This year, it’s all about bees. That’s all I can say for now, so instead of details I’ll share a picture I took as I was leaving the house the other day:

I’m sad to report I’m not actually apparently the Patron Saint of Bees (insert beatification jokes here). I believe they just like hanging out around me because they like my conditioner. Ironically enough, it’s from Bumble and Bumble. Oh well, they’re nice company – as long as there’s only one or two at a time, that is.

Hong Kong police arrested 115 men for illegally gambling on insect fights on Sunday in the same building that housed a cricket lovers’ association, a police spokesman said.

[read the rest of the (short) article]

Personally, I was more intrigued by the fact that building also housed a cricket lovers’ association. And apparently, not the sport. Being a bit undercaffeinated, it took me a while to catch on that the story was from Hong Kong. It then all made sense, believe it or not.

Here’s a nice little summary from a cultural entomology page at insects.org:

Even Chinese farmers, with hand-me-down education from the elders, and a lack of affluence, have found substitutes for more sumptuous pleasures in an appreciation and eulogy for nature. Folk pleasures are closely entwined with insects. Cricket-fighting is an ancient and very popular form of entertainment carrying the same household recognition as bull-fighting has in Spain. During the winter, a box is carved and ornamented to enclose a green bean and a lively cricket. The cricket’s crooning and the bean’s fragrance brings great enjoyment through the association with the quiet of the fields, the fragrance of flowers, and the serenity of the forest. The upper-class popularization of this folk amusement evolved into gambling-based cricket fights although some touching literature has resulted from this cricket/man relationship such as a story named “Cu Zhi” within a book called “Strange Tales of Liao-Zhai” written by Pu Sonlin. There are numerous insect based stories in Chinese literature including “Small Hound” , “A Girl in Green” , and “Butterfly.” Perhaps the most famous one is a story about a pair of lovers turning into butterflies and flying out of the control of their families. (“Liang Shan-po and Zhu Ying-tai”)

Crickets have symbolic meaning in many cultures. In Chinese art, the cricket symbolizes summer. It also represents courage and a fighting spirit.

And let us not forget Jiminy Cricket. Here’s Jiminy Cricket’s family tree. You think I’m kidding? You can just click the link to see – let your conscience be your guide!