Birthday Batch!

[the_gneech]

Happy birthday to eskermikey!

And happy belated birthday to apresvie, fallwind, graveyardgreg, aki_no_kaze, dslartoo, darkwingpsycho, hantamouse, tumulus, james_b, allen_trembler, pocket_entropy, and higginsdragon!

Fortunately, there's plenty of Forgotten English (© Jeffrey Kacirk) to go around!

howd'ye

In what state is your health? Used as a compliment of civility or an inquiry into the state of a person's health; of how, do and ye; [whence "howdy"].

— Daniel Fenning's Royal English Dictionary, 1775

Wassail Eve

On this evening, once known as Twelfth Night, medieval participants celebrated the conclusion of the Yule season. They typically drank sweetened, spiced ale or wine from two-handled "loving cups," which were crafted for sharing. The name was derived from the 13th-century Norse drinking slautation waes hail, which meant "be thou healthy" and is closely related to the modern words whole and holy. Wassail later became any festivity or accompanying imbibement. But in Customs and Fashions in Old New England (1893) Alice Morse Earle mentioned the prohibition of toasting: "In 1630 [Massachusetts] governor Winthrop abolished the 'vain custom' of drinking healths at his table, and in 1639 the court publicly order the cessation of the practice because 'it was a thing of no use — it induced drunkenness and quarrelling, it wasted time and beer, and it was troublesome to many, forcing them to drink more than they wished.' A fine of twelve shillings was imposed on each health-drinker."

The best definition of Puritanism I ever read was "the nagging worry that somewhere, out there, somebody is having a good time."

-The Gneech

Comments

[dslartoo.livejournal.com]

Thank you sah! You can give me a present by getting SJ up and going again. :)

(I kid....but only a little. Don't make us wait TOO long for our fix!)

cheers,
Phil

[darkwingpsycho.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the b-day wishes! ^^

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Governor Winthrop had better keep their nose outa our wassail!