Yesterday was Palm Sunday.  Here are a few interesting historical and story facts.  Remember, every detail in a story should support its overall theme.

Lead Us!

The children in the crowd shouted “Hosanna” as Jesus entered Jerusalem.  This is a Hebrew word, not a New Testament Greek word. The literal translation of “Hosanna” is “lead us!” The Romans were constantly worried about armed Jewish rebellion. Jesus’ entrance and the crowd’s reaction was a politically charged situation. The entrance to the Temple was closely guarded by the Roman garrison. The children were actually the ones in the crowd shouting “lead us!” This was a shrewd move because children could not be arrested under the Roman law.

Jesus riding a young donkey has a historical significance:

It was an Ancient Eastern tradition for a conquering hero to ride into a defeated city on a horse. A returning King riding into his recaptured and rescued city, in peace, rode in on a donkey. By riding a donkey Jesus symbolically enters as a rightful King, returning to reclaim what was His.

Palm Branches have two symbolic significances:

Palms were a Jewish symbol of independence from the time the Maccabees drove out the Greeks. In Jesus’ time palms were used as a nationalistic and anti-Roman sign.  It was not uncommon for a palm leaf to be subversively stamped over the portrait of Caesar on coins from Jerusalem.

The modern name for palm, phoenix dactylifera, refers to the palm as the “phoenix tree” The palm has the ability to grow new foliage even after being burnt. Early Christians continued to use the Phoenix (plant and mythic bird) as a symbol of the resurrection. On the occasion of Jesus’ entry to the city, however, He was the only one who fully realized how significant this symbol was.

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All Saints Day is usually celebrated on November First.  Hallows means “saint” so Halloween is the eve of All Hallows.  Halloween has become one of the biggest holidays of the year, commercially.  It’s in reach of blowing past Christmas in terms of spending on decorations, food, and beverages.

I’d like to suggest that writers get back to the original meaning– honoring all saints (great writers and great mentors) known and unknown.  (The idea being there are saints in heaven who never claimed that title on earth. And writers and mentors who never got the recognition they deserved.

Who is in the pantheon of writers who influenced you and sustained you and inspired you when times were tough?  Maybe it’s time to give due and celebrate all those unknown and uncelebrated writers who persisted for love of the craft.

My unknown saints are:  My mom, who transcribed my stories before I could write and entertained me with her stories of Bongo the Circus Bear and his Adventures. My dad, trapped in a job he hated, who thought I could do anything and never even suggested I ever get a “real” job or have a “back up” plan that didn’t include the arts.

My high school English teacher who believed I could be a writer.  And helped me believe it too!

My husband, who has made his living as a lawyer representing musicians and artists of all kinds, who has represented me all through my career.  He was, is, and ever will be my rock.

A UCLA film school professor who was and continues to be my mentor, inspiration, guru, and rabbi all rolled into one.

These are my “saints” and I honor and remember them today.  Who’s in your pantheon?

The Summer Bank Holiday has come and gone (August 28, the last Monday in August).

The August Bank Holiday was originally organized by the Bank Holidays Act of 1871 to give bankers a day off so they could participate in cricket matches. Since then, however, its significance has expanded to a much-beloved summer break intended to give all workers a three-day weekend before the summer ends and employees must return to the workplace and students to their schools.

The Notting Hill Carnival in London is probably the number one August Bank Holiday event in the whole UK. It is the largest street fest in all Europe, drawing one to two million attendees each year, and it is the second-biggest street carnival on the planet.

The festival was founded in 1964 by London’s Caribbean community to celebrate Caribbean culture, and it has maintained that Caribbean flavor to this day. This year a minute’s silence was held across the whole carnival at 3pm on Sunday to remember those killed when a fire ripped through the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, killing 80 local area people.

The “August Festival” is a collective name for a number of distinct festivals celebrating books, music, theater, comedy, and spoken word performances taking place in Edinburgh throughout the month of August. The festival variety lasts for the greater part of the month and runs through the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival offers edgier avant-garde performances.

What strikes me as amazing is how sacred Bank Holiday are in the UK.  NO ONE is working.  NO ONE answers emails.  NO ONE returns telephone calls.

In America, people are expected to be reachable on holidays.  Not so in the UK.  This is just one of the many reasons life is so pleasant here. There is a real life work balance and an expectation that shared family holiday time is important.  The nine Bank Holiday long weekends are on top of about 5 weeks paid vacation a year!

And don’t whinge about Brits being less productive.  Study after study reveals how important time to regroup and recharge is to creativity and productivity.

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