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The Festive Fans end their Creepmas in October with a review of the 2021 film “The Advent Calendar” and a salute to Belgium. We also speak with Sabine Janisela, a diplomat at the Latvian Embassy, who helps us on our Piragi journey, offering both official cultural knowledge along with her own personal experience.
The “Advent Calendar” is a horror film about a mysterious wooden advent calendar that intertwines the coziness of Christmas with a sinister twist. Each door offers to satisfy your deepest wish — at a terrible cost. While the movie may be scary, Belgium is not. It is only the size of the state of New Jersey, but it is surprisingly diverse with its Flemish, Walloon, and Brussels influences. Belgium is like living in a fairy tale, with its cobblestone streets, Gothic churches, medieval castles, canals, and beers brewed by monks in ancient abbeys. Along with the scent of chocolate and waffles in the air, you can’t help but raise a toast to this compact little country.
And speaking of drink, Belgium is a place where its rich beer tradition stretches back nearly a thousand years. They brew more than 1,500 distinctly different beers. Belgians have a deep cultural appreciation and reverence for beer, and the Festive Fans may have just died and gone to heaven, especially since this is also the birthplace of Christmas beers. In Belgium, beer is an art form, and the Christmas beers—also known as “bières de Noël” or “kerstbier”—are their masterpieces. Traditionally brewed for the holiday season, these beers are stronger, richer, and more complex, just like us!
They often have higher alcohol content and seasonal spices—like clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel—to evoke the warmth needed for a winter’s night. The aroma alone recalls festive meals shared with family. These rich, spiced brews embody the Belgian soul—rooted in history and brimming with craftsmanship. Why don’t you crack one open now, gather by the fire, and join us as we get a little spooky in our crossover celebration of Christmas with a little Halloween appreciation.
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