National Hot Tea Day - Hot tea is a popular beverage to imbibe in many different countries. It was discovered many thousands of years ago in China and there are several legends that talk about how it came to be. They all seem to be a little improbable to me, but there may be slivers of truth among the seemingly tall tales. But the important thing is that hot tea has been proven to be very healthy and very popular among many different cultures today.
Shrove Monday - This is the Monday before Ash Wednesday and is also known as Collop Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday. It is a part of the Carnival celebrations that many Christians participate in and even has links to Mardi Gras in America.
National Freedom To Marry Day - Created in 1999 by Lambda legal, a gay rights advocacy law firm, this is a day to promote same sex marriage.
International Darwin Day – Born on this day in 1809, Charles Darwin was, and still is, famous for his theories of evolution through natural selection. Whether you subscribe to these theories or not, you can still explain them to your children and also explain why you do or do not believe them.
Hug Day - The sixth day of Valentine week, this is a day to hug the people or creatures you love. Hugging can be as innocent or as intimate as both participants want it to be, it’s all in your technique. Therefore it is the perfect way of expressing your affection for anyone in your life that you care about.
Lincoln's Birthday – President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President and one of the greatest, in my opinion, was born on this day in 1809. Interesting, I didn't know he shared a birthday with Charles Darwin. I like to learn something new every day, so mission accomplished for today. This is a legal holiday in many states but not all of them. Not too surprisingly, I don't see any of the southern states on the list of states that celebrate today.
NAACP Day – Founded on this day in 1909, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the oldest and largest civil rights organization in America, has a mission “to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination.” While all of those things have come one heck of a long way since 1909, I don't think anyone believes that its' mission is finished.
Oglethorpe Day – This day honors British General James Edward Oglethorpe (December 22, 1696 – June 30, 1785) who founded Georgia on this day in 1733 (which he named after King George II). He was something of a social reformer and humanitarian who hoped that he could move Britain's poor people from debtor's prison to Georgia. I could never figure out why Britain would throw poor people in prison where they would have no chance of paying their debts. He did manage to bring over some settlers that year but after that others came from other colonies and the communities that were formed didn’t want other poor people to come so they could have the room to improve their own situations.
Paul Bunyan Day – This day is also celebrated in June, but I think different states celebrate on different days. According to people who live in Bangor, Maine, on this day in 1834, Paul Bunyan was born in their area. However, people in Minnesota are under the impression that he was born in Bemidji, Minnesota and died in Kelliher, Minnesota. Still others say Paul Bunyan was based on a real man, a French-Canadian named Fabian “Joe” Fournier (or Saginaw Joe) who was born in Quebec, Canada in 1845. I'm sure you can find other possibilities if you look hard enough.
Safety Pup Day – Developed in 1985 by the National Child Safety Council and designed to address different safety issues with children such as stranger safety, Halloween safety, internet safety, etc. This day is frequently promoted by local police departments.
National Lost Penny Day – Begun in 1995, this is a day to find all of the lost pennies you can and cash them in because combined, pennies are more useful than they are individually. The first penny was minted in 1787. It was designed by Benjamin Franklin and was made of copper. On this day in 1909, the first Lincoln penny was issued on the 100th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.
National Plum Pudding Day – This dish has a rich heritage. It came from England in the 1600's and actually doesn't have any plums in it because back then most dried fruits, like raisins, were called plums. This dish has nutmeg, raisins, cinnamon, apples, and whatever else you might like to add.
Clean Out Your Computer Day – This day is always celebrated on the second Monday in February for reasons that escape me. It was started in 2000 by the Institute for Business Technology. It's going to be a big job so you better get started. When you're done, you will probably notice that your computer works faster.
Oatmeal Monday - Also known as Meal Monday, this is a day that is celebrated on the second Monday of February by universities in Scotland. Back in the 17th century university students ate mostly oatmeal which they would make into porridge. They would occasionally be allowed a long weekend to leave in order to go get more oatmeal. So they had these Meal Mondays about once a month until 1896 when the University of Edinburgh made it an official once a year holiday.
No comments:
Post a Comment