The most illuminating words for me in the limbo between Christmas and bright new 2015 came in a piece by Catherine Philp in The Times: “Even if they are willing, many ordinary Yazidis are unable to explain the origins of their esoteric traditions – the refusal to wear blue or eat lettuce, for example.” I tried them out and they proved applicable to almost everything around us. “Many ordinary English are unable to explain the origins of their esoteric traditions – the refusal to wear kilts or eat haggis, for example.” Who can explain, either, the refusal of almost anyone in Britain to come out of their houses between 24 December and 2 January, except to take part in ritualised fighting in department stores and to throng railway stations from which all co