THE FEAST OF FOOLS ⟡ Limited Edition Winter Solstice Box

$158.00

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A limited-edition winter solstice box filled with seasonal offerings inspired by the Feast of Fools midwinter celebration and its antecedents. Expect the honeyed nectar of ripe stone fruit and the candied aromas of dried fig, pomelo rinds, and raisins. Warm spices, sticky dates, and decadent resins, whose gourmand subsidiary notes are elevated by the addition of warm vanilla, cacao, seasonal spirits, and truffles.

Have you heard of the Feast of Fools? Those familiar may have been introduced to this tradition through the animated film adaptation of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris; 'The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'. Primarily celebrated within the north of France, The Feast of Fools is a clerical midwinter celebration with a notorious reputation for being full of folly. The streets were thought to have been rampant with raucous behaviour; a 'topsy-turvy' time where common sense and propriety were left to the wayside so that revelers could celebrate without restraint.

Though this colourful portrait of pageantry and misrule is widespread within the contemporary understanding of medieval festivities, scholars are understanding that it may have been exaggerated some. Within the Church, the Feast of Fools remained a relatively dignified affair, with modest reversals of roles within the clergy in addition to plays and hymns. This still disgruntled the powers that be enough to see the tradition banned for several years, however, for the sentiment of midwinter festivals of yore, like Saturnalia, remained: the subversion of hierarchy, the toppling of power, and the dissolving of societal norms.

Though the clerical celebrations practiced during the Feast of Fools may have been conflated with earlier pagan observances and anachronistic secular tomfoolery, the ancient themes of irreverence, discordance, and raucous interruption of the status quo continue to flavour our midwinter festivities—critical sentiments that matter now more than ever as we continue to watch the disparity grow between the inhabitants of the earth and those who govern shamelessly over them.

The Feast of Fools is a fragrant bacchanal of hedonistic fantasies and olfactory revelry to be preciously savoured; a reminder of the true, sensual riches of the world, and a means to access and incorporate them into ritual while attempting to thrive rather than survive this holiday season and onward.

This Limited Edition Solstice Box Includes:

𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕱𝖊𝖆𝖘𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕱𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖘 ⟡ Eau de Parfum
candied pomelo rind · dark chocolate liqueur · truffle · coffee · cardamom · dried fruit · saffron · golden incense

Inspired by the unabashed displays of wealth by Medieval nobility during Christmas feasts and festivities. Confected from 11 mouthwatering artisanal extracts made in-house, the resulting fragrance is a complex and profound mixture of classic gourmand notes, aphrodisiac spices, and our signature earthen musk undercurrent that could draw even the most dubious of noses into the gourmand fold. It is an unapologetically hedonistic creation, capturing notes previously left to fantasy to fully immerse the wearer in the season’s revelry.

Impressions: warm; spiced; resinous; bitter chocolate, candied citrus rinds; honeyed fig and date preserve; oak aging cask; sticky-sweet earthen musk imprint from mushroom tinctures

INGREDIENTS: Alcohol (Cane, Organic), Natural Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oils, Absolutes, CO2s, and Plant Extracts*)
*Contains artisanal tinctures of dried figs, persimmon, apricot, red currant, raisin, dates, pomelo, propolis, candy cap mushroom, truffle, and milky oolong tea, made in-house and extracted in organic cane sugar alcohol. WARNING: natural extracts contain natural dyes; avoid spraying directly onto light-coloured materials.

15ml Eau de Parfum presented in a black glass bottle with an atomizer.

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𝕾𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖎𝖙 𝖔𝖋 𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖊 ⟡ Gilded Incense Cones
pomelo · propolis · cinnamon · frankincense · saffron · labdanum

What’s a celebration without a little mischief? The Feast of Fools, borne of a desire to subvert societal norms and submit to revelry, has existed under many names, but rarely a different guise. By the early Tudor era, Henry the VIIth had revived the time-old tradition by appointing a “Lord of Misrule” during Mid-winter court celebrations, which could last 12 days and 12 nights. Oftentimes of lower societal standing, the Lord of Misrule would preside over feasts, plays, and other festive processions, inciting raucous merriment unruly behaviour.

In the spirit of misrule, we’ve concocted an extravagant olfactory spread full of contrasting notes and boisterous aromatic profiles for you to enjoy and set aflame. Made with artisanal extracts, essential oils, golden mica, and a heart full of mirth.

Impressions: bright solar energy juxtaposed against dark, decadent labdanum; the waxy, resinous warmth of propolis gilded with pomelo rind; the jovial elegance of sweet saffron

The Ritual: Light the pointed end of a cone with a match or lighter until a small flame ignites. Allow flame to catch, then snuff and place on a heat-resistant surface, allowing for fragrant smoke to fill the room.

