Happy Saint Patrick's Day History And Trivia

Dear Readers,

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! 

Whoever laughs can kiss my Irish!
Whoever did this can kiss my...

A favorite holiday among many, I thought I would celebrate by sharing some Saint Patrick’s Day history and Irish trivia with you!

Did you know…?

In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is a religious holiday celebrated with reverence, not excessive partying. 

St. Patrick was a 5^th century British-born Roman; as a teenager, he was captured by Irish invaders and spent six years as a slave before escaping and returning to England, only to return to Ireland as a missionary after completing his studies for the priesthood.

The name “Patrick” is derived from the Latin “Patricius”, meaning “father figure”. Saint Patrick took the name upon his ordination to the priesthood. His given name was Maewyn Succat.

Saint Patrick’s feast day is March 17^th, commemorating the day he died in 461.

It is said that Saint Patrick “drove the snakes out of Ireland” and this is figuratively true. The snake is the pagan symbol of wisdom; in bringing Christianity to the Emerald Isle, Saint Patrick drove out the old wisdom of her people. Additionally, the snake is a Christian symbol of Satan and evil incarnate – also something Saint Patrick worked to quash.

Over 30 million Americans claim Irish ancestry; worldwide, over double that number (70 million) can claim a link to the Emerald Isle – that is more than ten times the actual population of Ireland!
In America, Irish ancestry ranks among the top 5 ancestries in all but two states – New Mexico and Hawaii!

Although New York City boasts the largest Saint Patrick’s Day parade, Boston boasts the oldest. In fact, it hosted the very first Saint Patrick’s Day parade ever held anywhere in the world – in 1737!

Guinness Brewery estimates that 13 million pints of their product will be consumed on Saint Patrick’s Day!

While Ireland is famous for its potatoes, the vegetable is not native to Irish soil; it was imported from the North American continent.

The first President of the Irish Republic (Eamon De Valera) was American by birth!

The colors of the Irish flag – orange, white, and green – stand for the Protestants (orange) of Northern Ireland; the Catholics (green) of the main isle (Eire, or the Irish Republic); and the peace (white) that will hopefully reign between them on a permanent basis.

Enjoy your Saint Patrick’s Day, however you choose to celebrate it! Erin go bragh – or, in English, Ireland Forever!

Snuggles,

Tazi

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

A Short History Of Valentine's Day...Along With Some Triva

Happy Valentine’s Day, Readers!

Today is one of my favorite holidays! What’s not to love about expressing love for one another and eating chocolate? Plus, my black fur looks stunning in both red and pink! In honor of both this holiday and Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement that he will be resigning at the end of the month, I have decided to look into the history of this holiday, named for a Catholic saint!

According to Catholic.org, there are fourteen saints named Valentine, Valentin, or Valentina, and even one Pope named Valentine! Luckily for my research, only one of these Saint Valentines are celebrated on February 14^th; St. Valentine of Rome. Even the Church itself cannot confirm that he is the St. Valentine associated with lovers and love and that naked baby with the cross bow, but since today is his feast day I am going to run with it, although there is not much to tell: St. Valentine was martyred on February 14^th, around the year 270, under the Roman Emperor Claudius for assisting Catholics in their plight against the Romans and for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith. It was a common fate among Catholics who lived during the time of the early Roman Empire.

Another tradition of the Roman Empire was the Feast of Lupercalia on February 15^th, which was essentially an ancient (around 730 B.C. is when it is reported to have started) mating ritual where men essentially drew a woman’s name from a hat and romanced her in the Roman tradition – which, if you have ever watched Spartacus on STARZ, you understand to mean fornicated with her at every opportunity. Catholic priests were horrified by this tradition and many of them would substitute the name of a saint for the name of a local woman – thus explains one Valentine’s Day tradition, expressing love for the object of your desires and affection; it was just one more (successful) attempt to Christianize the pagan holidays of the time. (Seriously, does anyone still celebrate Lupercalia?).

Another reason St. Valentine is associated with love and marriage is the reason he was martyred; the assistance he gave to Catholics – in direct opposition to the Roman Emperor Claudius II – was to marry them. Emperor Claudius II felt that unmarried men without children made the best soldiers because, as is true today, men without loved ones are thought to be better in combat since it is presumed that they will concentrate all of their thoughts on battle and not on their wives and children back home. In ancient times, unmarried men without children were also considered disposable; if they died in battle, they died a hero’s death without leaving a widow and children in need of financial assistance. Apparently, Roman leaders were not the sentimental sort. With this logic in mind, Claudius II is said to have passed a law forbidding young men to marry; Valentine disobeyed that law and married young sweethearts anyway, which led to his imprisonment and untimely death.

