The Ritual Master Hello dear friends, and Happy Advent !
Welcome back to the most festive time of the year, here at The Ritual of Reading, where we follow the tradition of the Advent Calendar by opening a new video every day of December until Christmas. Many of you will remember that last year I challenged myself to explore the Scandinavian culture for my Advent Calendar, and I say challenge since I hadn’t read any books by Northern European authors up to that point. It was a true discovery of books, of traditions, of delicious foods, a real moment of escapism topped off with a week-end in Copenhagen. Simply magical. So naturally, I wanted more !
To be honest, my Advent Calendars are simply excuses I give myself to buy new books, try new recipes and visit a Christmas market somewhere. So for this third edition, my attention will be focused entirely on Austria. The literary challenge will be comparable to last year’s, since I am in no way a connaisseur of Austrian literature. As for the traditions, culture and gastronomy, I believe I’m a bit closer to home.
Growing up in Transylvania, even if a few decades after the end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, many of the customs from the time of the occupation were still present in every day life. Be they words we kept to design certain objects, recipes from the Austrian and Hungarian cuisine, or even certain attitudes of people. This is my opportunity to go deeper and discover the roots of many childhood memories, connect the dots if you wish, not to mention finding out many new things.
I’ve mentioned in previous years that my Advent practice is not rooted in any religious ideology other than the therapeutic power of Joy. And it is with expansive joy that I fashion myself an Advent candle wreath of sorts, every year. This year, I’m using my glass baubles from previous Christmases in a safer way for my cat, by gluing them down to the candle holder and making sure she cannot hurt herself with broken glass. The smell of fresh pine is as Chrismassy as it gets for me, and having just covered the subject of olfactory memory in a previous video, I think this is the perfect universal example of the power of smell that instantly transports you.
This inauguration of the winter season asks for a festive drink, and there is nothing more Viennese than a Christmas punch to warm yourself with in the cold evenings. This is the drink of choice at every Christmas market in Austria, accompanied by hot roasted chestnuts and winter cheer.
The first step is making a few cups of tea, you can go with black but since I’ll be having mine in the evening, I prefer an infusion of fruit with some hibiscus in it, to give it that lovely deep red colour. Add in your stick of cinnamon and whole cloves while the water is boiling, star anise as well if you like. It’s slowly starting to smell like Christmas, so now is the perfect moment to juice some oranges. Enough to get you smiling, or about 250ml. Combine with the tea and some sweetener to taste. You could stop here, and it would be what they call Kinder punch in Austria, the children drink, but I’m going ahead with the spiced version by adding the traditional Cointreau, or orange liqueur, and the less traditional Amaretto instead of rum. The rum version would be stronger but the subtle almond flavour of Amaretto with somewhat less alcohol is my little twist. Festive cups of your choice and you’re ready to party !
With my piping hot punch, and a great novel at hand, I declare The Ritual of Reading’s 2023 Advent Calendar officially begun !
See you tomorrow !
