Re: [LANGDEV] Today's date: Citra (dlozj), kov (relh)

[Herman Miller <hmiller@io.com>]

On Sat, 1 Nov 1997 14:11:13 GMT, "Raymond A. Brown"
<raybrown@macline.co.uk> wrote:

>>The 28-day period from October 26 to
>>November 22 (in non-leap years) is the Month of the Bat, whose official
>>holiday is observed on Citra 6, Bat Day (or Halloween).
>
>And if you had come a little further south in Mexico, I guess you'd have
>gone for Citra 7 (Hallowmas or All Saints) or Citra 8 (All Souls - the "day
>of the dead").  You could, of course, get in all three days a bit like the
>English/Welsh Christmas where the holiday starts late afternoon on
>Christmas Eve & goes through the 25th to the end of the 26th or "Boxing
>Day".  (I don't think the Scots make so much of the latter- nothing to do
>with Mike Tyson & co., BTW, but with Victorian tradesmen collecting their
>'Christmas boxes').

I could still make it Citra 7, and it would be on October 31 in leap years.
I'll have to think about that.

>>Each Jarda holiday
>>is also associated with a particular _spaltraz_ (ceremonial tea); the tea
>>associated with Bat Day is Lapsang Souchong.
>
>:-)  I like it.  Are you going to list the other teas?

Well, the spring equinox tea is Irish Breakfast (because of St. Patrick's
Day on Hare 2).  I haven't yet decided on the others.  Of course, I'll have
to come up with Jarda names for all the teas as well.

>Presumably Jarda day also belongs to no weekday or month. This is the case
>with the intercalated leap-year day in the 'International Fixed Calender'
>where the day comes after June. 28th.

Right, it's just another extra day between the months like the winter
solstice.

>>Eagle (June 8/7 - July 5/4), Eagle Day = Eag. 28 (July 5/4)
>
>The bald-headed one, I assume?

Naturally.  I suppose it might make more sense to create new holidays,
rather than borrowing existing ones, but on the other hand, some borrowed
holidays like this one suggest a logical animal name for the month.  (1776
was a leap year, which is why Eagle Day is Eag. 28 rather than Eag. 27.)

I also thought about borrowing non-US holidays, but there are so many of
them that I'd have to be very selective.  Korean Alphabet Day, on Raccoon
12 (Oct. 9), is one of the days that I'm considering.

>>Armadillo (July 6/5 - Aug. 2/1)
>
>Could call it Frog, with Frog Day = Frog 9 (July 14/13) ;-)

I think I'll stick with Armadillo.

>>Turkey (Nov. 23 - Dec. 20), Turkey Day = Tur. 3 (Nov. 25)
>
>Thanks Giving? Over here 'Turkey Day' is 25th Dec.  ;-)

Right; Thanksgiving is an awkward one, because it's not on a fixed day of
the month (it ranges from Nov. 22 to Nov. 28, always on a Thursday), but
the name "Turkey Day" (as it is sometimes called) is an obvious animal name
for the month.  Still, "Month of the Turkey" sounds a bit silly.  That's
one of the months I might change if I come up with something better.

>The Hollowe'en/ Hallowmas festival(s) originated in a Christianization of
>the old Celtic Samhaine & your Marmot Day is the Candlemas, a
>Christianization of the Celtic Imbolc (Feb. 1st).  You thus have two of the
>old Celtic quarter days.  How about the other two: Beataine (1st May) &
>Lunasa (Lammas, 1st August)?   It's interesting to note that the Christian
>'All Saints' was originally May 1st & was moved to Nov. 1st in 834 AD.

That sounds like a good idea, although for some reason it seems odd to
associate a Celtic holiday with armadillos.