Hogswatch


The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. If you have not read the book, or at least seen the movie/tv Series, by the BBC, I pity you greatly. Seriously, it tells a story, yes, but the philosophical implications on the human animal's belief system are staggering. My wife and I include in our list of movies to watch during the holidays. In fact, it has sat at the top, Christmas Eve for so long it made us rethink our holiday celebrations entirely.

The book centers around the Holiday of Hogswatch on a world shaped like a disc. Discworld, a place of magic and mystery and enormous puns and wordplay. Hogswatch takes place at the end of the solar year on Discworld, which would be the Winter Solstice here on Roundworld. And oh go read the books already. There are like 40 of them.

For the most part, Hogswatch follows similar rules and traditions as "Roundworld" Christmas, but with a fascinating history and the fact that the Hogfather is real makes it all very chilling. The book is actually a sort of mystery/suspense story. You can read a bit more about the holiday of it here.

After this last viewing of "Terry Pratchett's The Hogfather" and the discussion on beliefs and morals and holidays which always follows, we made a decision to break with our family's traditions and embrace our own. Literally

We decided we were going to celebrate Hogswatch from now on.

People all over Roundworld celebrate the winter holiday's in many different ways. Hogswatch has elaborate traditions like other holidays. It has a story like other holidays. And in our opinion is just another made up holiday. I mean, really, they are all made up, at some point. It just so happens we enjoy that Terry Pratchett brought us decades of mirth and amusement.

Like many holidays that go unnoticed by those who celebrate the big ones that get the federal days off, our celebrations will be our own, and we will still probably go to work on years it does not fall on a weekend. Unless we call in sick with the swine flu.

Happy Belated Hogswatch

But That's Just Me...Walking My Mind






















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