It is rumored that while Valentine was in jail, he himself fell in love with the jailor’s daughter (this was allowed in the early Catholic Church, as priests were allowed to marry back then). On the eve of his execution, St. Valentine purportedly wrote a letter expressing his eternal love for the young woman, signing it “from your Valentine”. The tradition that follows from this legend is the giving of Valentine’s Day cards. A NicholasSparks novel could not possibly have a sadder or more enduring ending! But wait, there’s more!

But first an animated recap of the story thus far...

It was under Pope Gelasius (492 – 496) that February 14^th was declared the Feast day of St. Valentine and celebrations of love and affection were outlawed by the church, having been deemed unchristian in spirit, since they were rooted in the feat of Lupricalia, which was still widely celebrated. It was not until the Middle Ages that Valentine’s Day expressions of love regained their popularity, which some credit to the British Duke, Charles of Orleans, who sent his wife a Valentine’s greeting while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415. (What is it about love letters from prison that bring out the romantic in people?). This love letter – a poem, actually – is the oldest known written Valentine in existence and is preserved as a part of the Manuscript Collection of the British Library in London, England. Knowing this makes me feel like less of a pack-rat for saving all of my past years’ Valentine’s cards!

By the 1700’s it became popular among people of all social classes to exchange Valentine’s Day sentiments, although they were not written down due to the high rate of illiteracy that plagued society and the even higher costs of printing and postage. In 1840, the mass-produced Valentine was created when American Esther A. Howland created greetings out of lace, ribbons, and other fancies that caught consumers’ eyes. She presumably sold them, as these materials were not cheap. It was not until the early 1900’s that printed Valentine’s were commonly exchanged, popular due to the decreased cost of printing and the Victorian era tradition of not publicly expressing affection for another. Today, Valentine’s Day sees an estimated one BILLION greeting cards sent and exchanged, making it the second most profitable holiday for Hallmark, American Greetings, and the like (Christmas is first).

As my Valentine’s gift to you, dear readers, I will leave you with some fun, trivial facts (followed by my opinion) about this day to pass along to the ones you love. (Hey, it’s cheaper than buying a card!).

FACT: 85% of Valentine’s Day cards are purchased by women.

Tazi’s Opinion: Many of these are purchased on behalf of their cats

FACT: In Korea, single people who do not receive Valentines eat black noodles to mourn their relationship status

Tazi’s Opinion: It’s good to know that Americans don’t have a lock on such pathetic behavior.

FACT: Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day card than any other demographic; children are second

Tazi’s Opinion: Those 3” x 2” pieces of cheap cardboard that kids are forced to exchange with everyone in the class should not count!

FACT: The heart is associated with Valentine’s Day because the ancients believed that the heart is where the soul (and the source of emotions) resided.

Tazi’s Opinion: The pancreas would make a better choice, since it actually is heart-shaped…unlike the heart.

FACT: During the 19^th century, doctors prescribed chocolate as a cure for heartbreak and loneliness

Tazi’s Opinion: I think this is a great idea! I also think that citizens should be able to write off the cost of Godiva confectioneries as a medical expense on their tax returns.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

Snuggles,

Tazi

With gracious thanks to History.com and MyDearValentine.com for statistical information and fact verification.

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Fun Halloween Facts From The Black Cat!

Greetings, Readers!

A Happy Halloween/All Hallow's Eve to all who celebrate!  Here in America, Halloween is a big deal - it is the second highest retail grossing holiday in the country, second only to Christmas!  In honor of this time of excess (and chocolate - lots and lots of chocolate!) I present to you today some fun facts about the history of Halloween and its traditions!

1. Trick-or-treating evolved from the ancient Celtic tradition of putting out food to appease spirits who roamed the streets during Samhain, a sacred festival that marked the end of the Celtic calendar year. Ireland is generally accepted as the birthplace of Halloween!

2. Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Celtic Samhain holiday.

I is scary!  RAWR!

3. Trick-or-treating dates back to the Middle Ages! “Souling” is a medieval Christian precursor to modern-day trick-or-treating. On Hallowmas (November 1, now known as All Saints Day), the poor would go door-to-door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for soul cakes, a sweet and tasty treat!

4. Because Protestant England did not believe in Catholic saints, the rituals traditionally associated with Halloween were originally associated with Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th!

