The President and Committee of the Oxford Society of Belgium

This year their Twelfth Night party will take place on Sunday 9th January at 5.00 P.M. in the Erasmus House Museum, Rue du Chapitre, 31 Kapittelstraat Bruxelles 1070 Brussel (02 521 13 83) www.erasmushouse.museum

Their celebrations will start with a festive tea, after which the curator of the museum, Mr Alexandre Vanautgaerden will give a short presentation of the house, its history and Erasmus' part in the intellectual life of his day. This will be followed by a concert "Music for Yuletide" performed by the early music group Sinfonye, directed by Stevie Wishart.

The music The feasts of Christmas were particularly rich in subject and imagery and gave rise to some of the most captivating music from medieval England, with joyous salutations to Mary and the Angel Gabriel, as well as more intimate songs of the nativity. The cult of Mary seems to have been as real as the courtly Lady of the troubadours, and for English song-writers she stands supreme over the Christ-child and all the other figures of the Christmas story. The most detailed story-song in her honour is one of a group of songs celebrating Christmas feast days at Winchester College when, according to the College statutes, a fire would be lit in hall and the scholars and fellows would pass the evening with songs and other decent entertainments, with poems, chronicles of kings, and the marvels of this world.