Today being the day after 12th night (Epiphany) many English people will have taken down the decorations believing it to be unlucky not to. Yet our French neighbours will leave them up for some weeks yet and we wondered why we have been busy putting things back to normal. That fount of all knowledge Wikipedia suggests it is to do with Candlemas, the presentation of the infant Jesus, but isn't too clear on why we think it unlucky.
In times gone by it was quite normal apparently to decorate homes and trees with edible gifts such as fruit and often the end of the festive period was marked by taking these down and eating them, so perhaps it was unlucky to leave them any longer. And the "galette" we have seen and heard so much about in our boulangeries had a traditional equivalent in England with the finder of a bean (feve) being elected king of the 12th night festivities and the female finder of a pea being his consort.
Here at Mas del Sol our Christmas tree blew down in the storm on Saturday evening, so perhaps it was a sign.
