I can’t wait until the glorious month of October makes…
By Alex Berger
October, October, don’t hasten away … November is sober, you’re lively and gay. Your maple and oak … Wear a splendid new cloak. And your chrysanthemums glow … In its gardens below – Anne Wilson
I can’t wait until the glorious month of October makes its annual appearance on the world’s stage once again. It is quite an interesting month. In Roman times, the calendar year had 10 months. It began in March, and October was the eighth month. In Latin, “octo” means eight.
Then, one sunny day in Sicily, a little girl named Januarius summoned up enough courage to remark: “March is not a nice month to begin a new year.”
“Hmm,” her parents said as they cogitated the child’s remark. They immediately discussed it with the town crier, whose job it was to cry over such perplexing remarks. He promptly performed his duty and cried.
And, what do you think the town elders (who hate changes) said when the girl’s remark was presented to them? I can’t repeat it in this family newspaper. Suffice to say they excogitated, and mused, and then ran to the dictionary to find out what in the world those high fallutin’ words meant.
Even the local newspapers, including the Whitestone, “Jamaicastone” and “Baystone” Times, joined in and pondered “the remark.” It wasn’t long before they came to the unanimous conclusion that the little tyke was absolutely right and they took the matter straight to the emperor.
With one wave of his metal staff, Emperor Lifschitz the Lurid, ruler of all Rome, Constantinople and Flushing, added a new beginning month to every new year. He named it “January,” after the little girl. Thus, an 11-month calendar was created.
And that’s not all. A short while later, an unmarried Venetian woman, Feb-ru-ru-ru, who invented Italian Ices, inquired, “Why not insert a 12th month, with 28 days, and a leap year day added every four years? On that special day [the 29th of the month], all unmarried women, like me, would be able to ask for their sweetheart’s hand in holy matrimony.”
“Good idea,” bellowed the town’s female unmarrieds. So, despite objections from the town bachelors, a 12th month in honor of Feb-ru-ru-ru was quickly added. However, poor Feb-ru-ru-ru never married. She fell into a vat of Italian Ices on the way to Little Neck and was never heard from again.
Curiously, the Roman rulers liked the name February, but never the name October. They tried several times to rename the month in honor of certain emperors, members of their families, or Giants football players, but the stubborn people continued to call this month October. Good thing they did. Just imagine if the month had been named after that cruel emperor, “Lifschitz the Lurid.” We would be celebrating Columbus Day on Lifschitz 14, and Halloween on Lifschitz 31. Ugh!
Besides Columbus Day and Halloween there are many other important events to celebrate in October, including National Pretzel Month, National Popcorn Poppin’ Month and African-Caribbean Heritage Month.
National Newspaper Week also will occur during the first week of the month. Ah, Newspaper Week. I remember the first story I ever covered. The editor sent fellow columnist Anthony Bosco and me to report on a high-tension wire that had fallen across Bell Boulevard.
She said, “Berger, you pick up the wire. If it is live, Bosco, you write the story.” And, my second assignment: I was interviewing an Israeli writer and it was a great scoop. When I was finished I ran to the telephone and shouted to my editor, “Hold the back page.”
Other October events are: The Federal Income Tax becoming a law, Oct. 3; the worst intercollegiate football defeat in history in 1916 — Georgia Tech defeated Cumberland, 222 – 0, Oct. 7; National Jogging Day, Oct. 13; National Boss Day, Oct. 16; United Nations Day, Oct. 24; Daylight Savings Time ends, Oct. 28; the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, Oct. 28; and the Stock Market crash in 1929, Oct. 29 (gosh, I better stay in bed that day and pray).
One of my favorite October activities is the celebration of Oktoberfest. When I was stationed in Germany with the Air Force a few Octobers ago, I witnessed a real, official and genuine Oktoberfest. I watched wide-eyed as teams of horses, decorated with gay, colorful ribbons, clip-clopped through cobble-stoned streets, pulling huge wagons loaded with barrels of beer.
The sounds of oom-pa-pa, toot, and the thump of the brass bands filled the air. There were banners, decorations and joyful celebrants in bright costumes everywhere. Merriment was the order of the day. Although the event is called Oktoberfest, this 16-day celebration actually begins in September. It ends on the first Sunday in October, which is Oct. 6 this year.
The very first Oktoberfest was held in 1810 to celebrate the wedding of “Mad” King Ludwig to his queen, Theresa. He was nicknamed “Mad” because on one October morning, he awoke to find that someone had stolen his favorite stein (a special beer glass decorated with butterflies) as well as all his low-fat pretzels. He didn’t stopped yelling until the day after Halloween.
Eating and drinking always have been an important part of Oktoberfest. People feast on sausages, cheeses, fried fish on sticks, chicken and whole roasted oxen. But, of course, the main Oktoberfest consumption is that fine, dark beer.
I once visited the famous Hofbrau House in Munich. Although I didn’t order it, a huge stein of beer was placed before me. Never in a month of Sundays could I ever drink it all down. I took several swallows and then gave up. I went back to the barracks a little tipsy, but happy. I can see why Oktoberfest remains one of the world’s happiest events.
So, readers, enjoy the feeling of basking in October’s splendor of blue skies, bright warm days, cool nights and, perhaps, while you’re at it, down a certain cold beverage in celebration of the occasion. Gloria, I am in the mood for some Wiener schnitzel and beer. Let’s go to a German restaurant and, this time, I will drink down an entire stein of beer (will half do?) I love October.
“Oh suns and skies and clouds of June. And flowers of June together. You cannot rival for one hour, October’s bright blue weather.” – Helen Hunt Jackson
Reach columnist Alex Berger by e-mail at timesledger@aol.com or call 229-0300, ext. 140.
