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For some February 29th, may just be another day, a Leap Year day. However, tomorrow also marks a traditional American Holiday which was once forgotten. Tomorrow is Sadie Hawkins Day. For those of you who are unaware of the story behind this American Tradition, I’ll give you a brief synopsis.
The holiday itself was derived from Al Capp’s classic hillbilly comic strip, Lil Abner. Picture this: In a small town of ‘Dogpatch”, there lived a settler by the name of Hekzebiah Hawkins. His daughter, Sadie Hawkins was known as “homeliest gal in all them hills.” Like many single women, she waited and waited for the right suitor to come court her. Time went on and she slowly grew in age. At this point, she turned 35 and was still single. Like any father, her father grew worried for her well-being, more-so that she would live the life of a spinster. Desperate, he called for all the bachelors of Dogpatch and declared it “Sadie Hawkins Day.” On that specific day, a special race was held with Sadie in mind to help her find her husband with marriage as the consequence.
In true “hillbilly” style, Hekzebiah called,
“When ah fires [my gun], all o’ yo’ kin start a-runnin! When ah fires again—after givin’ yo’ a fair start—Sadie starts a runnin’. Th’ one she ketches’ll be her husbin.”
Agreeing to the idea, the town’s spinsters declared “Sadie Hawkins Day” a mandatory yearly event. In true satirical form, the comic strip, which ran for 40+ years, many sequences ran around the “dreaded race.” According to the rules of the race, if a woman caught a bachelor and dragged him, kicking and screaming, across the finish line before sundown—by law he had to marry her!
Well, it’s true when they say that it is no longer a “man’s” world as women are now encouraged to ask men out on dates. In true modern times, some women also feel that if a man does not propose marriage to them, they will. Well, as is said, we live in a world of equality where men and women are “one.” So ladies, in honor of Sadie Hawkins Day, let’s revive this tradition by proposing to that guy you’ve had your eye on. Whether he is the office “geek” you’ve had you’re eyes on, or whether he is that friend who holds a special place in your heart, go ahead and ask him out!
Fellas, we at Urban Asian want to know what YOU think of this holiday? Are you in favor of it? Or totally against it?
