#st. thomas's eve

[onceuponatown]

The history of Christmas traditions kept evolving throughout the 19th century, when most of the familiar components of the modern Christmas including St. Nicholas, Santa Claus, and Christmas trees, became popular. The changes in how Christmas was celebrated were so profound that it's safe to say someone alive in 1800 would not even recognize the Christmas celebrations held in 1900.

Washington Irving and St. Nicholas

Early Dutch settlers of New York considered St. Nicholas to be their patron saint and practiced a yearly ritual of hanging stockings to receive presents on St. Nicholas Eve, in early December. Washington Irving, in his fanciful History of New York, mentioned that St. Nicholas had a wagon he could ride “over the tops of trees” when he brought “his yearly presents to children.”

The Dutch word “Sinterklaas” for St. Nicholas evolved into the English “Santa Claus,” thanks in part to a New York City printer, William Gilley, who published an anonymous poem referring to “Santeclaus” in a children’s book in 1821. The poem was also the first mention of a character based on St. Nicholas having a sleigh, in this case, pulled by a single reindeer.

Clement Clarke Moore and The Night Before Christmas

Perhaps the best-known poem in the English language is “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” or as it’s often called, “The Night Before Christmas.” Its author, Clement Clarke Moore, a professor who owned an estate on the west side of Manhattan, would have been quite familiar with the St. Nicholas traditions followed in early 19th century New York. The poem was first published, anonymously, in a newspaper in Troy, New York, on December 23, 1823.

Reading the poem today, one might assume that Moore simply portrayed the common traditions. Yet he actually did something quite radical by changing some of the traditions while also describing features that were entirely new.

For instance, the St. Nicholas gift giving would have taken place on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day. Moore moved the events he describes to Christmas Eve. He also came up with the concept of “St. Nick” having eight reindeer, each of them with a distinctive name.

Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol

The other great work of Christmas literature from the 19th century is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In writing the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Dickens wanted to comment on greed in Victorian Britain. He also made Christmas a more prominent holiday and permanently associated himself with Christmas celebrations.

Dickens was inspired to write his classic story after speaking to working people in the industrial city of Manchester, England, in early October 1843. He wrote A Christmas Carol quickly, and when it appeared in bookstores the week before Christmas 1843 it began to sell very well.

The book crossed the Atlantic and began to sell in America in time for Christmas 1844, and became extremely popular. When Dickens made his second trip to America in 1867 crowds clamored to hear him read from A Christmas Carol. His tale of Scrooge and the true meaning of Christmas had become an American favorite. The story has never been out of print, and Scrooge is one of the best-known characters in literature.

Santa Claus Drawn by Thomas Nast

The famed American cartoonist Thomas Nast is generally credited as having invented the modern depiction of Santa Claus. Nast, who had worked as a magazine illustrator and created campaign posters for Abraham Lincoln in 1860, was hired by Harper’s Weekly in 1862. For the Christmas season, he was assigned to draw the magazine’s cover, and legend has it that Lincoln himself requested a depiction of Santa Claus visiting Union troops.

The resulting cover, from Harper’s Weekly dated January 3, 1863, was a hit. It shows Santa Claus on his sleigh, which has arrived at a U.S. Army camp festooned with a “Welcome Santa Claus” sign.

Santa’s suit features the stars and stripes of the American flag, and he’s distributing Christmas packages to the soldiers. One soldier is holding up a new pair of socks, which might be a boring present today, but would have been a highly prized item in the Army of the Potomac.

Beneath Nast's illustration was the caption, “Santa Claus In Camp.” Appearing not long after the carnage at Antietam and Fredericksburg, the magazine cover is an apparent attempt to boost morale in a dark time.

The Santa Claus illustrations proved so popular that Thomas Nast kept drawing them every year for decades. He is also credited with creating the notion that Santa lived at the North Pole and kept a workshop manned by elves. The figure of Santa Claus endured, with the version drawn by Nast becoming the accepted standard version of the character. By the early 20th century the Nast-inspired version of Santa became a very common figure in advertising.

Prince Albert and Queen Victoria Made Christmas Trees Fashionable

The tradition of the Christmas tree came from Germany, and there are accounts of early 19th century Christmas trees in America, but the custom wasn’t widespread outside German communities.

The Christmas tree first gained popularity in British and American society thanks to the husband of Queen Victoria, the German-born Prince Albert. He installed a decorated Christmas tree at Windsor Castle in 1841, and woodcut illustrations of the Royal Family’s tree appeared in London magazines in 1848. Those illustrations, published in America a year later, created the fashionable impression of the Christmas tree in upper-class homes.

By the late 1850s reports of Christmas trees were appearing in American newspapers. And in the years following the Civil War ordinary American households celebrated the season by decorating a Christmas tree.

The first electric Christmas tree lights appeared in the 1880s, thanks to an associate of Thomas Edison, but were too costly for most households. Most people in the 1800s lit their Christmas trees with small candles.

The First White House Christmas Tree

The first Christmas tree in the White House was displayed in 1889, during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison. The Harrison family, including his young grandchildren, decorated the tree with toy soldiers and glass ornaments for their small family gathering.

There are some reports of president Franklin Pierce displaying a Christmas tree in the early 1850s. But the stories of a Pierce tree are vague and there doesn't seem to be contemporaneous mentions in newspapers of the time.

Benjamin Harrison's Christmas cheer was closely documented in newspaper accounts. An article on the front page of the New York Times on Christmas Day 1889 detailed the lavish presents he was going to give his grandchildren. And though Harrison was generally regarded as a fairly serious person, he vigorously embraced the Christmas spirit.

Not all subsequent presidents continued the tradition of having a Christmas tree in the White House. By the middle of the 20th century, White House Christmas trees became established. And over the years it has evolved into an elaborate and very public production.

The first National Christmas Tree was placed on The Ellipse, an area just south of the White House, in 1923, and the lighting of it was presided over by President Calvin Coolidge. The lighting of the National Christmas Tree has become quite a large annual event, typically presided over by the current president and members of the First Family.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

In 1897 an eight-year-old girl in New York City wrote to a newspaper, the New York Sun, asking if her friends, who doubted the existence of Santa Claus, were right. An editor at the newspaper, Francis Pharcellus Church, responded by publishing, on September 21, 1897, an unsigned editorial. The response to the little girl has become the most famous newspaper editorial ever printed.

The second paragraph is often quoted:

"Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS."

Church’s eloquent editorial asserting the existence of Santa Claus seemed a fitting conclusion to a century that began with modest observances of St. Nicholas and ended with the foundations of the modern Christmas season firmly intact.

By the end of the 19th century, the essential components of a modern Christmas, from Santa to the story of Scrooge to strings of electric lights were firmly established in America.

Source

[ltwilliammowett]

The final door is no. 24 and that means today is Christmas Eve and so let's see who greets us today and it's the old lady herself. HMS Victory is here to wish you a Merry Christmas.

