Setting the table is a tradition. In the Middle Ages, setting the table meant exactly that. In the castles there was no dining room, and the owners of the house had the custom of eating in the kitchen. When they received guests, planks that served as tables were placed in the place that the king or the feudal lord chose, according to the time of year and the importance of the guests.
Everything was rudimentary: there were no napkins, no plates, no forks, and the guests ate from a single dish that contained large pieces of meat. How did they clean their hands back then? With a large cloth that the host hung from his shoulder, with the back of tied rabbits, or preferably with another guest’s tunic.
This custom, over time, was taking a different turn thanks to well-known characters in history who little by little changed the rules, becoming more hygienic and refined. It was Theodora, daughter of the Emperor of Byzantium, who invented the single-skewered fork, Leonardo Da Vinci who -in addition to being the inventor of nouvelle cuisine- was also the inventor of the napkin as it is currently known, and Cardinal Richelieu who ordered round the tips of the knives.
It is enough to see some films like Marie Antoinette by Sofia Cóppola (2006) that portray the sumptuousness of the tables and courts, despite the poor hygiene that existed in those times.
Setting up and decorating a table today is considered an art and it is always an act of love towards those we wish to entertain.
We are in the advent season and counting down to the Christmas Eve, Christmas and New Year festivities, so these are a good occasion to prepare a special table. On the night of December 24, Catholicism commemorates the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. It is a celebration that -with the passage of time- has become more inclusive, since not only Catholics meet, but it is taken as a moment of meeting with family, friends and those who come from far away and cannot meet with their loved ones, inviting reflection, to ask and offer forgiveness, to thank, or in other words to shuffle and give again for the better.
If they are large celebrations, it is convenient to prepare with enough time and in an organized way, because in this case the hosting may be shared with other families or friends, so that dividing up tasks will allow everyone to free themselves from the inveterate stress of the end of the year and be ready to greater enjoyment.
Let’s see what are the typical colors for these dates? We start seeing them every year in mid-November. Among them we find red, green, white, silver, gold and blue. They are not whimsical tones, but tell a story.
They have to do with past times, since even before Christ they were used in the Roman festivities that took place between December 17 and 23 of each year in honor of Saturn, God of Agriculture and Harvest, known as the saturnalia
Grass green and deep red are the colors of mistletoe and holly and were used to decorate homes during cold winters. The Celts venerated these shrubs, which they considered sacred, believing that they brought prosperity, in addition to the beauty they brought. These colors, along with silver and blue, were later adopted by Christianity.
In fact, although traditionally the Christmas trees with which we decorate our houses are green and with red decorations, there are also white ones with silver, gold or blue spheres. Marketing has been setting trends in this regard.
Now, do these colors have any symbology? Of course yes!
Blue represents water and is related to the purpose of reconciliation. Silver embodies gratitude to the Universe, to life, to others.
Gold symbolizes praise. If we use this color on the table, it is because we want to signify that something or someone has done us very well and it is our desire to highlight it. It is similar to silver.
Red represents the blood of Christ, but also the requests we want to make.
For our table I chose different shades of red, green, silver, white, and gold and put together a special presentation for Christmas Eve. A lot of foliage was used in the shape of a boa or snake, (this is the name given to the arrangement that crosses the table from end to end), to which were added pomegranates, grapes and poinsettias or poinsettias, also known as federal stars and whose meaning is the most beautiful.
The foliage can be of this type or natural. The latter is an option that can be as beautiful as the former and give the table greater freshness due to the typical aromas of our nature, which are different from vanilla, orange and mistletoe. For the night, the candles that give a more dramatic touch to the environment and the lanterns are also allegorical.
As for the glasses, I used a set of translucent and green Bohemian crystal inherited from my parents, which were part of the gifts they received at their wedding, very 50’s, mainly for the style of the champagne glasses. Did you know that Louis XVI had champagne glasses made for his queen, Marie Antoinette, in the shape and size of her breasts?
In times gone by, major glassware brands such as Baccarat, Bohemia, Lalique, Sévres, and Vista Allegre used color in their glasses and sized them one size higher than the rest of the set. Red for red wine and green for white. That way you avoided seeing the wine dregs.
Today, as a consequence of technological innovation in the wine industry, wines have improved remarkably, so this circumstance led to a change in the shapes and colors of the glasses. Red and green were replaced by glass or translucent crystal, differentiating the cup for reds from the one for whites in that the former have a larger upper part (chalice) and a more open mouth. And to give more color to the glassware, I accompanied them with burgundy vintage glasses.
Regarding the tableware, I chose earthenware plates with a white background and a gold-colored ferrule, with a grass green circular edge and a little bee in the center of the Anthropology signature.
