Clio/Clios Correspondence

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Clio's Correspondence

Over the months when these essays were originally posted, Clio received a number of comments from ardent readers. Although at this time she is not in a position to receive new missives, highlights of past correspondence remain archived below.

N.B. Clio has, unfortunately, stopped all contact with the site maintainer. There has been no new contact since the end of 2001. At the bottom of this page are some mails which never got a reply from the muse, but which seem to be of interest regardless.

O Muse -

You probably know, but you can see the calendar changeover on some old tombstones in this area [Boston, Massachusetts, and vicinity]. The old cemetery in Lexington, behind the First Parish Church just off the battle green, has a stone with a date that specifies whether it's the old or new system. I could have found it for you easily when I was a town guide, but I've forgotten by now. -D.B.

Ardent Reader -

Yes - for some time during the years of changeover, dates (including tombstones) were denoted O.S. or N.S. for Old Style and New Style. This does cause some curious effects - see the next missive. -Clio

O Muse -

One of my all-time favorite bits of trivia:

William Shakespeare, considered the greatest English writer of all time, died on April 23rd, 1616.

Miguel de Cervantes, considered the greatest Spanish writer of all time died on April 23rd, 1616.

But they died over a week apart because one country had dropped those 11 days and the other had not. -E.A.

P.S. Quick research shows me that, according to the 1999 Encyclopedia Britannica, it's now believed that Cervantes died on April 22, 1616, not on the 23rd as had been traditionally thought. He was definitely buried on the 23rd. It's still pretty amazing.

Ardent Reader -

I agree. All this history and I have not yet lost my taste for coincidence. -Clio

O Muse -

Belthane ... is that related to the song "Buffalo Gals, won't you come out tonight, and dance by the light of the moon?" -D.B.

Ardent Reader -

I don't recall the words offhand, but it would depend entirely on why the singer wants the gals to come out. Beltane is about sex. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. -Clio

O Muse -

[In your list of holidays,] consider Juneteenth ... nobody made it an official holiday, but after a century of black folks in Texas just not going to work on June 19th, it finally made itself an official holiday, and a damn fine one. There should have been a national emancipation day, but freedom supposedly took effect on New Years, so no luck. -A.M.

Ardent Reader -

So many holidays, so little time! Actually Juneteenth interests me more than, say, Arbor Day, because it does have real historical significance. At the moment, though, I am not sure I have anything to say about it beyond what you have just said. -Clio

O Muse -

[In reference to the comment "It would be hard to find a nation that does not memorialize war in some way ..."]

We took a bus tour of Helsinki this summer and heard the following (possibly true) story:

An organization from Yugoslavia was traveling around the world putting a wreath at every nation's memorial to the unknown soldier. When they came to Finland, there was a problem: Finland has no such memorial. Finally someone came up with a solution: Have the ceremony at the Sibelius monument. "Why?" people asked. "Well, Sibelius is well known as a composer, but as a soldier, he is completely unknown." -D.B.

Ardent Reader -

I suppose I can't argue with logic like that. -Clio

O Muse -

I don't know if you read anything on scalzi.com, but today he posted this: http://www.scalzi.com/john/stpat.htm#Party

No doubt you hate the idea of some of these manufactured holidays; and a couple of the items are birthdays ... on the other hand, it might inspire you to a fit of passion and you'll update your web some more. -K.M.

Ardent Reader -

Actually, I enjoyed this link. A great deal. Mr. Scalzi clearly knows his holidays.

As for people disliking St. Patrick's Day, do note the next missive. -Clio

[Scalzi wrote:

Dearest Clio:

So glad you enjoyed the St. Patrick's Day material.

Being that you are as you are, you might also enjoy a series I ran at the end of the last year, entitled "That Was The Millennium That Was," in which I wander chaotically through the history of the last thousand years or so. Given your collection of calendrical material, you might particularly enjoy my "Best Calendar of the Millennium" installment. And of course, I imagine my "Best Historical Era (excluding the present)" might also be of interest to you.]

O Muse -

What is it with St. Patrick's day? Perfectly otherwise-reasonable people go around pinching other people because they are not wearing visibly green clothes. I don't like being pinched in the workplace. The easy solution is to wear green, of course, but I don't want to do that because I know that deep down in the origins of the holiday, wearing green on this day means that you're Irish Catholic. And I have married into a Scottish Protestant family, so by all rights I should be wearing orange today. (But I'm a nice Jewish girl from New York. I didn't think I'd have to take sides. Of course, back when life was simpler I didn't understand how fraught with tradition this whole green/orange rivalry is, either. Probably most people don't.)