HMS Victory in Snow

More about her here:

Our famous lady was designed by Sir Thomas Slade, Senior Surveyor of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1765 and used around 6000 trees of which 90% were oak, the remainder being elm, pine and fir. She was not commissioned until 1778 and this long period of weathering resulted in her timbers being well seasoned which was a major reason for her long life. She was a First Rate Ship of the Line with an outfit of 100 guns on 3 decks.

She was in active service for 34 years. She served as the flagship to a number of distinguished Admirals and fought at the first Battle of Ushant in 1778 (Keppel), the Second Battle of Ushant in 1781 (Kempenfelt) and the Battle of Cape St Vincent in 1797 (Jervis). In 1797, she was pronounced unfit for further active service and was due to be converted to a hospital ship. However, when HMS Impregnable was lost in October 1797 leaving the Admiralty short of a First Rate, the decision was taken to refit Victory which took place at Chatham between 1800-1803.

As part of an extensive reconstruction, extra gun ports were added, increasing her guns from 100 to 104, the magazine was lined with copper, the masts were replaced and the paint scheme changed from red to the black and yellow seen today. She sailed for Portsmouth in April 1803 and Nelson hoisted his Flag onboard in May 1803 as Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. Admiral Lord Nelson was Victory’s most famous Admiral.

On 21 October 1805, she led the British Fleet under his command into battle against a Franco-Spanish force off Cape Trafalgar. Nelson was shot at the height of the battle and died at 16.30 when victory was assured. SHe suffered a lot of punishment, 57 men were killed and 102 wounded, and the ship was so badly damaged that she had to be towed to Gibraltar for emergency repairs before returning home with Nelson’s body onboard.

After further service in the Baltic and off the coast of Spain, she was placed in reserve in 1812 and was moored off Gosport as a depot ship. Flagship of the Port Admiral, Portsmouth from 1824, she became flagship of the Commander-in-Chief in 1899. She then slowly deteriorated at her moorings until a campaign to save her was started in 1921 by the Society of Nautical Research (SNR).

In 1922 she was moved into No 2 dock Portsmouth, the oldest drydock in the world, for restoration. The work was completed in 1924 and preservation continued under the supervision of the Society for Nautical Research. The ship subsequently underwent another extensive restoration programme to make her appearance as close as possible to that at Trafalgar, for the bicentenary of the battle in October 2005. She is still in commission as the flagship of the Second Sea Lord/Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command.

[fafnir19]

Twelfthtide

My reflection in the mirror revealed a man who had weathered life's hardships. My weary eyes held the weight of my struggles, and my once-dark hair now showed signs of thinning. The lines etched on my face were testament to my difficult path. Despite the weariness, a flicker of determination still burned in my eyes, a trace of resilience in the face of adversity. I strode through the bustling corridors of the office, a facade of confidence masking the unease simmering within me. Despite my efforts, I found myself ensnared in the sticky web of office politics, with no escape in sight. My direct manager at least seemed to value the dedication I poured into my work, but the looming shadow of the company owner’s, Montgomery Kolthard, disapproval hung over me like a shroud. As the days inched closer to the third Advent, I received a summons from my manager to his office. I tightened my grip on the strap of my briefcase, a sense of foreboding settling in the pit of my stomach. The words that followed shattered what little hope I clung to: the Weynsteen deal had collapsed, and with it, my employment. My protests fell on deaf ears, as the decision to let me go was handed down directly from Mr. Kolthard himself. Dejected, I wandered through the festively adorned streets, my thoughts a maelstrom of despair, when suddenly, a sharp impact sent me reeling into darkness. A speeding car changed everything.

I awoke in a hospital room, only to realize that I couldn't move anything below my neck. The doctor's words delivered the crushing blow—I was paralyzed. Despair settled over me like a suffocating blanket, and I couldn't see a way out of the darkness. The stale air of the hospital room did little to lift my spirits as I lay there, imprisoned by my own motionless form. It was on the night of St. Thomas, the longest and darkest night of the year, that my world twisted into something beyond comprehension. A figure emerged from the shadows, introducing himself as Zamiel. His presence sent shivers down my immobile frame, and I struggled against the urge to flee, though my limbs refused to respond. Zamiel's voice, smooth as silk but tainted with a sinister edge, shattered the silence as he made his proposition. "Do not fear," Zamiel's voice echoed through the room, "for I bring an offer that will unbind you from the shackles of your condition. I can restore your mobility, but in return, you must serve me for a few days every year." I struggled to comprehend his words, the weight of his proposal pressing down on me. "Serve you? How?" I managed to croak, my voice strained with disbelief. Zamiel's eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light as he explained, "I conduct business with mortals, granting them their heart's desires in exchange for their souls. Your task will be to facilitate these transactions on my behalf. And fear not, for your own soul is not part of this bargain." Zamiel explaining that humans without souls did not make good bargains and hence, my soul was not part of the deal.

 A wary skepticism gnawed at my thoughts, but desperation grasped at the threads of my resolve. With a mixture of dread and fleeting hope, I accepted his terms, and Zamiel handed me a quill and a piece of parchment. "How shall I sign the parchment? I cannot even move!" I protested. Zamiel's chuckle sent a chill down my spine. "Ah, but you can move well enough to sign your name. The ability will be restored to you, should you agree." Suddenly I felt the sensation return to my hands. With trembling fingers, I pricked my thumb, and my blood dripped onto the parchment. With newfound strength, I signed the contract. Zamiel summarized the deal: "When the gates between worlds close on the Feast of Epiphany, you will no longer be paralyzed. In return, you will work for me every year from Holy Eve to the Epiphany!" The next morning, I thought that it was just a dream. The days blurred together, and soon it was Christmas Eve. While others reveled in festivities, I could only brood in my hospital bed, feeling like a mere shadow of my former self. The cheer around me only served to highlight the cavernous void within me.

On the morning of the Epiphany, I awoke to a new reality. I found myself in a vast, opulent bedroom adorned with dark, luxurious furnishings. The air was heavy with the scent of aged wood and incense, and the grandiose setting reflected a level of luxury I had never known. As I stumbled across the room to a lavish, ornate mirror, I caught sight of my reflection and I was struck by the transformation that had taken place. No longer the 47-year-old man worn down by life's tribulations, I was now a youthful, athletic figure with an air of sophistication far beyond my years. The room itself exuded an aura of grandeur, with intricate tapestries adorning the walls and an expansive view that stretched out onto the sprawling city below. On the nightstand lay a piece of parchment, aged and weathered, bearing the peculiar mark of a crimson wax seal. As I examined the parchment, the words etched upon it seemed to dance before my eyes: "Your former boss Montgomery Kolthard cannot bear children, but has desperately desired an heir for his business. I, Zamiel, have granted this wish. You are no longer Christian, but Lucius Kolthard, Montgomery's son. Remember our deal: from the Holy Night onward, you must perform your service." Armed with the knowledge of my newfound identity as Lucius Kolthard, Montgomery's long-awaited heir my days were filled with schmoozing at elite gatherings, draped in the finest attire, and basking in Montgomery's adoration.

