Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Friday Five, Very Late but with benefit of hindsight

Sally, from Great Britain, at RevGalBlogPals said last Friday:
There is so much going on this weekend that I thought I'd provide an options Friday 5!!!!
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First: Superbowl ( someone explain to this Brit the significance)- love it or hate it? 5 reasons please!!!!!
Well, Superbowl is kind of like World Cup Soccer, or the World Series in baseball -- whoever wins gets to say they're the best for a year. I'm actually fairly indifferent to it. This year "my" team (because of where I live, the New England Patriots) went in favored to win and coming off an unbeaten season. But the New York Giants beat them. So it goes, and the world goes on. I did notice while walking the dog about 7:30 Sunday evening that there were very few cars on the road or people on the streets downtown, although the one bar/restaurant that probably has a big TV looked busy. I guess the best thing about the Superbowl (though we didn't do it at my church) is a charity thing called "Souperbowl" that a lot of youth groups do -- a special collection of either canned soup or money for the hungry among us. Some years ago the Superbowl was held in Minneapolis, where I lived, and my workplace for some reason enlisted many of us as volunteers -- I was at a desk in a hotel, I think, in St. Paul explaining to people how to get to Minneapolis, and other tourist things. So a good thing about the Superbowl is the extra funds it brings to the city where it is held. To show you how ignorant I am, I have no idea where the event was held this year! (Unlike the World Series, it has nothing to do with where the teams come from, so there is normally a lot of travel involved and hotels are happy to have guests at what would otherwise probably be a slow time). So, is that five reasons? A lot of people enjoy it, so let them, is my feeling.
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Second : Candlemas/ Imbolc/ Groundhog day/ St Brigid's day- all of these fall on either the 1st or 2nd February.
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1. Do you celebrate one or more of these?
Not really. Although I'm aware of Candlemas as the time by which all my Christmas stuff should really be put away, and it isn't, quite, so I feel a little guilty. Also, it's hard to escape Punxsutawney Phil if you partake of any news media (he's the groundhog in Pennsylvania who sees, or doesn't see, his shadow). But where I've mostly lived my life, there will ALWAYS be at least 6 more weeks of winter after February 2nd, and indeed we're very lucky if that's all we get.
2. How?
See #1
3. Is this a bit of fun or deeply significant?
See #1
4. Are festivals/ Saints days important to you?
Festivals, yes. Not having been raised in a tradition of Saints' days, it's not embedded in my consciousness; I actually quite like the idea of having someone or something to celebrate each day. In a way I do this with Today in Literature, which commemorates various writers each day.
5.Name your favourite Saints day/ celebration.
Well, it would have to be St. Nicholas' Day (December 6) which is my "Name Day" and also part of my favorite Advent/Christmas seasons.
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