Remember, remember the 5th of November...

5.  A Rhode Island man holds the record for world's largest pumpkin, which weighed in at 2,009 pounds (911 kg).  It is the first pumpkin ever recorded to break the one ton mark!  (Sorry, not a Halloween History fact; being a Rhode Island native, I had to brag!).

6.  Halloween is not a universally celebrated holiday (France sees it as an American celebration).  In Mexico, the days following Halloween - All Saints Day and All Souls Day - are celebrated as Los Días de los Muertos, the Days of the Dead.  Teng Chieh or the Lantern Festival is how Halloween is celebrated in China. Animal shaped lanterns are hung around houses and in the streets to help spirits back to their earthly homes. 

7.   In 1950, Philadelphia-based trick-or-treaters traded in a sweet tooth for a sweet action. In lieu of candy, residents collected change for children overseas and sent it to UNICEF. Subsequently, the Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF program was born.

8.  Bobbing for apples actually started as part of the entertainments of the Roman tradition of harvest festivals that honored Pomona, Goddess of the Harvest.

9.  In most countries that celebrate Halloween, black cats are thought to be unlucky as they are thought to be witch's familiars.  In England, the same is thought about white cats, instead of black cats.

I subordinates to nobody!

10. Legend has it that the jack-o’-lantern began with an Irish man named Jack, who was too stingy to be allowed into Heaven and too much of a troublemaker to join the Devil in Hell. When Jack died, the Devil threw him a lighted coal, which Jack placed inside a turnip he was eating. To this day, Jack continues to use the coal to light his path as he searches for a final resting place.


Gracious thanks to RandomFacts.com and MSN.com for their fun facts about Halloween!  

Snuggles and a Happy Halloween from the Black Cat!!


Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Tazi's Corner #78 - Super Bowl Trivia For Super Sunday!

Dear Readers,

It's Super Bowl Sunday here in America, and what better way to celebrate than to stuff your face with guacamole and chips? How about reading up on some cool and interesting facts about America's most watched sporting event!

Tazi-Kat's List of Super Bowl Trivia

The first Super Bowl was played in 1967, before the merger between the NFL and the AFL was complete, and was called The AFL-NFL World Championship Game. What a mouthful!

In that first championship game (renamed Super Bowl I), the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League, 35-to-10. Those Green Bay Packers also won Super Bowl II, beating the Oakland Raiders by a score of 33 - 14.

Super Bowl III was the first NFL Championship game to be called the Super Bowl. The upstart AFL team the New York Jets won it, beating the Baltimore (now Indianapolis) Colts 16 - 7. A low scoring game, but not the lowest! 

Although no Super Bowl has ever been a shut-out, the Miami Dolphins hold the record for lowest scoring team in a Super Bowl (SB VI), with a measly three points! They are the only team to never score a touchdown in a Super Bowl (SB VI, against the Dallas Cowboys)

Super Bowl VII (January 14, 1973) was the lowest scoring Super Bowl ever, with the Miami Dolphins beating the Washington Redskins by a score of 14 – 7. This win propelled the Dolphins to an undefeated season – the only team in NFL history to accomplish this feat! (Making up for their performance the previous year in Super Bowl VI!).

The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs over two calendar years (just in case you were wondering!).

Up until this year (2014), the NFL has held to a policy against holding Super Bowl games in stadiums that have a climate of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), unless it is an enclosed stadium. Super Bowl XLVIII is the first outdoor, cold climate Super Bowl ever and it will take place during a record-breaking cold snap!

If you think the New England Patriots have had a bad run of luck, losing two Super Bowls in less than 5 years (SB XLII and SB XLVI), think again! The Buffalo Bills once made it to the Super Bowl four years straight and lost every single time (Super Bowls XXV – XXVIII)!

The Seattle Seahawks, one of the two teams playing in this year's Super Bowl, are one of ten teams that have never won a Super Bowl! (The other nine teams are the Tennessee Titans, San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and the Buffalo Bills.

The Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Houston Texans have never even gone to a Super Bowl. 

I don't think this Cleveland Brown has ever been to the big game, either!

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the winningest team in the Super Bowl with six wins. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys are tied for second place with five wins each. Legendary Coach Don Shula has six Super Bowl appearances, making him the Head Coach with the most trips to the big game!

Quarterback Joe Montana holds the record for most Super Bowl MVP awards with three.