Everything I had longed for was within my grasp, yet beneath the facade of grandeur, an unsettling unease festered, a constant reminder of the pact I had struck with Zamiel. As the days turned into weeks, I found myself entangled in the web of Montgomery's business affairs, receiving an insider's glimpse into the inner workings of his empire. It was a heady experience, to say the least. Montgomery, often cold and distant, doted on me with an almost doting affection, treating me like the son he had always yearned for. However, the more he idolized me, the more I felt the weight of the unspoken expectations resting on my shoulders. The grandeur of Christmas Eve arrived, and as the festivities ebbed away, I retreated to my opulent chamber.

It was there that an inexplicable urge drew me to the ornate mirror adorning the wall. Stepping through the ornate mirror, I found myself in Zamiel's realm — a breathtaking place adorned with marble and gold, a stark contrast from the opulence to which I had grown accustomed. Zamiel stood before me, his presence commanding yet strangely comforting. "Lucius," he intoned, his voice resonating through the chamber, "what a striking devil you've become. Those tight pants and cloak suit you well." Zamiel's eyes sparked with amusement as he added, "I must say, I quite like the horns." I watched as his gaze lingered on the horns that had materialized on my head, a sign of the Faustian bargain.

With a sardonic smile, he gestured for me to follow, promising to teach me the art of striking bargains and the alluring nature of collecting souls. Despite initial qualms, I found delight in crafting contracts that would cost my clients their souls. My negotiations became increasingly cunning, and I relished my service to Zamiel. Additionally, I enjoyed the company of the incubus demons. As I stepped back into the mortal realm on Twelfth Night, I looked forward to the events of the coming year, such as my graduation and a planned sailing trip. Yet, I also anticipated my next service to Zamiel from the Holy Night onwards.

[catherinetheprincessofwales]

The Irish Princess and her dynastic marriage to a Norman that helped shape Europe. Aoife, Princess of Leinster -> Catherine, The Princess of Wales. The Princess of Wales is Aoife, Princess of Leinster and Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke 26th Great-Granddaughter  via her paternal grandfather’s line.

** Aoife or Eva, Princess of Leinster, played a pivotal role in the history of Ireland and the Norman expansion. She was the daughter of Diarmaid MacMurrough, King of Leinster, who sought the help of the Normans to secure his throne and defeat his enemies. As part of this alliance, Aoife married the Norman leader Richard de Clare, known as ‘Strongbow,’ on 25 August 1170. This marriage marked the arrival of the Normans in Ireland, just 104 years after their conquest of England by William the Conqueror.

Through their daughter, Isabelle de Clare, The 4th Countess of Pembroke, the union of Aoife and Strongbow forged a lineage that would shape the future of European nobility. Isabelle became an ancestor of nearly every reigning monarch across Europe. Within a few generations, her descendants included much of the European aristocracy, including all the Kings of Scotland since Robert the Bruce (1274–1329) and every monarch of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom since Henry IV (1367–1413). 

Family Line

Aoife MacMurrough, Princess of Leinster and Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. Painting of their wedding, depicting the political and cultural consequences. 

Isabelle de Clare 4th Countess of Pembroke m. William Marshall 1st Earl of Pembroke. 

Eve Marshall m William de Briouze, born  Pembroke Castle.

Eve de Briouze m. William de Cauntelo, Coat of Arms

Millicent de Cauntelo m. Eon la Zouche, Coat of Arms

Eva la Zouche m. Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Lord Berkeley, buried St Mary's Church, Portbury. 

Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Lord Berkeley m. Catherine Clivedon

Sir John Berkeley m. Elizabeth Betteshorne, burial location.

Eleanor Berkeley m. Sir Richard Poynings, burial tomb.

Eleanor de Poynings m. Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland

Lady Margaret Percy m. Sir William Gascoigne 

Anne Gascoigne m. Sir Thomas Fairfax - Gawthorpe Hall, family seat.

William Fairfax m. Anne Baker - Gilling Castle, family seat. 

John Fairfax m. Mary Birch - Master of the Great Hospital at Norwich, Norfolk

Rev. Benjamin Fairfax m. Sarah Galliard - Preacher at Rumburgh, Suffolk.

Benjamin Fairfax m. Bridget Stringer - died in Halesworth, Suffolk.

Sarah Fairfax m. Rev. John Meadows - died in Ousedon, Suffolk.

Philip Meadows m. Margaret Hall

Sarah Meadows m. Dr. David Martineau

Thomas Martineau m. Elizabeth Rankin - buried at Rosary Cemetery, Norwich.

Elizabeth Martineau m. Dr. Thomas Michael Greenhow - died in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland.

Frances Elizabeth Greenhow m. Francis Lupton

Francis Martineau Lupton m. Harriet Davis

Olive Lupton m. Richard Middleton

Peter Middleton m. Valerie Glassborow

Michael Middleton m. Carole Goldsmith 

Catherine Middleton m. Prince William of Wales

*Catherine is also a descendant of Aoife via her mother Caroles maternal line.

[caffiend-queen]

Tumblr Masterlist

Tom Hiddleston - Loki - Night Manager - Jaguar Villains - High Rise

All of Tom's most tasty permutations...

I'm trying to update my masterlists because... well, it's all crap. Hopefully, this makes it easier to find what you want. There's some new Loki stories here, and if you share my filthy love of Dr. Robert Laing from High Rise, there's several new stories you might not have read before. Thank you for reading my nonsense...

The Reluctant Spy - Jaguar Villains - Thomas Pine

Free on Amazon.com

TVA? F.U.

Complete

Haust Blot: A Loki Halloween tale Jotunn Loki

Complete

One, or the Other: A Crimson Peak - Only Lovers Left Alive

Halloween Special

Complete

That Old Black Magic CEO Loki Halloween Special

The Christmas Party - Loki, Avengers, “Holidays from Hel” series

A Date? A Prince of Asgard Does Not Ask For a Date!

I'm Mr. Heat Miser

What Are You Doing On New Year’s Eve? - A Loki - Avenger’s tale from the ‘Holidays in Hel’ series

I’ll Break Your Heart Before You Break Mine - A Loki - Avengers Valentine’s Day tale “Holidays from Hel” series

“Do Not Say ‘Always After My Lucky Charms’ or I Will Stab You” A St. Patrick’s Day - Avengers tale

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Oh, I Could Just EAT YOU UP! A Halloween "Holidays in Hel" Avenger's Tale.

The Dragon Bride - A “Springtime with Loki” one-shot

“I’m right here, honey…” A Tom on Broadway ask - Complete

Sing Banshee - Loki, The Avengers

On Your Knees - A Succubus Loki, Bucky Barnes filthy musing

That Which is Lost - A Loki, Avengers time-travel story

Blood and Music - A Bodyguard Tom story

The Auction - A Dystopian Loki, Bucky Barnes, Ransom Drysdale mashup.