INGREDIENTS: homemade artisanal tinctures of labdanum resin, propolis, pomelo, and saffron, saffron essential oil, frankincense sacra essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, charcoal , ethically-sourced mica

25 naturally-scented black charcoal cones dusted in 24 karat gold mica, presented in a black glass apothecary jar. Each cone burns approximately 10 minutes.

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𝕿𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖋𝖙𝖍 𝕹𝖎𝖌𝖍𝖙 ⟡ Plum Pudding Body Butter
brandy butter · red wine macerated red fruit · warm spice · vanilla cream · oakwood cask

A popular spirit-soaked confection served across the British Empire, plum pudding (or Christmas pudding) is an enduring holiday tradition where a mixture of spices, dried fruit, and candied citrus rinds is combined with eggs, breadcrumbs, and suet before being liberally doused in alcohol. Popularized during the 16th century, it became a common feature at Twelfth Night celebrations, and previously contained meats, grain, and root vegetables before the public gained increased access to imported goods.

While the inclusion of these savoury additions may have been left in the past, other, more folkloric traditions persist. There are superstitions surrounding the exact methods of preparation and presentation (like 'Stir-up Sunday', when family members stir the Christmas pudding-to-be), and tokens like beans or coins are oftentimes hidden throughout the pudding to predict (mis)fortune or elect a ruler for the night—a tradition traced as far back as the 1300s.

The Ritual: Scoop the desired amount of botanical butter into your hands and apply liberally over the body/where moisture and care are needed most. Incorporate into rituals of self-care, as an aphrodisiac massage ointment, etc. Applies smooth with a small grit which dissolves into a satin finish.

INGREDIENTS: Astrocaryum Tucuma Seed Butter, Mangifera Indica (Mango) Seed Butter, olive squalane,.Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Kaolin, Vitis Vinifera (Red Wine) Extract, Natural Fragrance/Parfum (Essential Oils, Absolutes, CO2s, and Plant Extracts)

Presented in a 50ml black glass jar with lid. Store in a cool, dry area after us. Use within 6-8 months once open.

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𝕻𝖔𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖒 ⟡ Scented Ornament
pomelo zest · warm spice · red wine · dried fruit · rose · labdanum · patchouli · peru balsam

Meant to adorn the body, to decorate the home, or for use as a portable, magical charm for mirth, enticement, and protection; hand-rolled spherical charms made of candied fruits, warming spices, and handpicked herbs, bound by ancient, fragrant fixatives like precious resins, red wine. and rose water.

Now a common midwinter folkcraft, the modern-day clove and orange pomander is a humble, cheerful token with an extravagant ancestry. Since the spread of the bubonic plague in the 14th century, medieval and renaissance-era Europe became preoccupied with the idea that pestilence and spiritual disease were carried through the air on clouds of filth and malodour. Scent was believed to be a powerful remedy and repellent for these evils, and members of the upper echelon and clergy began to carry scented adornment in the form of pendants, sceptres, and nosegays. One such token was the pomander—la pomme d'ambre (amber apple)—which combined strongly-scented spices, resins, herbs, and other precious aromatic ingredients like ambergris into an ornate perforated vessel.

Impressions: a bright citric burst against contrasting dark resins; amber; warm, sweet, and spicy; hints of earth, wooden cask, and leather

The Ritual: pomanders are adaptable, multi-purpose tokens that can be worn as jewelry, hung as a fragrant decoration, or carried in a concealed manner for a fragrant reprieve for metaphorical miasma. Always store your pomander charm away after use to preserve scent. Once spent, pomander balls can either be burned as incense*, or re-scented with a fragrant oil of your choice for continued use.

Two fragrant, handmade pomade balls presented in a black gift box with locket charm and burgundy ribbon.
*Pomander balls are not self-igniting and require the use of either charcoal discs or electric/candle-lit incense burners.

RAW PLANT SPIRITS (INGREDIENTS): Cistus Ladaniferus (Labdanum) Resin, Canarium Luzonicum (Elemi) Resin, Vanilla Planifolia, Crocus Sativus (Saffron), Ficus Carica (Fig) Fruit, Prunus Armeniacum (Apricot) Fruit, Vitis Vinifera (Raisin) Fruit, Ribes Spp. (Currants), Citrus Maxima (Pomelo), Phoenix Dactylifera (Date) Fruit, Cinnamomum Verum (Ceylon Cinnamon), Elettaria Cardamomum (Cardamom), Chrysopogon Zizanioides (Vetiver), homegrown Verbena Officinalis, homegrown Rosa Sp.

OTHER INGREDIENTS: Vitis Vinifera (Red Wine), Rose Water, Myroxylon Balsamum (Peru Balsam) Resinoid, Pogostemon Cablin (Patchouli) Essential Oil

NATURAL · BOTANICAL · UNISEX
ARTISANALLY HANDCARFTED IN-HOUSE
THIS SEASONAL BOX CONTAINS HANDMADE ARTISANAL TINCTURES AND SEASONAL INGREDIENTS, AND IS LIMITED EDITION.