The San Francisco 49ers hold the honor of being the team to score the most points in a Super Bowl (55 points in Super Bowl XXIV, against the Denver Broncos) and of being in the Super Bowl with the highest point total (Super Bowl XXIX with 75 combined points. The 49er’s beat the San Diego Chargers 49 - 26). 

Last year’s Super Bowl (XLVII) was the longest ever, clocking in at 4 hours and 14 minutes, thanks to a 34 minute blackout at the New Orleans Super Dome, where the game was being played.

The shortest Super Bowl game was played the year before – Super Bowl XLVI was only 2 hours long!

A single, 30-second Super Bowl ad can cost several millions of dollars. Is it any wonder that the shortest Super Bowl commercial ever was only ½ of a second! 

DON'T BLINK!

Too bad VCR’s did not exist in 1967! Super Bowl I was played that year…and the footage was accidentally taped over (allegedly for a soap opera, but there is no proof of this claim)! If you somehow managed to find an authentic copy, it is worth millions.

No Super Bowl Team has ever played on their home field.

No Super Bowl game has ever gone into overtime, although there have been several last-second wins.

That's all for now...here's hoping that you enjoy your day, however you spend it! Mine will be spent hiding under the bed...I hate crowds and loud noise!

Snuggles,

Tazi


Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with Bachelors degrees in Communications and in Gender and Women's Studies. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline. Like his owner, he is a Green Bay Packers fan!

A Short History Of Valentine's Day! (And Of Course, Some Trivia, Too!)

Happy Valentine’s Day, Readers!

Today is one of my favorite holidays! What’s not to love about expressing love for one another and eating chocolate? Plus, my black fur looks stunning in both red and pink! In honor of both this holiday and Pope Benedict XVI’s announcement that he will be resigning at the end of the month, I have decided to look into the history of this holiday, named for a Catholic saint!

According to Catholic.org, there are fourteen saints named Valentine, Valentin, or Valentina, and even one Pope named Valentine! Luckily for my research, only one of these Saint Valentines are celebrated on February 14^th; St. Valentine of Rome. Even the Church itself cannot confirm that he is the St. Valentine associated with lovers and love and that naked baby with the cross bow, but since today is his feast day I am going to run with it, although there is not much to tell: St. Valentine was martyred on February 14^th, around the year 270, under the Roman Emperor Claudius for assisting Catholics in their plight against the Romans and for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith. It was a common fate among Catholics who lived during the time of the early Roman Empire.

Another tradition of the Roman Empire was the Feast of Lupercalia on February 15^th, which was essentially an ancient (around 730 B.C. is when it is reported to have started) mating ritual where men essentially drew a woman’s name from a hat and romanced her in the Roman tradition – which, if you have ever watched Spartacus on STARZ, you understand to mean fornicated with her at every opportunity. Catholic priests were horrified by this tradition and many of them would substitute the name of a saint for the name of a local woman – thus explains one Valentine’s Day tradition, expressing love for the object of your desires and affection; it was just one more (successful) attempt to Christianize the pagan holidays of the time. (Seriously, does anyone still celebrate Lupercalia?).

Another reason St. Valentine is associated with love and marriage is the reason he was martyred; the assistance he gave to Catholics – in direct opposition to the Roman Emperor Claudius II – was to marry them. Emperor Claudius II felt that unmarried men without children made the best soldiers because, as is true today, men without loved ones are thought to be better in combat since it is presumed that they will concentrate all of their thoughts on battle and not on their wives and children back home. In ancient times, unmarried men without children were also considered disposable; if they died in battle, they died a hero’s death without leaving a widow and children in need of financial assistance. Apparently, Roman leaders were not the sentimental sort. With this logic in mind, Claudius II is said to have passed a law forbidding young men to marry; Valentine disobeyed that law and married young sweethearts anyway, which led to his imprisonment and untimely death.

It is rumored that while Valentine was in jail, he himself fell in love with the jailor’s daughter (this was allowed in the early Catholic Church, as priests were allowed to marry back then). On the eve of his execution, St. Valentine purportedly wrote a letter expressing his eternal love for the young woman, signing it “from your Valentine”. The tradition that follows from this legend is the giving of Valentine’s Day cards. A NicholasSparks novel could not possibly have a sadder or more enduring ending! But wait, there’s more!

But first an animated recap of the story thus far...