Dr. Laing's Loose End - High Rise Dr. Robert Laing

What Do You Want For Your Birthday, Darling?  follow-up to Dr. Laing's Loose End

You're Too Good For This Place - High Rise Dr. Robert Laing one-shot

You Belong To Me, Now Dr. Robert Laing, dark High Rise (artwork by RayofDawn)

The Mistletoe Chronicles - Christmas tales of Loki, Thomas Pine and Dr. Robert Laing

Metamorphosis - Loki

My Lovely Doll - Jaguar Villains Tom

(This is an age-gap dark romance. There is no underage sexual activity, but it IS dark.)

You're Definitely Trouble  - Loki and occasional Avengers

[vintagelasvegas]

Colony Club, Las Vegas, Summer 1942

Photos from William Spath, on the right in pic. 3, drummer of a 6-piece band from Chicago, courtesy of Lee Spath.

Beyond the crossing of Fremont St and Charleston Blvd, once considered the outskirts of town and the start of Boulder Highway, there was a sparse nightlife scene in the 30s & 40s. Colony restaurant and casino opened here Jul. 4th, 1942, next to a club called The Dunes and nearby Meadows resort. The owners were a group of club and casino men from Palm Springs & Hollywood: Irwin Schuman of Chi-Chi club, Nola Hahn, and Milton “Farmer” Page who had just opened Pioneer Club. The location was approximately 2500 Fremont St.

During its brief two months in business, the club featured the entertainment of Cantu the Mexican Magician, the dance & parrot act of Yvette Dare, singer Al Herman aka “the king of blackface,” and burlesque star Sally Rand in a show the club advertised as “girlorious, sexhilerating, and scandelicious.”

Thomas Hull, principal owner of El Rancho Vegas, purchased Colony and 20 surrounding acres a few weeks after its opening, but the club soon closed citing a problem with the deed. The unpaid contractor, former owner, and new owner all ended up in court. Colony and neighboring Dunes club were destroyed by fire on 7/5/44.

“New Casino Being Built Near Vegas.” Review-Journal, 4/9/42; “New, Smart Colony Restaurant Will Open to the Public Tomorrow Eve.” Review-Journal, 7/3/42; “El Rancho Vegas Owner Purchases Colony Restaurant.” Review-Journal, 8/18/42; “Colony Club to be Shut Temporarily.” Review-Journal, 9/12/42; “Colony Club Is Subject of Suit.” Review-Journal, 10/21/42; “Night Club Fire is Worst in History.” Review-Journal, 7/6/44.

[haggishlyhagging]

. . . What is a woman?

To state the question is, to me, to suggest, at once, a preliminary answer. The fact that I ask it is in itself significant. A man would never get the notion of writing a book on the peculiar situation of the human male. But if I wish to define myself, I must first of all say: "I am a woman"; on this truth must be based all further discussion. A man never begins by presenting himself as an individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is a man. The terms masculine and feminine are used symmetrically only as a matter of form, as on legal papers. In actuality the relation of the two sexes is not quite like that of two electrical poles, for man represents both the positive and the neutral, as is indicated by the common use of man to designate human beings in general; whereas woman represents only the negative, defined by limiting criteria, without reciprocity. In the midst of an abstract discussion it is vexing to hear a man say: "You think thus and so because you are a woman"; but I know that my only defense is to reply: "I think thus and so because it is true," thereby removing my subjective self from the argument. It would be out of the question to reply: "And you think the contrary because you are a man," for it is understood that the fact of being a man is no peculiarity. A man is in the right in being a man; it is the woman who is in the wrong. It amounts to this: just as for the ancients there was an absolute vertical with reference to which the oblique was defined, so there is an absolute human type, the masculine. Woman has ovaries, a uterus; these peculiarities imprison her in her subjectivity, circumscribe her within the limits of her own nature. It is often said that she thinks with her glands. Man superbly ignores the fact that his anatomy also includes glands, such as the testicles, and that they secrete hormones. He thinks of his body as a direct and normal connection with the world, which he believes he apprehends objectively,, whereas he regards the body of woman as a hindrance, a prison, weighed down by everything peculiar to it. "The female is a female by virtue of a certain lack of qualities," said Aristotle; "we should regard the female nature as afflicted with a natural defectiveness." And St. Thomas for his part pronounced woman to be an "imperfect man," an "incidental" being. This is symbolized in Genesis where Eve is depicted as made from what Bossuet called "a supernumerary bone" of Adam.

Thus humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being. Michelet writes: "Woman, the relative being. . . ." And Benda is most positive in his Rapport d'Uriel: "The body of man makes sense in itself quite apart from that of woman, whereas the latter seems wanting in significance by itself. . . . Man can think of himself without woman. She cannot think of herself without man." And is simply what man decrees; thus she is called "the sex," by which is meant that she appears essentially to the male as a sexual being. For him she is sex—absolute sex, no less. She is defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to her; she is the incidental, the inessential as opposed to the essential. He is the Subject, he is the Absolute—she is the Other.

-Simone de Beauvoir, ‘The Second Sex’ in Alice S. Rossi, The Feminist Papers: From Adams to de Beauvoir

[blackswaneuroparedux]

At last, After our home attain'd, we turn'd, and lo! With festal fires the hills were lit! Thine eve Saint John, had come once more, and for thy sake As though but yesterday thy crown were worn, Amid their ruinous realm uncomforted The Irish people triumph'd. Gloomy lay The intermediate space; - thence brightlier burn'd The circling fires beyond it. 'Lo!' Said I, Man's life as view'd by Ireland's sons; a vale With many a pitfall throng'd, and shade, and briar, Yet overblown by angel-haunted airs, And by the Light Eternal girdled round.

Aubrey Thomas de Vere, The Sisters (1861)

June 24th is St John's Day.

Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56–57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on 24 June, six months before Christmas according to the old Roman calculation. This feast day is one of the very few saints' days which commemorates the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of the saint being honoured. The Feast of Saint John closely coincides with the June solstice, also referred to as Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Christian holy day is fixed at 24 June; but in most countries festivities are mostly held the night before, on Saint John's Eve. This holiday is celebrated in many places.

In England and Ireland there is a tradition to jump over a bonfire holding hands with your lover. Your love will last all year. Save the ash from your fire. It will protect crops from lightening storms.

Across many parts of Europe they celebrate St. John’s day with bonfires.

In France, the "Fête de la Saint-Jean" (feast of St John), traditionally celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean) that are reminiscent of Midsummer's pagan rituals, is a Catholic festivity in celebration of Saint John the Baptist. It takes place on June 24, on Midsummer day (St John's day). Nowadays it is seldom celebrated. In certain French towns, a tall bonfire is built by the inhabitants in order to be lit on St John's Day. In the Vosges region and in the Southern part of Meurthe-et-Moselle, this huge bonfire is named "chavande".

