I’m generally not one for proclaimed holidays like National Ice Cream Day (July 19) or National Pizza Day (February 9)––days that trade associations make up to drum up interest in their products. (Insert official disclaimer here: You will indeed find us celebrating Independent Bookstore Day (April 25) with a full weekend-long event at our shop next month. After all, I do own an independent bookstore, of sorts!) There is also a National Waffle Day in the United States, too. It falls on August 24, which is the date, in 1869, when the first U.S. patent was issued for a waffle iron.
And that’s an interesting story, I suppose. But there is a Waffle Day of much older origin and, truth be told, with a backstory that is infinitely more interesting. It originates in Sweden, and it has to do with the fact that today, the 25th of March, is Lady Day: The Feast of the Annunciation. This old celebration of the Church marks the visitation of the archangel Gabriel to Mary. Gabriel came to deliver the startling news to Mary that she was to bear a child, a son, and that that child would be the light of the world, the son of God.
So yes, a bit of startling news not just for Mary but also perhaps for us: it may feel (it does to me, anyway) like the year is still new, and yet here we are now, nine months to the nativity, nine months to Christmas.
But let’s get back to the waffles. A bit of linguistic confusion in Sweden has made this––for centuries now, with no relation to the day an American patent was issued in 1869––a day to enjoy waffles. This is the kind of Waffle Day story I can get behind and so I, of course, heartily endorse this particular culinary tradition.
So, now, let’s get to the Swedish linguistic confusion. The name Lady Day comes out of the tradition of calling Mary “Our Lady” (as in Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, etc). In Sweden, the day is called Vårfrudagen, which follows the same logic, translating essentially to “Our Lady Day.”
Vårfrudagen, in some Swedish dialects, is awfully close in both spelling and pronunciation to Våffeldagen. And while the former translates to “Our Lady Day,” the latter translates to “Waffle Day.” It is this bit of linguistic confusion that has had Swedes, for centuries now, eating waffles on the Feast of the Annunciation. It’s a tradition that has spilled over to wherever Swedes have left their mark, this annual excuse to eat waffles at any time of day on Vårfrudagen––breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We will be joining their ranks today, and we encourage you to do the same. And while we here in the States are partial to butter and maple syrup atop our waffles, the waffles in Sweden today are typically served with whipped cream and lingonberries or cloudberries. There are also savory waffle dishes, and one of our favorites: waffles with ice cream. If you partake today, and I think you should, we encourage you to enjoy yours as you wish. There is no right or wrong way.
EASTER & SPRINGTIDE DELIGHTS AWAIT!
Shop with us online for traditional wooden bunnies from Germany’s Erzgebirge woodworkers, beautiful pysanky from Ukraine, German splintwood baskets and wood wool Easter grass (none of the plastic stuff!), German papier mache eggs to fill with treats, and as far as the sweets in your basket, how about sweet and sour Swedish candies, licorice (some chocolate covered) and fruitful gummies from Denmark, and marzipan piglets from Germany? CLICK HERE to shop. Lake Worth and South Florida locals: I’m not sure if we’ll be open again before Easter, but we’ll gladly open for you by appointment, or place your order online and come by for pick up this Saturday (March 28): We won’t be open, exactly, but we’re hosting a letterpress printing birthday party at the shop and you may pick up your order while the party is going on. Interested in having your own gathering at the shop? Let us know. You can have a pasta making party, or a letterpress party, or a bookbinding party. My kind of party!
Image: “Het Vertrouwelijk Onderhoud” by Adriaen van Ostade. Oil on panel, 1672 [Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons].