Book of Days

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].

It is the 25th of March: the Feast of the Annunciation, celebrating the visit of the archangel Gabriel to Mary to deliver the news that she was to bear a child, a son, and that that child would be the light of the world, the son of God. We are precisely nine months to the nativity, nine months to Christmas. The day is known also as Lady Day, as in Mary, Our Lady (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.”

That same logic, in an illogical way, also informs the menu for the day: it is traditional amongst Swedes to eat waffles today, which, to us, is always a good idea. This has happened purely as a matter of linguistic blundering: 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. The waffles in Sweden today are typically served with whipped cream and lingonberries or cloudberries. Enjoy yours as you wish!

Image: “Het Vertrouwelijk Onderhoud” by Adriaen van Ostade. Oil on panel, 1672 [Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons]. These folks are about to enjoy a waffle together!

A reminder about our Springtime Stock-Up Sale: at the Convivio Bookworks catalog, $10 off everything in the shop when you spend $65, plus free domestic shipping when you used the discount code BUNNY at checkout. New arrivals and other springtime offerings include handmade paper egg containers from Germany (perfect for your jelly beans and malted eggs come Easter!), handmade wooden bunnies from Germany to help welcome spring, as well as handpainted pysanky eggs from Poland and Ukraine, and handmade chenille chicks from Germany for your Easter basket. “Handmade” is the theme for almost everything we offer. Use the BUNNY discount code also toward all of our Shaker teas and culinary herbs, toward our selection of Ramadan and Eid cards from Hello Holy Days! (Ramadan begins April 12!), toward our beautiful triple layer face masks from Chiapas… everything we sell.
 

What with Lent being so late in coming this year, Shrove Tuesday’s pancake supper was not even two weeks ago, and so there is a good chance that many of you won’t be as excited as you typically are for Waffle Day; be that as it may, here it is. Våffeldagen is the Swedish for Waffle Day, and it is out of a bit of linguistic misunderstanding that makes today, the 25th of March, a traditional day of waffle eating. The more reverent aspect of the day is the Feast of the Annunciation. It marks the day that the archangel Gabriel visited Mary to deliver the news that she was to bear a child, a son, and that that child would be the light of the world, the son of God. It is March 25th and we are precisely nine months to the nativity.

In many places, the day is also known as Lady Day, and this is where the waffles come in. In Sweden, the day is called Vårfrudagen, which basically translates to “Our Lady Day.” But Vårfrudagen, in some Swedish dialects, is awfully close in both spelling and pronunciation to Våffeldagen, which translates to “Waffle Day.” Swedes, as a result of this misunderstanding, have for centuries been eating waffles on Lady Day. 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. And so we invite you to join them. We plan on doing so. The waffles in Sweden today are typically served with whipped cream and lingonberries or cloudberries. Enjoy yours as you wish!

Image: “Het Vertrouwelijk Onderhoud” by Adriaen van Ostade. Oil on panel, 1672 [Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons]. These folks are about to enjoy a waffle together!