For today a saint that is not a saint. Was never even a person, actually (or if there was a person named Baldrick, no one ever attempted to canonize him as far as I can tell). & does not have an actual day. Saint Baldrick celebrants aim for sometime around Saint Patrick's Day, usually a week-end day just to be convenient.
How to observe a saint's day that never had a saint? Why shaving your head of course. Well, actually, having it shaved. I know I said to do this around Saint Patrick's Day, but celebrants are usually stone-cold-sober when they participate.
A few years ago at a Saint Baldrick's Day event, my sister had her head shaved by a clown -an actual clown- while an accordion was played in the background. Then same clown painted flower/flames/not sure what they were really on her face. My brother says this is one of the rings Dante neglected. I'm not sure I disagree. I like accordion music (I still have my old Gerard Blanchard albums for when the apocalypse erases all your new-fangled digital music), but clowns make me nervous. Clowns with clippers, well, I just don't need that kind of anxiety.
At this point, if you are still reading, you are asking "Why?" I have no idea why clowns & accordions & facepainting, but the shaving is a fundraiser for research into childhood cancers. I have a vague idea that they gather the hair for cancer wigs, but I might be wrong about that. It is entirely possible the shaving is incidental. Well, not entirely, money is raised by getting sponsors much like a walk-a-thon only nobody has to walk anywhere & the proof of accomplishment is right there for all to see.
That's all I've got really. No history to plumb...or embellish. The patron saint of barbers has actually already been covered in this blog & believe me, I was as surprised as anyone when I looked it up. I could find no patron of clowns or circus performers, but I will keep looking. As for accordion players or manufacturers nada, although if you google "accordian saint", Saint Paul, MN comes up a lot.
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