The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

I know Christmas isn't for another three weeks or so, but in Argentina everybody's already saying "Happy Holiday."

Today, December 8, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It's a public holiday so that means no one goes to work. It makes sense - to honor Argentina's Catholic heritage and to allow people to participate in their religious activities.

The problem with that line of reasoning is that no one is participating in religious activities today, or any day for that matter, including Christmas. They don't even know what today's holiday is for. When my host father, Ricardo, told me I couldn't take a bus today to Rafaela, he couldn't think of the name of the holiday. "Something about the Virgen Mary," he said.

So I wikipediaed it. The significance is, well, the immaculate conception of the Virgen Mary; it's a national holiday in a small handful of other very Catholic countries, many of them Latin American. I wonder if the citizens of those countries know at least the name of the festival.

Perhaps I shouldn't be so critical of Argentina. After all, America has a number of holidays for which most don't know the significance or history. Could "Memorial Day" get any vaguer? And how is it different from "Veteran's Day?" Is "Labor Day" anything more than an excuse for an asado?

The problem with Argentina's random holiday is its claim of religiosity. Why not just call it what it is - an excuse for a day off? Here are some ideas for replacements to Argentina's Feast of the Immaculate Conception that have some real relevance to Argentine culture:

Tango Day: everyone dances tango in the plaza. Terere is served for free to tired and sweaty dancers.

Irigoyen Day: to celebrate the time when Argentina had a strong economy and solid government. (Note: it was a while ago).

Gaucho Day: the entire Argentinean population must, by government law, dress in gaucho clothing and ride around on horses all day.