Hi!
Remember me? Here it is mid-March and I haven't written a PotW message for about a month. Bad dog, no biscuit. My ski-bum alter-ego has gotten a bit out of hand this year. Thanks to those of you who have placed custom orders, because without you I might have forgotten where my workbench is or how to hold a pair of pliers by now.
But I decided that today, of all days, March 15th, the "Ides of March", would be a sufficiently auspicious day to make my return to weekly ramblings. And as it turns out, there is some interesting trivia out there about March 15th, so here you go:
In ancient Rome, on March 15th a festival was held in honor of Anna Perenna, sister of queen Dido. You know Dido, right? No, not the pop singer!! Dido, the character who kills herself in Virgil's epic poem "The Aeneid". Haven't read it? Neither have I. Waiting for the movie, I suppose. Maybe Dido can sing the theme song for the soundtrack?
The Ides of March was significant to the Romans in other ways as well.
In some months, the Ides is on the 13th, and in others on the 15th. It's supposed to be on the day of the full moon. That's what 'ides' means--the day of the full moon! Good Words with Friends word, I think.
Finally--March's ides marked the start of the consular year---when the annually-elected Roman consuls started their term in office. Well, this was the case until 153 B.C. anyway. After that they started their terms on January 1st. But it USED to be significant, way, way, way back when. And with all those epic poets out there committing dates and names to parchment, it's hard to forget and just move on, I guess.
So--put together a festival when all the commoners would be away, convene some Senators, cue the full moon...and you have the perfect setting to plot the execution of the Emperor, right? Which is exactly what happened on the 15th of March in 44 B.C.
Surely you know about this famous event which taught us all to heed the advice of well-meaning soothsayers:
Caesar: Who is it in the press that calls on me?
I hear a tongue shriller than all the music
Cry "Caesar!" Speak, Caesar is turn'd to hear.
Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.
Caesar: What man is that?
Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
----Julius Caesar Act 1, scene 2, 15-19
Caesar didn't listen and, well, it didn't turn out so well for him.
Well, I'm no soothsayer. Just a ski-bum who makes jewelry and sometimes sends out random email messages. But I think it would be safe, prudent and very responsible on this Ides of March to go to http://www.twowillowsjewelry.com and check out the new Piece of the Week. Just to be safe. It'll only take a second.
Until next week---Happy Anna Perenna Festival!
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