July 19, 2015

Today we celebrate:

National Daiquiri Day - Cocktails made with rum and lime juice along with other ingredients that you can add to make it just right for your taste.

Flitch Day – A flitch is the meat cut from the side of an animal or fish. These days you usually only hear it when a side of salted or cured pork is being referred to as a flitch of bacon. There is a VERY old tradition (rarely heard of these days except in certain parts of England), that says that a year and a day after their wedding, if a married couple can swear that they do not regret getting married then they are given a flitch of bacon.

Myanmar Martyr’s Day - This is a  somewhat complicated day which I learned about from the Holidays, Festivals, and Celebrations of the World Dictionary by Cherie Abbey.  The United States government refuses to recognize the military government of Myanmar, or their name, so they still call this country Burma, which was it’s name until 1989.  Burma briefly won independence, first from the British in 1942 with the help of the Japanese, then from the Japanese with the help of Allied forces in World War II.  Both of these victories were achieved under the leadership of a man named Aung San.  After WWII, the British granted independence to Burma in 1947.  Shortly after, on this day in 1947, Aung San and his cabinet members were assassinated during one of their Executive Council meetings.  The man responsible was arrested and executed.  Ever since that day, the people hold a moment of silence for Aung San, and the family members of the assassinated men decorate their graves with wreaths.  In 1962, there was a military coup and the democratic republic was no more.  However Aung San’s daughter (who was 2 years old when her father was killed) has been fighting for human rights and a democratic government for many years enduring persecution from the present government.  She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

National Ice Cream Day – Celebrated on the third Sunday in July, this day was created by former President Ronald Reagan who saw how popular ice cream was (and still is) in this country. His direction was that this day should be observed with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”  I’m pretty sure that this means that you should eat some ice cream today.

National Raspberry Cake Day – The perfect dessert to go with your ice cream, don't you think?  Some say this day is celebrated on July 31st so I’ll add it to that day as well.

Anne Hutchinson Memorial Day – Celebrated every July on a Sunday near Anne's baptism day, July 20, 1591. This is a day to honor this incredible woman who had somewhere around 15 children, was a religious leader and spiritual leader for women in Boston. She helped lay the groundwork for the free speech and religious tolerance that we Americans hold so dear. It didn't go over so well with the Puritans she lived with at the time. Some consider her to be the first American feminist.

To celebrate everything in one day, have a daiquiri and some ice cream and raspberry cake call around the neighborhood until you find which of your neighbors is eligible to receive a flitch.  Then tell them all about the Myanmar Martyrs and Anne Hutchinson.