Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy Ides of March (And Happy St. Patrick's Day)

I was walking to my car the last night & I realized something: I didn't write about the Ides of March. How could I have not? I've discussed the Krampus & the Chinese New Year, two non-celebrated holidays to the traditional American, & the Ides of March is my favorite non-traditional holiday of all. So, here you go, you're getting "Happy Ides of March" on St. Patrick's Day.

I guess I like the day mostly because I'm a history buff, & most of all, Ancient Roman history. For those who do not know, the Ides of March is March 15th, & on March 15th, 44 BC, Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times by members of the Senate. The 60 Senators sought to gain back power to the Senate that Caesar had taken. Caesar was popular with the lower & middle class, & Caesar's sole heir, his nephew, Caesar Augustus, was politically skilled. These two factors stopped every civil war that started up & Augustus set himself as the first Emperor of Rome, which I'm sure Caesar's assassins didn't have that as their goal. 

It's an interesting story of murder, treachery, & rebellion. To celebrate it, I suggest watching a particularly stabby movie, like Psycho, or you can tape a paper dagger on someone's back, like what happened this year to JCBA student assistant, Jonas McCaffery. Hopefully, if it happens to you, you'll find it sooner than three hours later.

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