteorological Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and the shortest month of the year.

Her Grace The Duchess, beautiful no matter the month

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Presentation of Jesus at the Temple

There are a number of observances that take place in February that remembered throughout the month including: the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Feast Day (known as Candlemas, The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, The Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary or The Feast of the Holy Encounter is observed on February 2nd and commemorates the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple by St. Joseph and St . Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Meeting of the Lord, Russian OrthodoxIcon (15th Century)

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February 2nd is Groundhog Day in the U.S.A. and Canada. This tradition derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a Groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day and sees its shadow, it will retreat into its den and winter will last for a further six weeks. Should the animal no see its shadow, spring will arrive early.

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St. Valentine’s Day (lately known simply as Valentine’s Day) is remembered on February 14th (and by the Eastern Orthodox Church on July 6th). St. Valentine was a clergyman and a Roman Saint who lived in the third century and who ministered to persecuted Christians. He was martyred and his body buried on February 14th on the Via Flaminia, an ancient road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum (Rimini).

A Stained-Glass Window showing St. Valentine at The Basilica of St. Valentine in Terni, Italy

This day has been observed as his Feast Day since the eighth century. Saint Valentine was mentioned in the General Roman Calendar for celebration as a simple feast until 1955 when Pope Pius XII reduced all such feasts to just a Commemoration within another celebration. His liturgical veneration was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 due to a lack of, and conflicting, historical information. He remains in the Roman Martyrology, meaning that he is recognized, and local veneration is allowed. However there are some, including me! who prefer to remember the day as The Feast Day of St. Valentine.

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The Kiss – painted by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

Today, the 14th February is simply known as Valentine’s Day and has become linked with romantic love by association with the lovebirds of early spring. As a result, the month of February is known as The Month of Love! In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending greeting cards that came to be known as Valentines. 

An Assortment of Victorian Valentine Cards

Ella Fitzgerald – My Funny Valentine

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President Lincoln’s Birthday is on February 12th and President Washington‘s on the 22nd. Remembrance of all Presidents has taken place since 1789 is now observed as a Federal Holiday in the U.S.A. as Presidents’  Day on the third Monday of the month.

Left: George Washington (1732-1799); Right: Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

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Boris Kustodiev (1878-1927) –Shrovetide (1916)

Shrovetide is the Christian liturgical period prior to the start of Lent that begins on Shrove Saturday and ends at the close of Shrove Tuesday which marks the end of the pre-Lenten season. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday.

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Shrove Tuesday is a day of reflection on sins that need to be repented prior to the start of Lent. The name Shrove comes from the old middle English word. Shriven. which means to confess and repent for the wrongs done.

Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day which comes from the old English custom of using up all the fattening ingredients before Lent, and so ready oneself to fast. Foods such as eggs and milk, which contain fat, are mixed with flour and turned into pancakes. Any meat left should also be consumed.

Pancake Races were once very popular in the U.K., a tradition that probably began in the mid-fifteen century. The most famous pancake race takes place at Olney in Buckinghamshire where in 1445 a woman ran from her home to the church and arrived with a frying pan still in her hand tossing its contents along the way in order to avoid sticking.

The Olney Pancake Race: Upper Left: in 1950; Lower Left: in 1974; and Right: the 1950 winner

Participants in the 415 yard–Race carrying frying pans run through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the pan. The rules are strict and states that contestants must toss the pancake at the start and at the finish of the race and wear a scarf and apron! Some towns in the U.K. and the U.S.A. entered into a competition as to which town ran the race in the shortest time.

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