When did people start pinching other people on St. Patrick's day? Did they always pinch or did some punching go on instead when the holiday first started? And why pinch people who aren't getting involved? When I was a kid I was told that you got pinched for wearing orange, not just for being green-free. -R.M.

Ardent Reader -

I agree that St. Patrick's humble feast day is now celebrated in a manner out of proportion to its significance. (See "Three Minor Saints.") The primary issue is not the saint himself, but one of Irish nationalism. The pinching custom may indeed have evolved from classic Catholic/Protestant rivalries as you suggest, in which case it is surely a softened version of rather more hostile assaults. (The recent history of the Ulster Orangemen organization is cited as example.) -Clio

O Muse -

Does this batch of numbers mean anything to you?

5759
4696
----
1063

The first one is the year in the Hebrew calendar. The second one is the year in the Chinese calendar. The answer to the subtraction problem is how long the Jews had to wait before they could first send out for Chinese food. -D.B.

P.S. I couldn't verify that at any Chinese calendar web site. It really looked as though there is no such thing as "the year in the Chinese calendar" in the sense of a long-term starting epoch.

Ardent Reader -

I'd heard that one.

In the essay on the Chinese calendar, you'll see that the problem is not that there's no clear starting year - the problem is more that the Chinese have restarted their calendar several times over history. China has a tradition of bringing in a new government regime and declaring a new calendar to go with it. -Clio

O Muse -

[In re an ongoing discussion of my name -C]

Okay, I'm gonna do the classics major thing.

Klaio (probably pronounced "kly-o") means "I weep."

Kleio (probably pronounced "klay-o") is the closest transliteration of the Muse's name, and means "I celebrate."

However, note the "probably." Since ancient Greek is a dead language, nobody knows for sure how Kleio would have been pronounced. Klee-o is totally conceivable. If you're going to spell it Clio (which, although the most common spelling, is from a very old-fashioned method of transliterating) and you want to use a similarly old-fashioned pronunciation, go with kly-o, but people will look at you funny. If you want to conform to more modern spelling and pronunciation conventions, it's Kleio, and everybody except a few over-educated know-it-alls will look at you funny. In any case, nobody can tell you you're wrong, however you decide to do it. -C.B.

Ardent Reader -

You'd be surprised how many people are willing to tell me that I'm wrong. Normally I welcome all corrections and data, but on the subject of my name, I believe I am entitled to stand firm and resist all advances. I continue to spell it with a C (in this alphabet) and pronounce it "klee-oh," and that is all there is to say about that. -Clio

O Muse -

I've for a long time thought that the reason the two-day celebration of holidays has survived the fixed calendar is that it gives you a chance to spend holidays with both sets of in-laws.

I'm a little surprised you reported, for Purim, that Esther entered a beauty contest to be the new queen. That's what kids learn in Hebrew school, but if you look at the Book of Esther you'll see that it was more like tryouts for the harem.

Re the custom of inviting people to Pesach seders, a key paragraph in the Hagaddah says "Let all who are hungry come and share the holiday with us". Knowing you're going to read that, you can't in good conscience turn away anyone who wants an invitation (or anyone whom another invitee asks if they can bring along).

I spent a fair bit of last weekend reading a book called Rabinnic Mathematics and Astronomy. It has details of astronomical computations, such as how to determine whether the moon should be visible on a particular day or not, necessary for verifying observations of the new moon. I didn't check through all the spherical trigonometry, but it did discuss how much you can do with nothing but careful measurement of the shadow cast by a pole. With that and records kept over a long period of time, you can get remarkably accurate values for precession of equinoxes, length of months and years, etc. -D.B.

Ardent Reader -

Indeed, it is astonishing how many astronomical conclusions were possible - and how accurately they could be measured - with only a straight stick and the naked eye. Human cleverness must never be underestimated.

