 Birthdays for OCTOBER 2009
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RH History
Red Hat History, Customs & Trends
The official Red Hat Society was started by Sue Ellen Cooper & a few of
her lovely friends in a tearoom in 1998. Now in 2005 the R.H.S. is
over one million ladies worldwide! Thank you E.Q.M. Sue Ellen!
“The Warning Poem”, written by Jenny Joseph in the
60’s, started the Red Hat Movement! “Ode to the Red Hat Society” is a
poem written by our own E.Q.M. (Exalted Queen Mother) Sue Ellen Cooper
to describe us!
The very first R.H.S. Red Hatter was our E.Q.M. Sue Ellen Cooper.
Red Hatters are ladies over 50 who wear Red Hats & Purple Regalia! Pink
Hatters of the R.H.S. are ladies under 50 who wear Pink Hats & Lavender
Regalia! The very first Pink Hatter Queen was Glenda Brock of San
Antonio, TX.
The vows and pledge were begun by Val, F.Q.M. (Founding Queen Mother)
of the Austin-tatious Red Hat Chapter to initiate each of their
members. The vows were originally fashioned from the "Statement of
Purpose" written by E.Q.M. Sue Ellen Cooper. Each Queen along the way
has added a little personality of her own to make the vows fit her
chapter.
Reduation> - The term RED-uation was coined by the
MZ-TEA-Rious Ladies Chapter & their Queenette Di. It
is a ceremony performed when a Pink Hat member turns the BIG 50 &
Red-uates to now wear the official Red Hat.
Coronation - Ritual of inducting the chapter Queen
into her self-proclaimed royalty title of Queendomship! You can use as
much pomp & circumstance
as you want or it can be plain Jane! Coronations have
been known to include crowns, scepters, royal robes,
flowers, bubbles, music etc.!
The Titles - Begun by E.Q.M, Sue Ellen Cooper
decreeing that she was "Queen Mother" & then later on
"Exalted Queen Mother". Just an interesting way to
make us sound more royal! There's Queen, Queen Mum, Her Royal
Highness, Royal Diva, Dame, Grande Dame, Princess, Lady, Duchess,
Empress, etc.
Red Hat Society Day - April 25th is R.H.S. Day
because E.Q.M. Sue Ellen’s founding chapter had their
first meeting on that day in 1998. There are usually
special gatherings all over the country on this day! In some small
towns, the mayor will actually proclaim April 25th as “Red Hat Day” in
their community.
Reverse Color Day - Started by the F.Q.M. Linda, of the
Sasscee Gals of Tucson, Arizona, which they refer to
as "Au Contraire". At their monthly gathering, the
ladies who have a birthday that falls in that month
are allowed to wear a red outfit & purple hat so they
will stand out. At the gathering the birthday girl(s)
has to recite a poem, sing a song or perform a bit of
shtick that she has made up! This chapter also
dresses all in red in February to celebrate Valentine's Day! This
colorful way of dressing has become known as "Reverse Day". Also some
Queens will decree that at certain gatherings the members will reverse
dress.
Gatherings - Per our E.Q.M., the R.H.S. does not
hold “meetings”...the word is too stuffy. (Meetings sound too
orderly!) The words gathering, get-togethers, events or activities are
preferred. Some chapters make up a “meeting” word that comes from the
name of their chapter name. (RazZmaTazZ chapter in San Diego has
TazZings.)
A Red Hat High Tea - The ceremony of the "High Tea"
in this day and time is held in a somewhat higher
regard. Appropriate dress is required, as well as
proper manners. The tea utensils & place settings
used for the "High Tea" must be fitting for such an
occasion. The table is adorned with an elegant
tablecloth & napkins. "High Tea" is choosing the
appropriate tea for the occasion, letting it steep and
then sip by sip enjoying it. This is usually accompanied with some
wonderful scones, sandwiches and sumptuous sweet treats. It’s just
lovely! Truly a
tradition from another time. It makes the world go
slower for a moment. "High Tea" is a ceremony of
life, time and elegant living!
The Royal Wave> - Borrowed from Queen Elizabeth of
England & to be used to wave at our adoring public
during parades, etc. or to acknowledge gawkers as we
stroll by! Cup your hand, fingers up & swivel your
wrist from side to side with grace & elegance! (Like
you’re screwing in a light bulb.)