In Norway, as elsewhere in Scandinavian countries, this event is celebrated with a communal bonfire. The event is also known as Jonsok, meaning ‘wake of Saint John’.

[sihtricfedaraaahvicius]

Tag Game: 3 songs, 3 books, 3 movies (another tag by @st-eve-barnes!)

Songs: I just picked the first 3 songs that are in my on repeat playlist: 1. Whatever Whispers by Princess Goes 2. Purpose by T-Puse 3. Echolocate Your Love by VV

Books: 1. HEX by Thomas Olde Heuvelt 2. Salem's Lot by Stephen King 3. The Crow (I know it's anot a book book, it's a comic)

Movies: (I hate this, I love so many movies ugh) 1. John Wick 2. The Conjuring 3. The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

I tag @whitedarkmoonflower @neonhairspray @synindoodles @tinumiel (no pressure)

[pagan-stitches]

Czech Calendar Customs Master Post

I’m an American who has always been fascinated with family history.  The most recent arrivals in my family from the old world were my Great-Grandparents who emigrated from Běhařovice, a small village in Southern Moravia,  Perhaps it is because they are my most recent connection to Europe that I’m pulled so strongly toward their traditions.  In this post I’ll provide links to my posts documenting my attempts to integrate Czech calendar customs into my practice, as well as other resources.  In 2023 I plan on doing more detailed articles and will add them to this article.  I am in no way an expert on the customs of Czechia, just a descendant attempting to connect with my ancestors.

From Groundhog Day to the Three Kings: Customs and Traditions of Villages in Znojmo (Southern Moravian district in Czechia that my great-grandparents were from) Machine translated by google

February/March/April 2023 Devotional Schedule

Hromnice

Hromnice is the holiday that takes place at Candlemas/Groundhog Day/Brigid’s Day (February 2nd)

Bearers of Folklore: One More Hour on Hromnice

Background

My 2022 Hromnice candle

2023 Hromnice candle

Blessing my Hromnice candle

Waking Up Perun

Drowning Morana/Smrtka (Around Vernal Equinox)

Background

Drowning Morana 2023

Drowning Morana 2022

Drowning Morana 2021

Drowning Morana 2020

Drowning Smrtka in my Great-Grandparent’s Village

Morana embroidery

Masopust (Carnival)

Background

Fat Thursday Dinner 2022

Kupala Night (Midsummer)

Midsummer 2022

Dozinky (Autumn Equinox)

Background

2022 Dozinky wreathe 1

2022 Dozinky wreath 2

Dušičky (All Soul’s Day)

Dusicky 2022

Koleda (Winter Solstice)

Background

St. Thomas’ Day

Koleda dinner 2022

Christmas and Advent

My St. Andrew’s Eve 2022 (November 30)

St. Andrew’s Eve (November 30)

My St. Barbara’s Day (December 4)

St. Barbara’s Day (December 4)

St. Nicholas’ Eve (December 5)

St. Ambrose Day (December 7)

Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8)

St. Lucy’s Day (December 13)

Christmas Eve Dinner Plans for 2022

Christmas Eve Dinner 2022/2023?

St. Stephen’s Day (December 26)

Vanilla crescents/ Vanilkové rohlíčky recipe

Walnut boat fortune telling 2022

Apple fortune telling 2022

Free paper cut out ethnographic nativity scene by painter Maria Fischerová-Kvěchová

My version of the cut out ethnographic nativity scene

Czech and Moravian Christmas Carols

2022 Czech inspired Christmas embroidery

Foods for the New Year

New Year’s Sweepers

New Year’s Lunch

Feast of the Three Kings

[mtk4fun]

THG Book Club: Far from the Madding Crowd - Chapter 2

In chapter 2 of Far from the Madding Crowd, there is much religious imagery. It takes place on the eve of St. Thomas's day when traditionally poor women would go out begging for money to fund Christmas dinner. Farmer Oak is portrayed as the young David of Psalms' fame, being a shepherd out in the field during lambing season. He plays a flute like David. His hut on wheels is described as a small Noah's Ark. 

He takes a barely alive newborn lamb into his hut where it is revived from the warmth of a fire. We learn that Farmer Oak is in debt (with sheep not yet paid for). Hence we see his kindness in paying the two pence for the young woman's toll in chapter 1.

There are two longish paragraphs describing the position of the stars as a timepiece, the second which is used as a transition to explain Farmer Oak's search for a nearby light which leads him again to peering in a window to spy. There he sees two women, one is the young woman he encountered days earlier. Hardy sets up bird imagery again with the young woman noting that Farmer Oak "saw her in a bird's-eye view..."

Farmer Oak hears the young woman's conversation and we learn that she and the older woman have no money. She's lost her hat, and she plans to ride for oatmeal at first light (without a side saddle). "I can ride on the other: trust me."

Again I see shades of Katniss in this young woman. Unlike the women in District Twelve, Katniss hunts in the woods, this woman defies convention by not riding side saddle. Also, note the bird imagery between Katniss and this young woman.

[sixminutestoriesblog]

apples

Autumn is finally in the air in the Northern Hemisphere and for a lot of us, our minds turn to one thing - decadently spiced baked goods! Sure, we could make pumpkin muffins at any time of the year but there's just something about the sharp inhale of crisp, cold air and the bustle of falling leaves outside, hinting at the beginning of an end, that adds a special flavor to fall dishes. Winter and its lean times will soon be upon us and even if, today, we have grocery stores to keep our winter meals diverse, something inside of us still needs to pack in all the cinnamon, nutmeg and last fruits of the season that we can. And what fall season's table would be complete without apples? Apple cider, apple crumble, baked apples, candied apples - the list goes on. Throw some cinnamon or caramel at us and we're good to go. Apples, it turns out, have always been a source of temptation.

We'll start with the low hanging fruit easy ones. Though its never named in the Bible, the apple is the common fruit associated with Adam and Eve's fall. Offered by a snake, picked from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the temptation to reach out and pick a ripe apple off a forbidden tree is probably experienced again by a multitude of school children, and adults, anytime a walk brings them within range of a stranger's orchard. The adam's apple some people have prominently enough to see on their throats is supposedly the left over of the bite of apple that got stuck in Adam's throat for his impertinence against God.

The Greeks also loved their tempting apples. Atalanta lost a footrace to the man that was cunning enough to throw golden apples behind him as he ran, distracting her as she went to retrieve them enough for him to win. The Trojan War was supposedly the result of three goddesses feuding over a golden apple that claimed it would belong 'to the fairest' and a shepherd who didn't know when to keep his mouth shut. And Hera, one of those three feuding goddess, already had a tree that bore golden apples, guarded either by a dragon-serpent or three nymphs, that had the tree's apples stolen, thanks to Hercules.

In Russian, a firebird is caught stealing the ruler's golden apples each night. In Ireland, a silver branch that grows either golden apples or balls of gold belongs to a sea deity. Iounn or Idun is the Norse goddess of eternal youth - and apples. Multiple goddesses across the globe that are associated with love and sexuality claim the apple as their fruit. Germany, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania all have fairy tales where apples play a pivotal role. The Avalon of Arthurian legend is said to be the Isle of Apples. Heck, even Snow White's final attempted murder is accomplished with the bite of an apple.