On the matter of Esther, it is true that the tryouts focused primarily on bedroom performance, but the ostensible reason was to replace the exiled queen, so I am sticking to the cover story. -Clio

O Muse -

Why is it called "Good Friday"? Why isn't called "Bad Friday"? I mean, they crucified the guy, right? That's bad. I realize they can't call it "Freaky Friday," because then there would be confusion with the film of the same name. But why not something other than "Good"? -R.M.

Ardent Reader -

The short answer is, "no one is really sure." The long answer is, not even I am certain which of the many, many stories to believe. In my discussion of the Christian religious cycle, I offer some of the more prevalent theories. -Clio

O Muse -

Did you know that in British Commonwealth countries everything still comes to a stop (people, traffic, everything) for a minute at 11:11 a.m. on November 11? -R.M.

Ardent Reader -

I'm pleased to hear it. Too much history is lost through lack of observance. -Clio

O Muse -

Scott Flansburg (a.k.a. The Human Calculator, Guinness Book of Records 2000) has introduced The Human Calendar, which is based on the 28 day [lunar] cycle. -P.K.

Ardent Reader -

I confess I haven't read the details yet, though I plan to, but I am dubious. It strikes me that, at this stage of human development, any significant new idea in timekeeping is fated to go the way of experiments such as Esperanto; that is, a core of devout followers but hardly enough use to make an impact on world customs. In fact, the only calendar reforms which have succeeded throughout history have been the ones where governments or powers insisted upon the change, in essence enforcing it by fiat. -Clio

O Muse -

I finally got to read the Clio pieces today, very interesting and just the right length for what I've been looking for for ages. Why I'm writing, though, is about what you said on Armistice Day/Remembrance Day and its "dilution."

My initial reaction was slightly indignant, since I don't think it's a diluted festival at all. I surprised myself this year by actually getting a tear in my eye as I actually watched the ceremony, which I only accidentally caught. The British ceremony of remebrance is both [the equivalent of the American] Veteran's and Memorial Day.

I can see [that one's reaction] depends whether the memorialising impetus was triumphant/celebratory - "the war to end wars" - or mourning/valedictory - to give the survivors a public recognition of their loss and the comfort that it was not in vain, not because it ended war, but because it was done in a just cause. And I think that [the holiday] has always overwhelmingly been the latter. -C.L.

Ardent Reader -

I'm sorry to have to carve apart your letter, which was very interesting throughout, but I specifically wanted to reply to this portion.

First, do forgive a statement of bias, but: The comments above (plus your address) indicate that you are British, and later in your letter you say that you are forty-two years old. I find both of these facts significant. I believe that the British post-reaction to the world wars and the American reaction differ significantly. I would prefer not to analyze the reasons for that (fill in the blanks yourself), but I have definitely observed that the British take the memory of the wars more seriously, if you will. Certainly, while there are wreaths and memorials in the United States, I do not believe that an observed moment of silence on 11 November (see letter above) would fly in that country, nor do I believe that the younger generations much comprehend that there is anything to be somber about. My American observations are that the holidays have become purely an excuse for a day off from work. (I will, however, gladly confess to a surfeit of cynicism.)

Note my statement "the younger generation." As a 42-year-old (actually, you may be 43 now; I've neglected my correspondence [and this was in 2001]), you have a very different worldview from someone twenty or even ten years your junior. Never forget this. One of the things which makes me despair the most for the future of history is how, for the current generations, history effectively ceases to exist as soon as it moves from oral to written record. You had people who could tell you about having experienced a world at war firsthand. Later generations do not. -Clio

O Muse -

Why is New Year's any odder an anniversary than birthdays or annual holidays?

Besides which, in my cultural tradition, New Year's Day is the biggest holiday of all, and really, maybe even the only important one. It's the only one that I really feel I have to spend with family, anyway. -K.T.

Ardent Reader -

You presumably are referring to my comments in the millennial essay. What you don't realize, because I haven't written it yet, is that I have similar feelings about anniversaries and birthdays. So at the very least, I am consistent. However, the question was a valid one.

The New Year, though, has a particular arbitrariness to it, since every day could conceivably be the start of a "new year." I may feel too strongly about this, since my cultural new year falls on or around 31 October (Gregorian) - which only illustrates my point, that the date of any new year celebration is essentially random.

