What Proto-Christmas Can Teach You

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Courtesy of Bruce Mars, via Pexels Images

Courtesy of Bruce Mars, via Pexels Images

Oh, I hear it too—Christmas really is already in the air. Now, I love this period of Yuletide happiness, but I am also a stout believer in the idea that all traditions come from somewhere. If you don’t know where something comes from, how can you love (or hate) it? Christmas in my house has always been pillared by traditions, big and small. So today I’d like to share with you one of the pillars of Christmas itself so you can better know where it is believed it comes from—the ancient festival of Saturnalia.

Saturnalia was the biggest bash in town back when the Roman Empire was large and in charge. The most popular festival by far, it was dedicated to celebrating the god Saturn, the deity devoted to agriculture and harvest, by getting down and getting festive.

In all honesty, Saturnalia was pretty cool—despite being in the middle of the time of slaves. Lasting seven days and seven nights, from December 17th to 24th, all work and business was cancelled. Certain moral restrictions were lessened or lifted; frivolity was not only encouraged, but mandatory. Even slaves were lifted of their typical responsibilities, often being invited to the table for dinner, and allowed to speak their mind. Some slave owners would even turn the tables—serving their servants lightly throughout the week.

Think Mardi Gras, but with an added twist of our familiar Yuletide traditions—greetings in the streets, high spirits. A mock king from the streets was chosen for the week, and as the week drew to a close, gifts were exchanged. Typically, these gifts would be made of wax: candles, figurines, and fruit models were all popular options.

One of the last traditions of Saturnalia was the invitation of Saturn himself to join the fun. Usually, the cult statue of Saturn stood bound by the ankles with woolen bands, but for the festival, these were cut. Almost as if the Romans wanted him to step out and get crazy with them.

              So, what can we learn from this proto-Christmas tradition? Here’s my list.

1.       Cut loose a little. December is a serious time full of exams, family stressors, and financial insanity. Make things a little easier on yourself and have some fun.

2.       Put your business to the side (if you can).

3.       Treat someone with a little extra kindness, even if you normally wouldn’t.

4.       Give something—no matter how small or inconsequential.

5.       Let someone else, maybe someone you normally wouldn’t, join the fun.

Now, it’s at this point in the post that I have to warn you: most scholars will not confirm that Christmas is connected to Saturnalia. But with core values like the five above being heavily featured in both holidays, I don’t super-duper think that matters. If you’re going to take anything from this article, take the lessons.

And in all honesty, no matter what you celebrate, I think Saturnalia has some great tips for you and your loved ones. Let’s help each other through the dark winter months this year by saying hello, letting the crazy roll off, and show a little extra kindness.

Good karma never hurt nobody, now did it?

If you’d like to learn more about other winter solstice traditions, check this out!

Author.jpg

Shannon Morrow

Shannon Morrow is always curious, and as a result, loves knowing all sorts of things. A second year professional writing student, she enjoys telling people about her weird dreams, birds and trying to learn how to cook- that one isn’t going too well. And yeah, she knows her glasses make her look like a beetle sometimes. Roll with it.

Stressed? Call Your Hairdresser—Here's How They Can Help

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Image courtesy of Pexels Images

Image courtesy of Pexels Images

You know when things are so hectic in your life that you just think to yourself screw it? And screwing it means doing something radical like buying something lavish, ending a relationship, or—I don’t know—getting bangs? If you find yourself about to make a big decision and you’re thinking of grabbing some scissors, I have to level with you—it’s the healthiest decision you can make.

I know twelve people who, over the course of our friendship, got bangs when they were in some sort of crisis. Maybe they didn’t have control over their environment and they wanted something they could control, or they weren’t sure who they were anymore, or they had just broken up with someone. Either way, all twelve turned to their hairdressers and said “Everything must go.”

We see it in TV all the time; a female character is going through something heavy and she cuts her own hair. The audience feels for her, because that’s the type of universal decision we can understand. In my life, any impulsive but harmless act that someone does under stress, I refer to as “getting bangs”. For example: you randomly got a tattoo. Bangs. You spent a lot of money on essential oils for no reason. Bangs. You bought a parrot. Bangs.

It’s all coming up bangs folks. But why? Why is it all literally coming up bangs? And why, during this school season, are there so many bangs?

As a matter of fact, it’s completely normal. Doing something impulsive, like breaking something, cutting your hair, or engaging in retail therapy is a form of self-investment. It’s self care. Cutting hair is popular because it often makes us happy or more confident. Changing our appearance is also immediate—I look different, therefore I shall feel different soon.

