Easter Shoes of Ancient Times

Another Easter holiday has come and gone. The hubbub of Easter bunnies, eggs, candy, Sundays best, and religious beliefs has once again swirled around each of us like a hurricane. Families have united and celebrated in their own special and time honored ways. But lets take a deeper look at a long lost time when life moved at a different pace, and traditions and customs have changed dramatically, at least in our country.

Whether you believe in Jesus or not, the time period he is credited for being a part of did exist. That world was much different than today. For one, Americas team, the Dallas Cowboys, did not exist. If you arent a Cowboys fan, you can rejoice, but your Texans or Patriots were also, nonexistent. Another big difference was that Nike was not the fashionable shoe of choice. The Nile Crocs, or their version of them, was the popular and to die for shoe style. If you havent picked up on the humor, please reread as many times as necessary. Thank you. As I was saying, a sandal, or some variation of them, was en vogue. If you didnt have sandals, you went barefoot.

We have discussed before the dangers of walking barefoot in prior blogs, so please refer to them for a refresher. Are the perils with sandals any less, maybe not. Yes, your risk of introducing a foreign body into the bottom of your foot is reduced, but depending on the style of sandal your toes or heel are in just as much a risk. A similar disadvantage to walking barefoot vs. sandals is that your feet still become very dirty. How many times have you walked around outside barefoot OR in sandals, proceeded to enter your parents house, and was stopped by your mother to wash your feet before stepping foot on her clean carpet? If you grew up with me, it was all the time.

There was an ancient custom concerning the washing of feet. In many cultures who wore sandals, it was custom to provide water to house guests, not just for yourself, for them to wash their feet before entering the house. Shoe gear was not typically worn inside the house and so the washing of the feet was a way of keeping everything cleaner. If you can imagine what the feet must have looked like, smelled like, or felt like, you would agree that their feet needed a good cleaning. To ignore this custom was a sign of unfriendliness. It was also customary to wash your feet prior to meals and before going to bed. Sometimes the host would offer to wash their guests feet. This was a deep act of service and humility for it was not considered to be the job of anyone but the servant or the guest.

Now Im not saying to start washing your house guests feet. First of all, in our culture you might be considered very odd for even mentioning it. But let me spin it for you just a bit. If it was an ancient custom to wash and care for the feet of others, dont you think you should also wash and care for your own feet? If you took the time daily to wash your feet, inspect your feet, and care for your feet, you might be surprised at how less your dogs would bark. After all, they are only as good as the care they get.

If you are in need of a public servant who is dedicated to the care and health of your feet, please contact Dr. Bowman at 713-467-8886 or visit www.houstonfootspecialists.com.

Photo Credit: Sura Nualpradid via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Category: Footwear

Tags: ancient times, feet washing, Foot Care, Footwear, sandals