It is almost here... December 23 - so tonight is Festivus Eve!!!!!
Happy Festivus!!! - The Holiday for the Rest of Us
What is Festivus??? Well I am glad that you asked because I can now post a long and detailed account and separate Festivus fact from fiction. Here is the romanticized version popularized by Seinfeld - the Show About Nothing:
There is a public Festivus gathering being held in Vancouver tonight. Vancouver Minglers are hosting a "Festivus for the rest of us" event tonight at The Tap at 5 p.m. http://todovancouver.com/2011/12/fes...f-us-dec-22nd/
AHHHHH.... the Airing of Grievances (kind of a blood sport on HF Forums year round) and Feats of Strength.
The beautiful FESTIVUS Pole - an unadorned aluminium pole (very high strength-to-weight ratio). Like so many I find tinsel on the traditional tree so distracting. It is also very easy to store when not being used during the Festivus season - slide it under a bed, stand it up in a storage closet. etc. And it is eco-friendly.
Even politicians celebrate this happy event. In 2005, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle was declared "Governor Festivus" and during the holiday season displayed a Festivus Pole in the family room of the Executive Residence in Madison, Wisconsin. Governor Doyle's 2005 Festivus Pole is now part of the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
Modern observances of FESTIVUS tend to feature heavy drinking, including copious amounts beer, rum, bourbon, or wine and especially Scotch (single malt 12 year old preferably The Macallan) - my kind of holiday.
Many myths have grown up around Festivus. This is understandable given that its true origins have been shrouded in the mists of time - Festivus actually dates all the way back to 1966.
Festivus, a holiday most believe was invented on an episode of "Seinfeld" first broadcast the week before Christmas in 1997. Festivus was NOT invented by Frank Costanza of Seinfeld. It is not a fictional holiday popularized by "The Show About Nothing" - that was a fictionalized treatment.
Festivus was brought to the world by wise man (wise guy?) Dan O'Keefe in 1966 and his son Daniel was a writer on Seinfeld who adapted this joyous event for television. Festivus grew from classic rituals like familial gatherings, totemic-but-mysterious objects and respect for ancestors. For example according to Daniel O'Keefe "There was a clock in a paper bag" but no one had clue what it symbolized.
However credit must be given to Seinfeld for bringing this wonderful holiday with its peculiar practises to the masses. If Dan O'Keefe is the real father of Festivus, Jerry Stiller, the actor who played Frank Costanza, George Costanza's father, is its Santa Claus to put it in terms those who follow that weird ritual of Christmas might understand.
Other myths:
Festivus does not replace Christmas temporally (or the Holiday Season if you wish to be politically correct) as it is celebrated today on December 23, 2010 instead of in February as originally set down in the "'Keefe Gospels.
Seinfeld cheapened the idea of the Festivus miracle:
Miracle #1;
Sleazy Guy: "Hello again, Miss Benes."
Elaine Benes: "What are you doing here?"
Sleazy Guy: "Damnedest thing. Me and Charlie were calling to ask you out, and, uh, we got this bagel place."
Cosmo Kramer: "I told them I was just about to see you. It's a Festivus Miracle!"
Miracle #2;
Gwen: "Jerry!"
Jerry Seinfeld: "Gwen! How did you know I was here?"
Gwen: "Kramer told me!"
Cosmo Kramer: "Another Festivus Miracle!"
A true Festivus miracle would be something such as the Maple Leafs making the play-offs.
And food and drink differs from true Festivus as compared to the Seinfeld version. The on-air Seinfeld meal was shown to be some sort of meatloaf. The original holiday dinner in the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&M's. And lots of alcohol... that was not served during the Seinfeld depiction but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drinks from a hip flask.
For those of you who wish to participate in this long time (44 year old) tradition there are even downloads of a feats of strength challenge card, a list of grievances form and Festivus greeting cards, including one that reads, in a Hallmark-like typeface, "You're a disappointment! Happy Festivus!" It is a great help in planning a Festivus gathering although be aware it has the more fictionalized approach to Festivus popularized by Seinfeld. http://www.kwillis.com/festivus.html
Festivus does not replace Christmas temporally (or the Holiday Season if you wish to be politically correct) as it is celebrated today December 23, 2010.
After the Festivus season I always wrap the pole carefully in my official reproduction Shroud of Tofino - it has been tested and found to be an authentic copy of the original by a team of Italian scientists.
After the Festivus season I always wrap the pole carefully in my official reproduction Shroud of Tofino - it has been tested and found to be an authentic copy of the original by a team of Italian scientists.
Perhaps a PPV shrine...top up the retirement account?
Since midnight has passed in Denmark and it's now the 23rd of December, I guess it's appropriate to say: Happy Festivus to all you fellow diving and whining basterds of Canucks HF.
Let it not be said that Festivus doesn't incorporate ALL the important holiday customs and rituals.
Along with the airing of grievances, the feats of strength, we will have the hoisting of petards as well.
So it is written, so shall it be.
Awomen.
And here is more blending of holiday tradition - this time with an Eastern influence (no not from TO).
And WOW ... this time of the year is getting crowded. Today is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year with the sun rising at 8:04 am and setting at 4:16pm today.
With the blending of East and West in the Wetcoaster household, the day takes on a special meaning with Dōngzhì - the Winter Solstice Festival (冬至). As my significant other (aka She Who Must Be Obeyed) who hails from Taiwan many years ago reminded me, she is preparing Tangyuan (湯圓, as pronounced in Mandarin Pinyin: Tāng Yuán) which are sweet glutinous rice balls which symbolize reunion. Tangyuan translates as "round balls in soup".
This will be the dessert for our Festivus Eve feast and replaces the traditional Pepperidge Farm cake decorated with M&M's - hey I am all about multiculturalism.
Here is a picture of the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Gardens all decked out in lanterns and lights.
After the Festivus season I always wrap the pole carefully in my official reproduction Shroud of Tofino - it has been tested and found to be an authentic copy of the original by a team of Italian scientists.
