One Day To Come Together
This week is a barrage of holidays; Fat Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Chinese New Year, and Valentine’s Day. I’m sure I missed a few in that list.
Did you know that Valentine’s Day originated as a pagan tradition in the third century? It was a day of feasting to honor a God who guarded shepherds’ flocks and also on that day the names of young women were put into a box and names were drawn by lot. The boys and girls who were matched would be considered partners for the year, which began in March. Later it was “Christianized,” like so very many other things, and the priests substituted the drawing of Saints names for the names of the girls. Why am I telling you this? To further illustrate what a ruse the modern day celebration of Valentine’s Day is. How did it go from that to Hallmark, obscene amounts of cheap bourgeois milk chocolate, flowers whose price is inflated the week before the holiday, and large engagement rings that send the happy couple into a debt that ends up breaking up their marriage? No, this attitude does not stem from the prospect of not being coupled on Valentine’s Day. It’s just one more fun holiday to get through. If anyone at work leaves those chalky candy hearts on my desk Monday I will stage a protest.
In what may or may not be related news, did you know it’s the year of the cock? Does anyone else find that funny in a 13 year old boy dick and fart joke kind of way? Maybe I shouldn’t be quite so bleak about what’s on the horizon for 2005 if that’s the case. Happy Chinese New Year! I’ll keep you posted.
Did you know that Valentine’s Day originated as a pagan tradition in the third century? It was a day of feasting to honor a God who guarded shepherds’ flocks and also on that day the names of young women were put into a box and names were drawn by lot. The boys and girls who were matched would be considered partners for the year, which began in March. Later it was “Christianized,” like so very many other things, and the priests substituted the drawing of Saints names for the names of the girls. Why am I telling you this? To further illustrate what a ruse the modern day celebration of Valentine’s Day is. How did it go from that to Hallmark, obscene amounts of cheap bourgeois milk chocolate, flowers whose price is inflated the week before the holiday, and large engagement rings that send the happy couple into a debt that ends up breaking up their marriage? No, this attitude does not stem from the prospect of not being coupled on Valentine’s Day. It’s just one more fun holiday to get through. If anyone at work leaves those chalky candy hearts on my desk Monday I will stage a protest.
In what may or may not be related news, did you know it’s the year of the cock? Does anyone else find that funny in a 13 year old boy dick and fart joke kind of way? Maybe I shouldn’t be quite so bleak about what’s on the horizon for 2005 if that’s the case. Happy Chinese New Year! I’ll keep you posted.
posted by Michelle at 4:14 PM
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