June 21, 2016

Today we celebrate:

World Peace and Prayer Day - Created by Nac’a Arvol Looking Horse, spiritual leader of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Sioux Nations (the Buffalo People), this is a day to gather at places that are sacred to you, and pray for the healing of Mother Earth, (who they call Ina Maka). We need to do something to stop the destruction of our only home. Learn more at this Facebook page, where he has posted a letter to the People of the Earth about prophesies that were made 19 generations ago which seem to be coming true.

National Cherry Tart Day - A delicious dish, perfect for summer with fresh cherries, although canned cherries would be good too.

National Peaches & Cream Day – Fresh, ripe, juicy peaches, covered with thick, rich cream. Dessert doesn't get any better than that. I've probably said that before, but I really mean it this time.

Atheists Solidarity Day – This is a day for Atheists to wear a red and black ribbon to show their support to other non-religious people in their community. Some atheists do not feel they can be open about their beliefs because they fear persecution. While I am not an Atheist, we do live in a country where we have the freedom to believe or not believe in whatever we want, and I support the right of every adult to decide for themselves what they chose to believe. Not all countries have that freedom and some people are right to be afraid of persecution or even death if it were to become known that they disagree with the beliefs of those around them.

Go Skateboarding Day – Created by the International Association of Skateboarding Companies, the purpose of today is to dust off the old skateboard, put aside normal responsibilities and just skateboard all day. Many major cities are holding skateboarding events today, see if you can find one that you can join.

World Handshake Day – Created by Ivan Zupa, this is a day to unite the world. He says to “place your hand in the sea and shake hands with the whole world.” It began as a vision for Mr. Zupa after the tsunami disaster (I'm not sure which tsunami disaster he is referring to since there have been a couple in my recent memory) and he hopes to make this idea spread to the rest of the world.

Baby Boomer's Recognition Day – This is a day to celebrate the baby boomers and their contributions to society. Many of them became very successful in a wide variety of fields, and our medicines and technology wouldn't be where they are today without this talented group of people.

World Music Day or Fete de la Musique - This day began with an American musician, Joel Cohen, in France working for the French National Radio. It was turned into an official national celebration which spread around the world. It is now celebrated in about 120 countries. The idea for the day is to encourage all musicians, amateur and professional, to take to the streets to perform their music for all to hear. Alternatively, many cities organize free concerts so that all types of music are available to everyone. The concerts must be free to the public and the performers must donate their time for free as well.