Monthly Archives: January 2013

The traditions of “Driekoningendag” (Three Kings Day) and “Verloren Maandag” (Lost Monday)

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As if the Christmas and New Year celebrations are not enough, there were a few more days of feasting and special events here in Belgium.  Jan 6th is known as Driekoningendag (Three Kings Day) or Epiphany according to the Christian calendar.     

Young children, usually accompanied by an older sibling or parent, and sometimes dressed up like kings walk from house to house, singing special songs and for this, they are rewarded with money or sweets. 

It is the tradition that bakeries will bake a a special tart called “Driekoningentaart” or Three Kings tart.  It is a puff pastry cake filled with frangipane and has a coin or bean hidden inside. Whoever gets the piece of cake with the coin is “King/Queen for the Day” and gets to wear the crown.

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Monday the 7th was “Verloren Maandag” (Lost Monday), also a long standing Flemish tradition.  It is the custom for bakeries to sell “worstenbroden” (sausage roll) and “appelbollen” (apple pie)  on this day. There’s more than one explanation for the origin of the day and its customs.  Some say that the Monday following Driekoningendag was a day lost because nobody worked.  City officials were sworn in on this day which was then followed by celebrations.  A variant on the story is that the different guilds had their celebrations and to celebrate this, a cheap meal was offered to all and so the “worstenbrood” was baked. 

Another legend is that, once again because of Driekoningdag, laborers would spend most of their money on drink.  The bakers and butchers devised the ‘worstenbrood” as a cheap meal to ensure that people would have something to eat.  The legend goes on that the bakers over the years decided that their customers need something sweet as well as so the ‘appelbol” was born. 

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Regardless of the origin of “Verloren Maandag”, bakeries go to extra trouble in providing a bigger selection of different “worstenbroden”.  One of our local bakeries offered single, double, curry flavored and with different vegetables. 

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For the moment no more feasting, but the reality of more careful eating!  Only until next year or the next reason to celebrate!