Red Letter Days

In ancient calendars, certain days were not good for embarking on plans because they were seen as either sacred to the Gods or cursed. These were referred to as 'red letter days' because they were often written in red ink on the manuscripts bearing those calendars. You may scoff at the idea as superstitious, but consider:

The Roman Emperors ignored the advice of the prognosticators twice in their centuries-record of battling to conquer and expand territory, on April 19th. One emperor was killed and his body was lost in a Yugoslavian bog and another was killed, stuffed, and put on display in an eastern temple. Granted, the calendar's changed a bit since then, but you get the idea.

The Ruby Ridge, Branch-Davidian Waco compound, and Oklahoma City bombings all took place on April 19th. Those on the fringe tend to pick this date to go on murderous sprees because of this. Or, they pick April 20th, Hitler's birthday (as did the gunmen at Columbine).

I made that connexion in a class on the Roman Empire as our professor told the above anecdotes. His reply, 'well, there you have it!' He was pointing out that the Romans fed sacred chickens before every battle to determine the outcome. One commander tried to stuff the birds when they did not eat readily (meaning no battle should be undertaken) and then in a rage threw them overboard). Say what you will, the Romans conquered most of the known world using the sacred chicken method, and woe befell them whenever they ignored them, or worse, affronted the Gods like the naval commander.

So, I have to admit, I always hold my breath a little every year when these two days come along, you know?