Apples aren't just for gods and heroes though and perhaps that's part of their enduring fixation in folklore. If an Appalachian girl is clever enough to skin an apple without once breaking the peel, she should throw it over her left shoulder. It will fall in the shape of a letter, the first initial of her future husband. In Austria, she can cut an apple in half on St. Thomas's night. An even number of seeds mean she'll marry soon but a broken or cut seed she will end up a widow. An alternate on this is that the number of seeds will be the number of children she'll have. An apple stem can be twisted, reciting a letter of the alphabet with each twist. When the stem breaks, the letter will be the start of a future spouse's name. A woman with multiple suitors can drop apple seeds into the fire, reciting a name for each seed. The seed that pops instead of staying silent as it burns is the suitor who is 'bursting' with love for her. In Pennsylvania, licking an apple and then giving it to someone to eat insures they'll fall in love with you.

Incidentally, I'm sure, its considered bad luck not to 'shine' an apple and clean it off before you take a bite of it. Just... pointing that out.

Stories about legendary heroes like apples too. In Switzerland, William Tell was forced by his captors to shoot an apple off his son's head with a crossbow to win their freedom. School children will tell you Isaac Newton figured out gravity thanks to an apple falling on his head. And Johnny Appleseed is an American folkhero that walked across the continent while America was busy spreading west, planting apple trees as he went.

Each year after harvest, some of the apples that have fallen should be left on the ground for the fairy or the dead (or the poor) depending on which tradition you're going by. Boats made of applewood are bad luck. If a woman that's had multiple children eats the first apple of the season, the rest of the harvest will be fruitful. Likewise, eating an apple before the wedding night is supposed to lead to fruitfulness. If an apple tree blossoms while there are still apples on the branches in England someone in the family will die but if the same thing happens in Europe, its the sign of a fruitful year ahead instead. It's unlucky to destroy an apple tree or worse an apple orchard. And, for some reason, giving teachers apples is such a common theme in the US and Europe that its become an entire kick-knack industry.

And let's not forget:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

That's comparing apples to oranges.

One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.

They're the apple of their mother's eye.

He's fresh faced and apple cheeked.

It's as American as apple pie.

and, finally,

How about them apples?!

[jaxteller87]

Thankful 2

Jax's POV

Amber and I found ourselves at her parents' old house. She never sold the place after they passed away years ago. Her heart couldn't bear to part with it, which, as it turns out, was a blessing in disguise for us. In times when the club was on lockdown, it served as a safe haven for her. In recent years, it also became a great hiding spot for the kids' Christmas or birthday gifts. We sat in the middle of the living room, examining two large boxes – one was Mary's dollhouse, and the other was Thomas' little orange motorcycle that resembled the old orange Harleys. I know what you must be thinking: it must be nice being a badass biker; surely you have connections to get your kids the best stuff, or you probably stole it, but truth be told, both were purchased during a fantastic Black Friday sale.

"You know, I was going to wrap these boxes," she said, gazing at the gifts and then at me. "But you know they won't have the patience on Christmas morning to wait for us to put everything together..."

"So, put them together and slap on a huge bow," I suggested with a shrug.

"Yup," Amber laughed.

"This reminds me of the time I learned the truth about Santa," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was just six years old, and my excitement was through the roof. On Christmas Eve, I had a master plan to catch Santa in the act of delivering presents, but little did I know, I'd catch somethin' else."

"Your dad?" Amber asked.

"He was still around, but that night, he was with the club. I had this feeling that something interesting was happening when I heard my mom, Gemma, whispering on the phone with someone in the living room. My curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to investigate. I tiptoed down the stairs, determined to uncover the secret. And there she was, my mom, surrounded by wrapping paper, ribbons, tape, toys, and, of course, half a bottle of booze and half a pack of smokes. She was a mess.

"On Christmas Eve? She hadn't done any of the wrapping yet?" Amber pried.

"Nope. My guess was my old man was supposed to help but got called in to deal with club business. I crept down to get a better look, hiding out behind the couch."

"I can't believe I waited until the last minute to wrap these presents," Gemma sighed, taking a swig from the wine bottle.

I couldn't resist revealing myself at this point. I jumped out from behind the couch and exclaimed, "Merry Christmas!"

Mom nearly jumped out of her skin and swung the bottle at my head, not knowing it was me. Luckily, she missed, or we woulda been spendin' Chrismats at St. Thomas Hospital. She turned around, and her eyes went wide when she saw me standing there in my Transformers PJs.

"Well, you caught me, you little shit. I am Santa's little helper tonight; turns out he got tied up somewhere over Mexico."

"I remember asking her if that's who she was on the phone with, trying to keep the magic alive, but I pretty much had it figured out then. So, we spent the next few hours wrapping presents together.

"Wow. That's crazy," Amber said with wide eyes, pushing aside some old junk that had accumulated over the years. "Oh! Here's another reason I like coming to wrap the kids' gifts every year. This, after all these years, is still one of the best gifts you got me." Amber smiled, looking at the clay paw prints of her dogs, Alice and Spike.

She handed it to me, and I ran my finger over the clay piece. "I still wonder how you got Alice and Spike to cooperate," Amber said, smiling at me.

"Getting them to cooperate wasn't the problem; making sure you were out of the house so I could come over was," I laughed, reminiscing.

"Wait a minute, is that why, at the time, Donna was so adamant about us getting our nails done after shopping, so you had enough time?"

"You got it," I laughed, looking at my wife.

Years Ago:

"Okay, you can come over; Donna just left," Kim informed me over the phone.

"Okay, good. I'll be right over. Thanks, Kim, for letting me come over to do this," I replied.

As I hung up the phone, a sense of anticipation surged within me. It was a special project that Amber and I had been secretly planning for a while. With a heart full of excitement, I hurried to Amber's place, my loyal canine companions, Alice and Spike, trailing behind me, their tails wagging in delight.

Upon arriving, I found Amber waiting with an enthusiastic smile. "Jax, she's going to love it; this was a great idea," she exclaimed. We gathered the necessary supplies, including a lump of damp clay, and went outside, where both dogs happily joined us.

With great care, I began working with the clay. I started by pressing Alice's paw into the damp substance, and she responded with an obedient wag of her tail. "Good girl, Alice," I laughed, rewarding her with a treat for her cooperation.

Spike was next, and he was equally well-behaved. "Good boy, buddy," I smiled, giving him a treat as well. Afterward, I meticulously wrote their names beside the imprints, ensuring the keepsake would be complete.

Amber looked at the affectionate interaction between us and laughed softly. "I can't believe you still have this," she said, taking notice of a worn, stuffed dog with a missing eye and a dirty appearance.

