Ok, so I realize that we gave much too short of a notice for the Burn’s Supper. So to make things right we at Lewd Cognoscenti would like to give you more than fair warning for the next illustrious holiday celebration.
This great day will celebrate none other that the great writer James Joyce.
And without further adieu I introduce you to…
The holiday called Bloomsday. It is celebrated on June 16th.
From the always useful and frequently referenced Wikipedia.org
Bloomsday is a secular holiday, celebrated annually on June 16.
The day both celebrates the life of the Irish writer James Joyce and commemorates the fictitious events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on a single day in Dublin: June 16, 1904. The name Bloomsday is derived from Leopold Bloom, the name of the central character in the book.
The day is commemorated by activities such as academic symposia, re-enactments and readings from Ulysses, pub crawling and general merriment. One often sees enthusiasts dressed in Edwardian costume to celebrate the day. Joyce chose June 16 because he first went out with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, walking to the Dublin village of Ringsend on that day.
The first celebration took place in 1954 and a major five month-long festival (ReJoyce Dublin 2004) took place in Dublin between April 1 and August 31, 2004. On the Sunday prior to the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday (2004) 10,000 people in Dublin were treated to a free open air breakfast on O’Connell Street consisting of sausages, rashers, and black and white puddings.
So let us don our top hats, put our canes under our arms and stumble from pub to pub as we make merry our way through the world. And maybe, just maybe, we can find a talking piano and see who’ll climb out.
January 27th, 2006 at 10:07 am
Just marked it in me calendar, and a fine Friday it will be.
“I am influenced by every second of my waking hour” (uttered by Lenny Bruce……..perhaps from the talking piano??)