Tag: Holiday

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Who’s day is it anyway?

So tomorrow is yet another “holiday” that my company doesn’t support. What’s the use of national holidays, those that are there to honor our leaders (religious or political), our freedom fighters, our country, or just a little recognition of fun. Monday is a holiday for most in the financial world, and as my world revolves around that, I’m sure I’ll have a slow day.

I took a moment to check out our holiday as my Porto Rico Importing Company calendar states it’s Washington’s Birthday Observed. Mean while all the commercials and it seems socially known as President’s/Presidents’/Presidents Day… Ever since 1968, federal law has decreed the third Monday in February to be Washington’s Birthday… for the purpose of creating a three day weekend for the working class of America.

According to “Prologue”, the magazine of the National Archives, it was a local department-store promotion that went national when retailers discovered that generic Presidents closed more revenue that a single popular one. I too have wondered if Fox news will pick up the fight here against the dissolve of holiday’s with a War on Washington’s Birthday story.

Washington’s birthday was actually either Feb. 11th, 1731 or Feb 22nd, 1732 – depending on the calendar used.

At any rate, I only bring this up because I’d like to properly celebrate the man for whom the day was created – one president, our founding father, rather than have to lump all presidents into a day of celebration, including those, IMHO, that don’t deserve to be recognized. I shall celebrate in my own way, despite having to still be in the office, per my employer. Salute and have a great three day weekend all.

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Saint Valentine’s Day

Do you know what this day is all about? Besides the existence of commercial retail to push material junk on the sexes in the name of emotion… St. Valentine, which is used to mark a reference to several martyred saints of ancient Rome… is in a word, shit.

One of which was a roman empire priest (Valentinus) whom helped prosecute the Christians during the reign of Emperor Claudius II; who would eventually restore the Empire and during that rise he took thousands of prisoners, destroyed the Gothic cavalry as a force and stormed their chariot laager (a circular alignment of battle-wagons long favored by the Goths). The victory earned Claudius his surname of “Gothicus” (conqueror of the Goths). He was eventually imprisoned and beheaded. Sounds like love to me.

It’s also traced back to A bishop of Interamna (modern Terni), who was also beheaded during the period of Claudius II.

The feast of Saint Valentine was formerly celebrated on February 14 by the Roman Catholic Church until a revised calendar was issued in 1969… uh yeah 69, whatever… The feast for such horribly demised figures of the time, may have been an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia celebrated on February 15. Lupercalia originally began with the sacrifice by the Luperci (or the flamen dialis) of two male goats and a dog. Next two patrician young Luperci were led to the altar, to be anointed on their foreheads with the sacrificial blood, which was wiped off the bloody knife with wool soaked in milk, after which they were expected to smile and laugh; the smearing of the forehead with blood probably refers to human sacrifice originally practiced at the festival.

Yeah I guess you do need a happy day to get over the sacrifice of virgins, unusual use of milk and laughter… hmmm how about a candy heart to perk you up? For this, I am glad our public schools celebrate Valentine’s Day. Teach em’ young!