For those outside of New Orleans, a brief reader mail which somehow makes Mike Klein, the editing machine, nervous...relax.
Dear Jim,
I see a ton of Happy 12th Night posts. Why is it a big deal in New Orleans??
Melanie, Indianapolis
Dear Jim,
I see a ton of Happy 12th Night posts. Why is it a big deal in New Orleans??
Melanie, Indianapolis
Greetings Melanie,
Legend has it that if Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then the North Koreans test a hydrogen bomb.
Traditionally 12th Night, for one, marks the last day that we're subjected to the most annoying holiday song since "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer."
It's a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany. For me, personally, my Epiphany materialized when I accepted the fact that Craig, my neighbor, is clinically insane.
For devout Christians it refers to the day when the nativity story tells us that the wise men visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It turned out that they were not so wise after all as they over packed, directly resulting in enormous baggage fees from the airline. So, they dropped off some luggage on their way to a Grateful Dead concert.
The English call it Christmastide because they're NEVER satisfied unless THEY create a word. The variation extends even to the issue of how to count the days.
In New Orleans it's easy, as no one knows what day it is since most of its citizenry are drunk until Mardi Gras day.
Hopefully this information is helpful. And, for those who might lob a blasphemy charge in my direction, I assure you that I'm likely going to Hell for numerous reasons, none of which are associated with this writing.
Legend has it that if Christmas Day is the first of the twelve days, then the North Koreans test a hydrogen bomb.
Traditionally 12th Night, for one, marks the last day that we're subjected to the most annoying holiday song since "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer."
It's a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany. For me, personally, my Epiphany materialized when I accepted the fact that Craig, my neighbor, is clinically insane.
For devout Christians it refers to the day when the nativity story tells us that the wise men visited the infant Jesus in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It turned out that they were not so wise after all as they over packed, directly resulting in enormous baggage fees from the airline. So, they dropped off some luggage on their way to a Grateful Dead concert.
The English call it Christmastide because they're NEVER satisfied unless THEY create a word. The variation extends even to the issue of how to count the days.
In New Orleans it's easy, as no one knows what day it is since most of its citizenry are drunk until Mardi Gras day.
Hopefully this information is helpful. And, for those who might lob a blasphemy charge in my direction, I assure you that I'm likely going to Hell for numerous reasons, none of which are associated with this writing.
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