July 10th is Lady Godiva Day. In my opinion it should be a public holiday, but it isn’t. As second best, it should be celebrated by all naturists / nudists and other civil libertarians. I have included the day in my blog post about the “Naturist Calendar.” Let me explain why.
Lady Godiva was an actual historical person who, according to legend, on July 10th in the year 1040, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England in order to convince her husband to abolish abusive taxes he had levied. Historians argue whether this is fact, an embellishment of a somewhat different event or a complete fiction. Well of course historians argue about it, historians argue about everything. Each has a theory and is willing to expound it while denigrating any competing theories. However, they all agree that Lady Godiva (“Godgyfu” was the original Anglo-Saxon form of the name) was a real person, the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia.
All social and political movements need heroes and icons. Who would be better as a heroine and icon for naturism than Lady Godiva? Who indeed? Lady Godiva is the very image of non-sexualized public nudity. Competing versions of the Godiva legend say that the Lady herself asked the people of Coventry not to violate her modesty or that the officials of the town ordered all of the people to be indoors with their doors and shutters fastened. But both versions, and others, are mere speculation. No one knows the actual circumstances of Lady Godiva’s ride.
The legend also tells that the sole person to violate Lady Godiva’s modesty was a nasty little chap named Tom, the original “Peeping Tom,” who was struck blind in divine retribution. I like this little detail. I like it a lot. Whether it is true is entirely beside the point; it reflects the opinion of the people of the era in which it was written. That is: (1) Lady Godiva’s public nudity was innocent, was done for the public good and was inoffensive to God, (2) Peeping Tom represents the minority of one who took prurient interest in her nudity and (3) God struck Tom blind in divine retribution. This is a perfect example of the Garter motto in action: "Honi soit qui mal y pense" or "shame on him who thinks evil of it." Indeed! Shame on any person who automatically connects innocent nudity with prurience.
As far as I am concerned the story of Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom records what was beyond doubt public opinion at the time: that innocent public nudity was neither a civil nor a religious crime and that God’s approval of innocent public nudity went so far as to punish prurience. At least that is the way I see it.
I consider that Lady Godiva’s ride qualifies her to be the Patron Saint of Naturism, and that her Saint’s Day, July 10, should be suitably celebrated by naturists everywhere. No, you don’t have to be a Catholic, or a Christian, or even a religious person of any variety to see it this way. When I speak of “saints” I do not refer to religious figures with supernatural powers. I speak of real human beings who stand up for or who exemplify principles that should be important to civil society. For Lady Godiva the issue was unfair taxation. For us, the principle issue is whether public nudity should be accepted for what it is, an innocent wardrobe choice, rather than for what latter day morality zealots – the Peeping Toms of our times – claim it to be, immoral. To that sorry latter group I say “Honi soit qui mal y pense.”
Bear in mind that the focus of this blog is naturism within the Province of New Brunswick in particular, and within the Atlantic Provinces in general. The comments below reflect that fact, plus the peculiarities of our geography and its effects upon our climate.
World Naked Gardening Day
This is officially (as much as any naturist calendar observance is official) marked on the first Saturday of May.
For those of us living on Canada’s Atlantic Coast this is not a good time for gardening. Wet springs and late frosts being as common as they are here, we have a tradition of not conducting serious agricultural or horticultural activities until after the Victoria Day weekend.
Unless you are celebrating WNGD by working in a heated greenhouse it is probably best to put it off for a few weekends. If you are celebrating WNGD by working in a heated greenhouse let others know – many hands make light work.
Victoria Day
This day is marked on the last Monday before May 25 each year.
This is not a naturist holiday but the day set aside by Order in Council for the official celebration of the Sovereign’s birthday within Canada. Here in New Brunswick it is also the traditional day for cottage owners to open up their summer homes, evict the bears and raccoons, and get ready for the summer. For farmers, it is also the traditional last day for guilt-free fishing before they get down to the serious business of ploughing and planting.
So, if you’re a cottager you are probably busy cleaning and if you’re a farmer you are trying not to be busy by going fishing. The good news is that either activity can be done while naked.
New Brunswick Naked Gardening Day
The only sensible time to mark such a day would be the Saturday (or Sunday) following Victoria Day. That way your tender fruits won’t suffer any damage. If you are combining NB Naked Gardening Day with a barbecue for goodness sake wear an apron, that way you’ll survive undamaged for the next naturist holiday.
World Naked Bike Ride Day
The usual official day for the World Naked Bike Ride is the second Saturday in June.
This date can be a good or a bad day depending on where you live. With the growing number of WNBR events in countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain the actual date is becoming variable in order to allow riders to attend more that one event in a given year. (Hurrah for common sense!)
Back here in NB, we don’t have a WNBR event of our own (see my post on that subject) so riders can travel to Halifax, Toronto or Montréal if they’re really keen on the plan. (Try it for yourself; it is a lot of fun.) Both Halifax and Montréal hold their rides in July so the “official date” is more of a guideline than a rule.
Naked Hiking Day
Usually celebrated on June 21 on the Appalachian Trail, variable dates elsewhere. See my post on this subject. Really, any sunny day is a good day for naked hiking. For that matter, any warm rainy day is also good for this purpose. Why wait for an official day?
Summer Solstice
The actual date of the Summer Solstice varies from year to year between June 20 and 22.
If you are an adherent of one of one of the more traditional religions: Druidism, Sol Invictus, Wicca . . . you are probably celebrating already. For the rest of us it seems to me to be an ideal date for a naturist occasion.
Lady Godiva Day
July 10 is Lady Godiva Day. Trust me, it is.
Unlike Marianne (see below) Lady Godiva was an actual historical person who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England in order to convince her husband to abolish an abusive tax he had levied. The sole person to violate Godiva’s modesty was a chap named Tom, who was struck blind in divine retribution, thereby establishing beyond doubt God’s approval of innocent public nudity. That is my belief and I am sticking with it.
I consider that this event should make Lady Godiva the Patron Saint of Naturism, and that her Saint’s Day (July 10) should be suitably celebrated by naturists everywhere. Your celebration need not include either an equestrian event or chocolate.
National Nude Day
This is a New Zealandish idea, one to which I object, to celebrate nudity on July 14. Incroyable! July 14 is Bastille Day! Therefore, in honour of bare-breasted Marianne leading the Parisian mob to victory July 14 should be International Top-Freedom Day, at least throughout the member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Since Canada and New Brunswick are members of la Francophonie it seems only fitting that we celebrate Bastille Day here by a display of solidarity for top-freedom.
Top-Freedom Day / “Gwen Jacobs Day”
The precipitating event occurred in July 1991 but, since we already have at least two July dates to celebrate this one should be held in late August.
Back in the day Ms Jacobs was charged with committing an indecent act for appearing topless on a public street in Guelph, Ontario, a charge which, after a battle in Ontario courts, was dismissed. So far, of all the provinces of Canada, only BC has explicitly recognized the validity of the Ontario ruling. That means that the fight is not over.
Marking this day should not be about bare breasts, it should be against the abjectly ridiculous notion that a woman’s breasts are somehow obscene or indecent. An event such as this should be like mother’s milk for naturists.
St John River Valley Naked Apple Picking Day
There isn’t an official day for this but there ought to be.
Apples are usually ripe for picking in the St John River valley from mid-August until mid-October and there is always a shortage of apple pickers. What better way to celebrate the bounty of nature than by getting naked on an sunny autumn day and climbing up a ladder to pick apples? If it catches on I’m going to lobby for a province-wide Naked Blueberry Picking Week too.
