Why marry in June?

By Herbert Vego

JOY to the world, June has come. This month comes with the opportunity for nubile women to earn the tag “June bride.”

Alas, however, applying the June wedding tradition to Filipinos does not make sense. It stems from the superstition that marriages in June are blessed. There is nothing “Pinoy” in the origin of June as “the wedding month” because it originated from an ancient Roman tradition.

The name of the month honors the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno. Hence, couples who marry in June are expected to reap good fortune and happy relationships.

June is when flowers bloom abundantly in Rome. That explains why fresh flowers are essential decorations during wedding ceremonies.

But in ancient Rome, there was a practical side to the tradition. A marriage in June was to time conception in such a way that births wouldn’t interfere with harvest work. The baby would be born soon enough for the bride to be in shape for the harvest.

In pre-contraceptive Europe, getting married in June meant that children conceived in that month would be born the following spring, increasing their chances of survival after the long and lean winter months.

The Hollywood movie industry exploited and boosted the popularity of June as the wedding month by churning movies sustaining that image. Among these movies were June Bride (1948) and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954).

There was a romantic Filipino movie, Ngayon Kaya (Maybe Today) — starring Paulo Avelino and Janine Gutierrez – which was intentionally shown in June 2022 to boost its sales.

Unfortunately, the Roman style makes no logical sense in the Philippine setting because, first, June marks the beginning of the rainy season in the archipelago. Second, back-to- school expenses are in high gear. Third, diseases like dengue, influenza and typhoid are rampant in the rainy month of June.

Therefore, it would be wiser to marry in December or January when cold weather enhances the romantic air.

Or, better still, ponder this Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 7:38: “The person who marries his fiancée does well, and the person who doesn’t marry does even better.”

What a life! I remain unmarried to my fiancée.

-oOo-

BILLIONAIRE RAZON DOESN’T GAMBLE

WE learned some lessons from an Esquire article on Enrique Razon Jr., chairman of MORE Electric and Power Corp (MORE Power), one of his many business ventures.  He is the third richest man in the Philippines.

Since he is also the chairman and CEO of International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), which operates port-handling services in the Philippines and abroad, it is not surprising that he has appeared multiple times on Forbes’ World’s Billionaires List. This year, he ranks 224th spot, with a net worth of $10 billion.

For him, however, the true measure of success is in how effectively he manages his businesses.

“If you manage your business well,” he said, “those recognitions will follow. But that’s not the goal. The goal is to grow the enterprise.”

The most interesting part of the story is that he doesn’t gamble; ironic because he owns the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila. And so, I am quoting a few sentences from the article:

“Despite being in the gaming industry, Razon personally steers clear of gambling. He knows the math behind it, but he doesn’t play it. ‘Hindi ako marunong magsugal. Hindi ko nga alam ang rules eh,’ he claims. ‘Nasubukan namin sa Las Vegas, wala pang 30 seconds ubos na yung $200. Mula noon ayoko na.’

“He acknowledges the potential detrimental impact of gambling on lives, so he supports responsible gaming practices. ‘Kaya yung nakikita ng mga tao ko na medyo sobra na, bina-ban na namin pumasok ng casino. Kunwari, isasanla na ang bahay, ang kotse, ititigil na namin,’ he says.”