Amber reminisced, smiling at old memories that played out in her head. "Oh, if my mom had her way, I would have," she chuckled, referring to the very first gift I ever gave her back in middle school.

I gently teased her, saying, "Amber, honey, it's time. It only has one eye, it's dirty, and you can't even tell it's a dog, honey..."

But Amber's response was unwavering. "No, Mom, it was the first Christmas gift Teller ever gave me. I'll never get rid of it," she declared, hugging the old stuffed dog to her chest, a radiant smile on her face.

Her mother chuckled and tried to persuade her. "Amber, honey..."

But Amber cut her off. "No, Mom, I'm not doing it."

Tears welled up in her eyes as the memories and emotions overwhelmed her. I comforted her, reaching over to wipe her tears away gently. "Amber, sweetheart, it's okay," I reassured her.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled, reluctantly placing the old stuffed dog back in its box.

I moved closer to her, putting my arm around her. "Hey, you never have to say sorry about missing your parents," I whispered. She rested her head on my shoulder, finding solace in my presence.

"I miss them, Teller, a lot… like I always say, since the kids were born, they're missing so much."

"I know," I whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Amber's POV:

As the late evening descended, with the kids all snug in their beds, Jax and I wound up on the patio, savoring a moment of togetherness.

As we passed a joint between us, I began to open up. "You know," I started, handing the joint back to my husband, "I haven't had any of those dreams yet... you know, where all of this is just a dream, and I'm actually in New York, still alone."

He nodded, taking a hit and exhaling slowly. "I don't think I ever told you this part," I continued, a playful giggle escaping my lips. "That the one you were married to…"

A mischievous spark danced in his eyes as he teased, "No, don't tell me I was married to Ima," taking another drag from the joint.

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You sure were."

Jax couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of that idea. "That's a nightmare, not a bad dream," he remarked, snuffing out the joint before discreetly placing it under a potted plant to hide it.

With a smirk, he gently teased me, "Come on, darlin', let's get you to bed," and playfully rolled me back into the house, leaving the memories of those dreams behind for the night.

[mango-jpeg]

on the obverse notes

according to a note i wrote i started around feb 23rd - so before i’d finished drop the knife - which seems like. way too long. welp. i think p3 is out of my system now

trying to capture the long term relationship experience of being royally pissed off at the person you most want to spend time with so you’re simultaneously furious + totally contented

tried also to balance aki’s canon future (running off to south america to get his tits clawed off by a bear) w the fact that i think being in a relationship would affect his priorities. n that i don't like his canon future

obviously i am a sucker for the p4 & p5 hierophants (gruff middle aged caretakers) but there's something sooo crazy-making about a teenager w that characterization

giving shinji the kaeya treatment (writing fic where he's surrounded by friends. get loved, idiot)

this is another fic that is so exactly what i want to read it feels kinda weird to share it? but if one other person likes it then it's worth it 👍

one of the truest delights in writing is getting partway into a scene and discovering there's a third character there too. it's nice to break up the constant one-on-one conversations

honestly love when characters do not talk it out but since the whole premise of this fic was that they can’t carry on as they had been before - that being together does actually change things - i did need them to talk it out to resolve this fic :/

but i do think clear communication would instakill them so it was tricky to balance. there’s definitely an imagined reader in my head unsatisfied w the resolution

realized after the fact that shinji also laughs @ aki's confession in st elmo's fire. sometimes it's just like that ig

reading: i’m going to be annoying and put a comprehensive list (- work stuff)

The Cheerleaders, Kara Thomas

Calypso, David Sedaris

Bad Cree, Jessica Johns

Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris

Roaming, Jillian & Mariko Tamaki

The World We Make, N.K. Jeminsin

Drown, Junot Diaz

Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk

Heartburn, Nora Ephron

Trouble, Lex Croucher

I Used to Be Charming, Eve Babitz

some were more influential than others—"native tongue" was a phrase pulled from Invisible Monsters for ex.—but ultimately Heartburn remains my number one

the whole premise was probably in part inspired by 'Keeping Up', my fav Sedaris essay (& one of the most romantic things i've ever read) from back in jan

listening: cold turkey, deadweight, rings

fav early bit:

They stood in the kitchen, Aki staring at Shinjiro, Shinjiro staring at the pot. He didn’t know what to say. Aki’s haircut pissed him off, the flakes of dried cum in his stomach hair pissed him off, but he didn’t feel angry. Standing there, he could feel himself warming under the weight of Aki’s gaze.

fav late addition:

After a moment Shinjiro leaned against Aki and Aki squeezed him gently, not saying anything, just taking his weight.

[brookston]

Holidays 4.13

Holidays

Aerosmith Day (Massachusetts)

American Elephant Day

American Sikh Day

Arugula o Rocket Day (French Republic)

Auslan Day (Australia)

Beauty Peace Day

Celebrate Teen Literature Day

Day of Patrons and Philanthropists (Russia)

Day of the Dead (Elder Scrolls)

Environmental Protection Day

Feast of Rotten Endings

413 Day (Arkansas)

Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) International Awareness Day

Homestuck Day

Huguenot Day (France)

Ides of April (Ancient Rome)

International Campus & Community Day

International Creativity & Innovation Day

International Day of the Kiss

International Functional Neurological Disorder Awareness Day

International Imposter Syndrome Awareness Day

International Jaat Day (India)

International Plant Appreciation Day

International Rock & Roll Day

International Special Librarian’s Day

International Turban Day

John Hanson Day (Maryland)

Katyn Memorial Day (Poland)

Military-Industrial Complex Employee Day (Ukraine)

National Boot Day

National Borinqueneers Day

National Hippy Day

National Hockey Card Day

National Japanese Spitz Day

National Kiss Your Homies Day

National Pathology Day (India)

National PhiliShui Day

National Silly Earring Day

National Sticker Day

National Theresa Day

Neil Banging Out the Tunes Day

Religious Freedom Day (England; France)

Scrabble Day

Silent Spring Day

Sinhala & Tamil New Year’s Eve (Sri Lanka)

Sterile Packaging Day

Swiftie Day

Teacher’s Day (Ecuador)

Thomas Jefferson Day

Unfairly Prosecuted Persons Day (Slovakia)

Western Mass Day (Massachusetts)

World Microscope Day

World Sarcoidosis Day

World’s Day of Remembrance for Victims of Katyn Massacre

Food & Drink Celebrations

Day to Give Thanks for Fish and Seafood

Hopocalypse Day (Drake’s Brewing)

National Make Lunch Count Day

National Peach Cobbler Day

2nd Saturday in April

Baby Massage Day [2nd Saturday]

Global Day to End Child Sexual Abuse [2nd Saturday]

National Catch & Release Day [2nd Saturday]

Slow Art Day [2nd Saturday]

World Circus Day [2nd Saturday]

Weekly Holidays beginning April 13 (2nd Week)

California Native Plant Week [thru 4.20]

Independence & Related Days

Adammia (Declared; 2013) [unrecognized]