It was under Pope Gelasius (492 – 496) that February 14^th was declared the Feast day of St. Valentine and celebrations of love and affection were outlawed by the church, having been deemed unchristian in spirit, since they were rooted in the feat of Lupricalia, which was still widely celebrated. It was not until the Middle Ages that Valentine’s Day expressions of love regained their popularity, which some credit to the British Duke, Charles of Orleans, who sent his wife a Valentine’s greeting while imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415. (What is it about love letters from prison that bring out the romantic in people?). This love letter – a poem, actually – is the oldest known written Valentine in existence and is preserved as a part of the Manuscript Collection of the British Library in London, England. Knowing this makes me feel like less of a pack-rat for saving all of my past years’ Valentine’s cards!

By the 1700’s it became popular among people of all social classes to exchange Valentine’s Day sentiments, although they were not written down due to the high rate of illiteracy that plagued society and the even higher costs of printing and postage. In 1840, the mass-produced Valentine was created when American Esther A. Howland created greetings out of lace, ribbons, and other fancies that caught consumers’ eyes. She presumably sold them, as these materials were not cheap. It was not until the early 1900’s that printed Valentine’s were commonly exchanged, popular due to the decreased cost of printing and the Victorian era tradition of not publicly expressing affection for another. Today, Valentine’s Day sees an estimated one BILLION greeting cards sent and exchanged, making it the second most profitable holiday for Hallmark, American Greetings, and the like (Christmas is first).

As my Valentine’s gift to you, dear readers, I will leave you with some fun, trivial facts (followed by my opinion) about this day to pass along to the ones you love. (Hey, it’s cheaper than buying a card!).

FACT: 85% of Valentine’s Day cards are purchased by women.

Tazi’s Opinion: Many of these are purchased on behalf of their cats

FACT: In Korea, single people who do not receive Valentines eat black noodles to mourn their relationship status

Tazi’s Opinion: It’s good to know that Americans don’t have a lock on such pathetic behavior.

FACT: Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day card than any other demographic; children are second

Tazi’s Opinion: Those 3” x 2” pieces of cheap cardboard that kids are forced to exchange with everyone in the class should not count!

FACT: The heart is associated with Valentine’s Day because the ancients believed that the heart is where the soul (and the source of emotions) resided.

Tazi’s Opinion: The pancreas would make a better choice, since it actually is heart-shaped…unlike the heart.

FACT: During the 19^th century, doctors prescribed chocolate as a cure for heartbreak and loneliness

Tazi’s Opinion: I think this is a great idea! I also think that citizens should be able to write off the cost of Godiva confectioneries as a medical expense on their tax returns.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

Snuggles,

Tazi

With gracious thanks to History.com and MyDearValentine.com for statistical information and fact verification.

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.

Tazi's Corner #14 - Ten Fast Facts About Cats!

Dear Readers,

I am feeling rather egotistical today (no smart comments, please) so I have decided to share some trivia on my favorite topic – the feline species!  Please indulge me this show of ego, and enjoy the following

Ten Fast Facts About Cats – And Tazi – That You May Not Have Known Before!

Cats are lactose intolerant.  From the mighty big cats to the smallest Munchkin, our digestive systems lack the enzyme needed to break it down.  We are also unable to taste sweet flavors, so serving us milk or cream is not necessary to our health; we just like the texture.  Fresh water will do us fine.

We do not like citrus or lavender scents.  If you want to keep a cat from scratching the furniture, spray it with Febreeze upholstery spray in one of these two scents…or both if you want us to really hate you for it.

Cats’ tongues have tiny, little barbs on them which are what makes our tongues feel like sandpaper.

Domestic cats are not native to North America.  We were brought over on the Mayflower by the Pilgrims.

Signs that a cat trusts you: snoring while sleeping (it means we are veeeeery relaxed!) and presenting you our butt, the one spot that has no claws.  If we present you our belly it means we are trying to see if you are trustworthy (one false move and four sets of claws and a mouthful of teeth stand ready to hurt you!)

...and we do mean "maybe"!

     Cats prefer names that end with a long “e” sound….like Tazi!  We also respond to “p” sounds more quickly than other sounds…when we respond at all, that is.

Approximately 20% of cats lack the receptors to experience a “high” from catnip.  Luckily, I am not among them.

All calico cats are female.

There is no such thing are a pure black cat.  Even I have a scant few white hairs on my chest and belly.  (It makes me look like I touched wet paint).

Cats, large and small, walk on our claws not the flats (pads) of our feet.  We are the only animal know to walk like this!

Bonus Fact!

Snuggles,
Tazi

Ask Tazi! is ghostwritten by a human with a Bachelors of Arts in Communications. Tazi-Kat is not really a talking feline.