That said, if the holiday is significant and special to you, then no one, not even an irascible Muse, may gainsay that. Ignore me, and enjoy your festivities as you will. -Clio

O Muse -

[In response to Clio's statement that] "Clio does not mean to offend members of Protestant religions, but from the perspective of history and folklore, the Catholic traditions are clearly the wellspring; the Protestant traditions, while valid, have chosen to abandon or outright reject various points of Catholic lore or dogma."

I'm not the best person to bring this up, but I'd have thought the Orthodox traditions were the wellspring, with the Catholic ones being a more popular offshoot. Although I'm also aware that this is a matter of contention. Still, I find it a bit curious that the Orthodox churches aren't mentioned at all, although this may simply be because when I first started researching Christianity a few years ago, I was most fascinated by the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church entry on the debates over the dating of Easter, and the various calendars used by the different denominations for that. (Okay, I was also fascinated by a Greek Orthodox classmate, but you didn't hear that from me.) - S.R.

O Muse -

If a Saxon ceorl may be permitted to speak to a Muse, then there are two points I might make: for one, Bede's naming of Eostre can probably be taken without any salt, given that he was rabidly Christian and twisted just about everything he could to show any Christians in it in the best possible light, and cast nasturtiums on the rest. (The whole account of Northumbria being converted by the account of a flight of a sparrow comes to mind, and the pagan high priest's self-serving attitude. Personally I've always liked my mother's retort that if a sparrow flew through a feasting hall her first instinct would be to cover her plate.) It seems likely therefore that Bede would not have gone about inventing pagan customs or month-names.

And, from my three years' stint in the Coins and Medals department of the Fitzwilliam Museum, I'm pretty sure we've got Maundy money from earlier this century at least. I'll drop one of my colleagues a line and see if it's still current. - S.M.

[Later followup] Well, I was back in the Fitzwilliam Museum Department of Coins and Medals yesterday, and they do still produce Maundy Money for the Queen to distribute every year. - S.M. [That was as of April 2001.]

O Muse -

I beg to differ about the degree of dilution of Canada's Remembrance Day. Here (and in Britain, I think) we memorialize the dead with poppies. The poppy we buy and pin to our lapels represents the poppies that grow in Flanders Fields between the graves of WWI soldiers. A Canadian doctor, John McCrae, wrote this poem during the war, and every schoolchild reads it ...

["In Flanders Fields" not reproduced here, for copyright reasons; but the poem is well-known and easy to find.]

The poppy we all wear is a constant reminder of the real meaning of the day. Many of us also go to the ceremony at the local cenotaph - or at least watch it on TV - and observe the silence. There has been some dilution, I'll admit. Most stores used to remain closed until after the ceremony on Remembrance Day, but now hardly any do.

This year [2001] the words "Lest we forget" seemed to take on new meaning for a lot of people. The people who sell poppies (to raise funds for veterans' charities) ran out. - E.W.

O Muse -

[Re the statement:] "This news was not well received - there was rioting, financial chaos, and so forth - but almost all European Catholics eventually struck ten days from their calendar somewhere and changed over."

The main reason for the rioting was that rents were paid quarterly, on the "quarter-day" (25 March, 24 June, 29 September and 25 December in England; in the USA, 1 January, April, July and October, though I gather in New York it's usually 1 February, May, August and November). There was no prorating of or other reduction in rent, but suddenly there were eleven fewer days in which one could earn the money to make the next payment. - R.W.

O Muse -

I'm not sure when the page on pagan holy days was last updated, but I wanted to mention that the Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary has updated the entry to include: "any of eight neo-pagan religious festivals commemorating phases of the changing seasons."

The old definition (i.e. diabolical revels, etc.) was retained, of course, because it does represent a widespread historical use of the word, but the new entry does at least show both senses.</o>

(Unfortunately, the free Online Dictionary has not yet been updated, but I'm working on it.)</o>

I should probably say, I am an editor at Merriam-Webster and a witch. [Disclaimer: I am writing as a private individual and not a representative of Merriam-Webster, Inc., any views stated are my own and not necessarily those of M-W, Inc., etc. etc.] I know Merriam-Webster's current (Eleventh Edition) definitions, while they may be better than they used to be, are still far from perfect - but I'm working on it!

It probably goes without saying that nobody at M-W wants to misrepresent anyone's religion, but the editors deal with tens of thousands of words at a time, and not all of their sources are as enlightened as you or I might like. Slowly, though, as the language grows and changes, the dictionary is following along. - I.D.

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