Brim Brushing - We hatters love to hug, but with
those wonderful big gaudy hats, it can be hard to do.
So we brim brush! Reach out to hug your fellow hatter
gently, only allowing your hat brims to touch. Air
Kissing or A Hollywood Kiss Kiss is a perfect
accompaniment to Brim Brushing!
Feathers - This began with our E.Q. M. Sue Ellen, taken
from the Disney "Dumbo" story. Dumbo is given a
feather by his friends, & Dumbo thinks the feather is
what gives him the ability to fly. Of course, he later
finds out he doesn't need the feather to soar. So our
E.Q.M. gives each new chapter charter a red & purple
feather to say, "I know your ready to come out & play
with us, & I'm here to encourage you to set your
hearts & imaginations free". The feathers have also
been used to stand for Love/Red and Hugs/Purple.
Kazoos - Started by Brenda/HillbillieBelle of the The
Scarlett Hummers & chosen as the official instrument
of the R.H.S. by our E.Q.M. for its ease to play, small enough to carry
in your purse, no practice needed & it sounds funny! Songs kazooed are
"Hail to the Queen", "Happy Birthday" or any song you want!
Red Sashes - Started as a way to display our royal
names, along with the vast collection of pins that Red
& Pink Hat Ladies have collected. Copied after the
"Queen of England's" Red Sash/Banner that she wears.
It's just another ritual of ours to display more pomp
& circumstance!
Red Wax Lips - The Beaded Babes of Fullerton, Calif.,
first posted a "Hot Lips" photo under Fun Stuff on the
RHS web site in January 2002. They had just celebrated
their chapter's 1st Birthday, and had each received a
pair of Red Wax lips. The lips were the solution to
the problem of our Red lipstick wearing off. It
didn’t take long before the wax lips became a Red Hat
trademark.
Ding Dongs - Because of Audacious Queen Rosie’s
birthday, The Rosie Hattitude Chapter (especially
Mother Nurture~Rita Harrris, who is now a Red Hat
Angel in Heaven), decreed that the Hostess Ding Dong would forever
more be their official birthday confection & a number of other chapters
have adopted the yummy dessert also. Some chapters use the Dolly
Madison Red Zinger cake as their official dessert. Tie each individual
packaged cake with red and purple ribbon and stack them on a plate to
make a towering cake.
Bubbles - Blown by Red & Pink Hatters at gatherings
for celebration, in place of applause or just because
we want to!
Kazoodle - A large group of Red &/or Pink Hatters.
Ruby RedHat - Official mascot of the R.H.S. She
represents the spirit of the little girl who is alive
& well inside each of us!
Mascots - Of course Ruby RedHat was the first mascot,
but plenty of other mascots have emerged from almost
every chapter! There are dolls, bears, dogs, birds,
pigs & everything & anything you could possibly
imagine!
Hattitude - The proper “attitude” with a Hat!
E.Q.M. Sue Ellen Cooper - Our Exalted Queen Mother
Sue Ellen Cooper is the creative lady who gave a
lovely Red Hat & the “Warning” poem by Jenny Joseph, to a few of he
friends turning 50 as a gift from which the Red Hat Society began. A
million or so friends later, here we are!
HatQuarters - The head office of the Red Hat Society
in Fullerton, California where our E.Q.M. and team
works and plays!
Dessert First - Since the RHS chapters gather for
fun, frolic & laughter, it only makes sense that the
scrumptious dessert should be eaten first! After all,
we deserve it!
A Birthday Poem from Sue Ellen
APRIL 25 Written by Barbara Witzell, Queen Razz
The year was nineteen ninety-eight
And on one special day
A group of girlfriends joined their hands
And ventured out to play.
They went to feast on scones and tea
On April twenty-fifth
They never could have guessed this thought
Would prove to be a gift!
Around the lacy tablecloth
They sipped and munched and chatted
In shades of purple they were garbed
And each one was red hatted!
Drinking tea and giggling
They had their best time, ever
When had they shared such fun before?
The answer? It was never!
So they decided on the spot
They'd meet like this again.
They'd ask their other friends to come
And tell them where and when.
This new "Red Hat Society"
(Yes, that's the name they chose)
Began that very afternoon
As everybody knows.
Now friendship, fun and sisterhood
Are spreading 'round the world
'Cause nothing is as fun, it seems,
As playing with the girls! |
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