This transcends all levels of bangs; eliminating something that sometimes bugs you, that’s getting a daily roadblock out of the way. This translates into it is gone, therefore it cannot challenge me.  Indulging on something that might make you happy, for a moment, really does make us happy. I have something new, therefore something will change.

These rash decisions—no matter how big or small—make us feel like we’re doing something to push us out of the head space we’re in, however stuck.

Yes, sometimes you regret it. Sometimes the bangs weren’t the number one choice. But no matter what they look like, or what form they take, you took a step for yourself. A little moment, or a long one, that makes you see your situation in a new way.

So congratulations! I hope you love your bangs! And I hope your coping mechanisms stay healthy this school year, because no matter how much I joke, bangs can sometimes be unwise. Debt, fall outs, and harm are unhealthy bangs, bangs that I don’t endorse. So if you notice you’re acting a little off and are looking for a little rush, check out your local hairdresser, and not the gambling table.

After all, bangs are making a comeback.

Want to read more? Check out the source on Lifehacker.

Author.jpg

Shannon Morrow

Shannon Morrow is always curious, and as a result, loves knowing all sorts of things. A second year professional writing student, she enjoys telling people about her weird dreams, birds and trying to learn how to cook - that one isn’t going too well. And yeah, she knows her glasses make her look like a beetle sometimes. Roll with it.

CHANGE MY MIND: The Witches from Macbeth are the coolest ladies in literature.

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Image courtesy of Rob Potter via. Unsplash Images

Image courtesy of Rob Potter via. Unsplash Images

If you’ve been to high school, you’ve probably read Macbeth. If you haven’t, you’ve heard of it. If you haven’t, who even are you, and why do you live in isolation? I loved Macbeth, which sounds basic, but I loved it because the language was off the chain beautiful and because it’s got witches. I love witches—the magic, the mystery, the outfits. Never have I ever seen witches in media and not fallen in love with them. But the witches from Macbeth are by far my favorites, and some of the coolest characters in media ever. Let me explain.

Evidence the first: They were, at the time, a smart political device used by Shakespeare. In 1606 when the play was first written and performed, witches were the talk of every town. Who was a witch? What would they do? How do we stop them?

With the church being pretty much the only power everywhere, witchcraft became a capital offence and many women were executed with no proof that they were actually witches. Can you imagine minding your own damn business and some local police roll in and kill you because Prudence next door said she saw you near a frog one time? Because that’s what it was like. Women would be accused of witchcraft for any reason, including not having enough children, or living at the edge of your community.

So, with witches being the fear and talk of the town, Shakespeare made the inspired move to have three of them not only in his play, but open his play. The three witches meet on a heath and discuss meeting Macbeth in an open field when the battle is over. This would have captured the attention of his audience immediately, with both fear and curiosity.

Evidence the second: Who doesn’t love magic and who isn’t curious about the occult? These three haggard women show up talking about screwing up Macbeth’s life with an ill-fated prophecy, then they talk about a grey cat and toad (both of which are symbols for the devil). Then they get down to gossiping about a woman with chestnuts and how they’re just going to screw up her husband’s whole situation and get him lost at sea!

That’s power. And not just power—needless power. They don’t have to do that, but they want to, and we never learn a concrete reason as to why. Evil for the sake of evil? Now that’s cool, and an absolute rarity today in media. Everyone needs a reason, but in life there isn’t a reason for everything. So we are left to our little mysteries, and Macbeth provides.

Evidence the third: Their presence in the play, in any reimagining of it, is always super cool. My personal favorite is the Patrick Stewart 2010 version where the witches appear as nurses and show up throughout the story. Their lingering presence gives the audience the feeling that Macbeth and his surrounding partners are putting on a performance for the witches, and not the real audience. In Geoffrey Wright’s 2006 version, they are school girls, first seen having a ritual in a graveyard. But if you’re old school, they are as they were first depicted: ancient, strange women in the 1971 version by Roman Polanski. There’s a witch for everyone, and with Halloween quickly descending, why not make finding your favorite a mission?

So, the three witches were politically created, powerful, mysterious, and always end up being badass. The play is one of Shakespeare’s most famous, no doubt with a little help from the witches and their charm. So the big question is: when will you buckle down and revisit a high school classic?

Author.jpg

Shannon Morrow

Shannon Morrow is always curious, and as a result, loves knowing all sorts of things. A second year professional writing student, she enjoys telling people about her weird dreams, birds and trying to learn how to cook- that one isn’t going too well. And yeah, she knows her glasses make her look like a beetle sometimes. Roll with it.