February 21, 2007

More Origins...

Funny how the English language works... we've got many words that sound similar, and have meanings that are nothing alike. It's no wonder foreigners get confused... we confuse ourselves.

True shit, folks. This day that is fast dawning was NOT called Lent when it first came about. And while it did involve the Church, it wasn't as it is now. No.

It was a time where a deep belly button was valued above all else. Folks had only wool for blankets. Wool, coarse and uncomfortable. It was discovered that lint from the navel, in large quantities, could be woven into soft, comfortable (and slightly smelly) blankets. Folks worked all year around to save their lint and make these blankies.

However, when Oktoberfest came around, people would trade their blankets (also called "lints") to the monks for dopplebock. Thus it came to be that the Church owned all of the comfortable blankets.

In the cold stretch of winter that is known as February, people would be freezing their asses off. So they did as they do now... run to the Church for charity.

The priests had their shit together, though. Their own supplies would be dwindling at the mid point of winter, so they used this to supplement their caches. Having ownership of the blankets, they would offer blankets to those who would give them food or drink as a rent payment. After Easter, they would again take possession of the blankets to use for the next years winter.

So there you have it... Lent was actually derived from Renting stinky ass Linten blankets from the Church.

What would you give up for a lint?

Posted by That 1 Guy at February 21, 2007 12:05 AM | TrackBack
Comments

"when a deep bellly button was valued above all else"

pure art there, bud. i think i'll give up organized religion and look into this belly button based bible i've been reading about.

Posted by: shoe at February 21, 2007 06:35 AM

I've seen it on the internet...so it must be true!

Posted by: silentwarrior at February 21, 2007 07:22 AM

Well, it's not as bad as I was expecting. After last year I was sorta scared to click over here today...........

Posted by: Tammi at February 21, 2007 09:43 AM

I WAS going to give up drinking for Lint, er, Lent, but after this post.......naaaa.

Posted by: Raging Mom at February 21, 2007 10:46 AM

Hmmmmm, I could give up picking my nose, but then I wouldn't have any sticky stuff to trade for beer so the monks can make their own post-it-notes.

Posted by: leggerman at February 21, 2007 04:34 PM

Issues.

Posted by: Contagion at February 21, 2007 05:53 PM

I'm giving up any claim I might have had to the paternity of Anna Nicole's baby. It's the right thing to do.

This way, I can still pick my nose.

Posted by: Jim - PRS at February 21, 2007 08:44 PM

I like the fact that you don't even have to *do* the "6 Weird Things About Me" meme. You can just refer people to six randomly-selected posts. Freak.

Posted by: zonker at February 21, 2007 11:20 PM

oh damn... the comments are as funny as the post!

Posted by: Jean at February 21, 2007 11:22 PM

And just the other night I read that George Washington did not have wooden teeth, hell I learned that in grade school. This on the other hand is valuable information.

Posted by: Tom Hindman at February 22, 2007 07:29 AM

... man, I knew that those Catholics were up to something... hoarding the blankets is just plain mean....

Posted by: Eric at February 22, 2007 04:14 PM

You'll notice though, Eric, that there is never a shortage of post-it-notes.

Posted by: leggerman at February 22, 2007 05:29 PM

Good Gawd.

We've seen crapblogging.
We've seen pissblogging.
We've seen boogerblogging.
We've seen earwaxblogging.
But until this day, I had not yet seen bellybuttonlintblogging.

My life is complete now.

Posted by: Elisson at February 22, 2007 08:42 PM