Mensa Ann (Declared; 2019) [unrecognized]

Sicily (from Naples; 1848)

Varnland (Declared; 1991) [unrecognized]

Winterspell (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

New Year’s Days

Songkran (Thailand) (a.k.a. …

Bangla New Year

Bisket Jatra (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand)

Chiang Mai Songkran

Tamil New Year

Thai New Year

Festivals Beginning April 13, 2024

Armageddon Expo Christchurch, New Zealand) [thru 4.14]

Baldwin County Strawberry Festival (Loxley, Alabama) [thru 4.14]

Bar K Beer Fest (St. Louis, Missouri)

Cherry Blossom Festival of Greater Philadelphia (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) [thru 4.14]

CNY Maple Festival (Marathon, New York) [thru 4.14]

Crawfish & Zydeco Festival (Kemah, Texas) [thru 4.14]

Dairy State Cheese & Beer Festival (Kenosha, Wisconsin)

Dessert Wars (Baltimore, Maryland)

Georgia Renaissance Festival (Fairburn, Georgia) [thru 6.2]

Hall Cabernet Cookout (St. Helena, California)

Hudson Mac & Cheese Fest (Washingtonville, New York)

International Orange Blossom Carnival (Adana, Turkey) [thru 4.21]

Lost Colony Wine & Culinary Festival (Manteo, North Carolina)

Mobile Chocolate Festival (Mobile, Alabama)

National Grits Festival (Warwick, Georgia)

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival (San Francisco, California) [thru 4.14 & 4.20-21]

Polish Festival (Phoenix, Arizona) [thru 4.14]

Spring Cheese and Chocolate Weekend (Stillwater, Minnesota) [thru 4.14]

Supernova Pop Culture Expo Gold Coast, Australia) [thru 4.14]

Taste of Hillcrest (San Diego, California)

Feast Days

Alfarbot: Alfheim Day (Pagan)

Believe in Fairies Day (Pastafarian)

Bill Hicks Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Caradoc (Christian; Saint)

Carpus, Papyrus, and Agathonic (Christian; Martyrs)

Elizablecccch Arden (Muppetism)

Eudora Welty (Writerism)

Festival of Jupiter Victor (Ancient Rome)

Festival of Libertas (Ancient Roman personification of freedom and political liberty)

Grounding Meditation Day (Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Guinoch of Scotland (Christian; Saint)

Hermenegild (Christian; Martyr)

Ida of Louvain (Christian; Saint)

James Ensor (Artology)

Libertas (Old Roman Goddess of Liberty)

Martin I, Pope (Christian; Saint)

Martius (a.k.a. Mars; Christian; Saint)

Poshui Jie begins (Water Splashing Festival; China)

Ptolemy (Positivist; Saint)

Purification Festival (Thailand; Everyday Wicca)

Samuel Beckett (Writerism)

Seamus Heaney (Writerism)

Squashing of Moonhopper Day (Shamanism)

Thomas Lawrence (Artology)

Vaisakhi (Sikh spring grain harvest festival)

Vishnu (Pondicherry, India; Hindu)

Yayoi Matsuri (Nikko, Japan; 5-Day Spring Festival)

Islamic Moveable Calendar Holidays

Eid al-Fitr celebrations continue (Islam)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Prime Number Day: 103 [27 of 72]

Sensho (先勝 Japan) [Good luck in the morning, bad luck in the afternoon.]

Premieres

Aladdin Sane, by David Bowie (Album; 1973)

An Apprenticeship or The Book of Pleasures, by Clarice Lispector (Novel; 1969)

Bedeviled Rabbit (WB Cartoon; 1957)

The Big Bad Wolf (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Black Rose, by Thin Lizzy (Album; 1979)

Bridget Jones’s Diary (Film; 2001)

Brown Sugar, by The Rolling Stones (Song; 1971)

Bulldog Drummond (Radio Series; 1941)

By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, by Elizabeth Smart (Novel; 1945)

Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming (Novel; 1953) [James Bond #1]

Catch a Fire, by Bob Marley (Album; 1973)

Critic’s Choice (Film; 1963)

Dane, by Heinrich Schütz Opera; 1627)

Daltrey, by Roger Daltrey (Album; 1973)

Echo, by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers (Album; 1999)

El Capitan, by John Philip Soul (Operetta; 1896)

Good Little Monkeys (Happy Harmonies; 1935)

The Greyhound and the Rabbit (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1940)

Hold the Lion Please (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1951)

The Kilkenny Cats (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1945)

Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get Your Adverbs Here Grammar Rock Cartoon; Schoolhouse Rock; 1974)

Messiah, by George Frederic Handel (Oratorio; 1742)

Mickey’s Kangaroo (Disney Cartoon; 1935)

Mouse Into Space (Tom & Jerry Cartoon; 1962)

The One Minute Manager, by Kennth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson (Book; 1983)

Rampage (Film; 2018)

Rising Sun, by Michael Crichton (Novel; 1992)

Safe at Home! (Film; 1962)

Swing Shift (Film; 1984)

Tango in the Night, by Fleetwood Mac (Album; 1987)

Tintin and the Picaros, by Hergé (Graphic Novel; 1976) [Tintin #23]

12 Angry Men (Film; 1957)

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (Historic Novel; 2012)

Today’s Name Days

Hermenegild, Ida, Martin (Austria)

Ida, Martin (Croatia)

Aleš (Czech Republic)

Justinus (Denmark)

Tarvi, Tarvo (Estonia)

Tellervo (Finland)

Ida (France)

Hermenegil, Ida, Gilda, Martin (Germany)

Gerontios (Greece)

Ida (Hungary)

Ermenegildo, Martino (Italy)

Egils, Jagailis, Justins, Justs, Nauris (Latvia)

Algaudė, Ida, Mingaudas (Lithuania)

Asta, Astrid (Norway)

Hermenegild, Hermenegilda, Ida, Jan, Justyn, Małgorzata, Przemysł, Przemysław (Poland)

Artemon (Romania)

Aleš (Slovakia)

Hermenegildo, Martín (Spain)

Artur, Douglas (Sweden)

Slavka, Yaroslava (Ukraine)

Thom, Thomas, Thomasina, Thompson, Tom, Tomas, Tommie, Tommy, Twain (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 104 of 2024; 262 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 6 of week 15 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Fearn (Alder) [Day 28 of 28]

Chinese: Month 3 (Wu-Chen), Day 5 (Ding-Wei)

Chinese Year of the: Dragon 4722 (until January 29, 2025) [Wu-Chen]

Hebrew: 5 Nisan 5784

Islamic: 34 Shawwal 1445

J Cal: 14 Cyan; Sevenday [14 of 30]

Julian: 31 March 2024

Moon: 28%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 20 Archimedes (4th Month) [Albategnius]

Runic Half Month: Man (Human Being) [Day 4 of 15]

Season: Spring (Day 26 of 92)

Week: 2nd Week of April

Zodiac: Aries (Day 24 of 31)