To put together a nice table it is not necessary to have a large budget, but to recreate our own imagination. The furniture itself, if it is of good quality, can be left in sight and if it is simpler, table linen is used. Burlap tablecloths are very cool and trendy. On the table that I present to you, white linen placemats with vanillas and floral bouquets were used.
As you can see, we have inherited many customs from the old continent: the colors, the Christmas tree, the smells and menus. The latter are very caloric by the way, since they are suitable for the winter temperatures of those places. That is why the reason for eating hot meats, consommés, caramelized, panettone and nougat is explained. To this is added the vin chaud or mulled wine prepared with ingredients such as chocolate, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise or orange peels.
What if this year we dare to reverse the menu and instead of eating according to the gourmet customs of the countries of the northern hemisphere, we combine the typical dishes with some more in line with our climate, using seasonal fruits and vegetables. Obviously for each of us there is a meal that we do not want to replace for different reasons, such as the delicious roast, among others.
Cold soups such as gazpacho, pumpkin, carrot and clove broth, as well as salads and cold meats get along much better with high temperatures.
And in relation to desserts or desserts there are many options that can replace puddings, very chocolatey cakes and puddings. This way you can show off with a fresher sweet table and as rich as the others, trying a red fruit or passion fruit panna cotta, a pavlova based on meringue, whipped cream and fruit, some cannolis filled with ice cream, fruit mousses and the inevitable Macedonia. I’ll give you a tip for the fruit salad: if you add a splash of orange blossom water or ground cayenne pepper and mint leaves, you can experience flavors that are as unusual as they are wonderful.
For drinks it is essential to have everything well organized in terms of quantities, tastes and temperatures. White, rosé and sparkling wines are placed in fraperas or in brass buckets with 2/3 parts ice and one part water so that they can maintain their ideal temperature.
For the little ones we can prepare delicious smoothies with seasonal fruits and/or vegetables.
Now, the subject of Christmas outfits deserves a separate paragraph.
There are several options to choose from. The shades for the Spring Summer 2022/23 season, according to the Pantone Institute, are very pery, a combination of reddish blue and purplish, grass green, vitamin C orange, indigo blue, bubblegum pink and neon green which is a color with high saturation and of course the classic neutrals: white, which is the sum of all colors, black, which represents no color, and ivory, beige, camel, and gray.
Now, even when these colors are a trend, it is also traditional to look with one of the usual Christmas colors, such as emerald green, grass green, also called Bottega Veneta, red, white or gold and silver.
This year the European street style trend is crochet, shiny fabrics such as sequins or iridescent textiles, extra-large jacket and trouser suits and crop tops.
To be beautiful and favor comfort, jumpsuits, boho-style dresses in light textures such as linen, silk and chiffon, asymmetrical tops and dresses, Vichy prints, kaftans, are appropriate.
For the youngest, dresses and pants with a lot of shine and cut-outs set the trend. The same happens with shoes: to be comfortable, what better way than to wear heels according to our age, but that is not why we should settle for ugly shoes, (which represent ugly fashion) and which since the pandemic have become viral, multiplying in models and textures and being manufactured by leading brands such as Gucci, Prada, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Roger Vivier and many more.
Another way to choose the tonality of our outfits is to take into account what is called Color Psychology, a field of study that investigates the effect of different colors on human emotions, choices and behaviors.
Red has many connotations, positive and not so many. It means power, strength, passion, it draws attention on a visual level. Being a color related to passionate feelings, it may reflect both love and its opposite: anger.
For these dates we are going to give it a special meaning, we will associate it with love, warmth, happiness.
What can we say about green? It is a color that we find in nature, which rests the eyes, gives a sense of stability, heals the mind and represents hope in every way: the hope of achieving a goal, of recovering health, of being appreciated.
White, unlike red, represents all colors. If we pass a ray of light through a prism following Isaac Newton’s Theory, that ray will break down into the seven colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and indigo. It is absoluteness, the representation of luminosity. It symbolizes freedom, peace, purification, a new rebirth, hope in the future, purity of feelings, spirituality. It is the color of angels, of eternity, of paradise. That is why in Christian liturgies, white garments are used in the solemnities of Christmas, it is the color of peace.
White, like other neutrals, are colors that are present in all seasons, they are a classic.
Now, as the Executive Director of the Pantone Institute, Leatrice Eiseman, who I quote, said: “The colors for spring and summer 2022 unite our desires for familiarity and comfort with those of a happy adventure through a range of calming colors timeless colors and cheerful tones that pay homage to joviality”.
Why then, not make their words your own and beyond all that has been said, choose the color or colors that best express ourselves for the holidays.
Christmas table: the history, the rites and everything you need to know to assemble and decorate it