By Joanne Steventon
Between the old stone walls and wooden rafters of the Byward Market’s Courtyard Restaurant, women in medieval ball gowns and men in masks and tights mingle to the sound of harpsichord and violin.
The only evidence that it isn’t the year 1575 is the electric fans and dimmed lights hanging from the ceiling.
“At this time of the year we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany,” says Joy Holt, a member of the Twelfth Night Society of Ottawa.
For 18 years this Ottawa society, with a passion for the years 1558 to 1603, has been meeting not just to celebrate this medieval holiday but to relive it.
In the time of kings, queens, and knights in shining armour this feast was traditionally celebrated twelve days after Christmas. For western Christians it marks 12 days after the birth of Jesus Christ.
“It’s an active involvement in history, rather than sitting back and reading a book,” says Linda Loder, one of the organizers.
The evening consists of role playing and traditional English dancing while guests are clad in period costume.
Some of this year’s 30 guests included a Queen Elizabeth I look-alike and a court jester.
The first dinner was held in 1986 when two British dance groups in the Glebe gathered for a Christmas party. They had some medieval costumes left over from a recital, which gave them the idea of having a Twelfth Night feast. About 80 people attended the first gathering.
Angela Kilby has been with the society since the beginning and remembers what an enormous task it was to organize the first feast.
“We made all of the food ourselves, it was a lot of work,” she says, but admits they did have a bit of help.
“We brought some of our children as serving wenches,” she adds jokingly.
With the kids all grown up, the group now relies on waiters from local restaurants to serve them their traditional medieval dinner.
Poached salmon in lemon butter sauce with a side of mushrooms and leeks were on the menu this year.
The feast isn’t the only activity this group does to satisfy their hunger for knowledge of the Elizabethan era.
During the winter, the society meets every week to brush up on traditional English dance moves and once a month for a more formal function, like an Elizabethan dinner at someone’s home.
The group also puts on at least one original dramatic production every year. For this reason, Loder says it’s always nice to see fresh faces in the group.
“We’re always looking for new members,” she says. “People with new ideas.”
To her and her husband, it’s not just an inexpensive source of entertainment, but it’s also very satisfying to take part in the shows.
They take part in Twelfth Night activities “instead of going down to the NAC and passively watching a play, while other people are having all the fun,” Loder says.
It may not have really been the year 1575, but for the people attending this year’s feast, it came close.
At the end of the evening, the ceiling lights were dimmed for — what else — a candlelight ball.