Shavuot - Feast of Weeks or Festival of Weeks - Beginning at sundown this evening and ending at sundown on the 21st, this is the anniversary of the day that God gave the Torah to the Israelites at Mount Sinai. Some celebrate by staying up all night studying Jewish texts, reading the Book of Ruth, or eating dairy foods.
National Frog Jumping Jubilee Day - I used to play Leap frog as a kid, did you? Well whether you did or not, you are in for a treat today because that is what we are all going to do, and the more people involved the better. I wonder if we can get a line stretching all the way across the state. Perhaps that depends on which state. Delaware would have a better chance than Montana, for instance.
National Hepatitis Testing Day - There are three different Hepatitis diseases...A, B and C, and they are all very different. Millions of people are infected and many of them don’t even know because there are not always symptoms right away. So you need to get tested to know for sure if you have this disease and I recommend that you do it right away so that you can make sure you don’t spread it to your loved ones.
Boy’s Club and Girl's Club Day – This day celebrates the Boy's Clubs and Girl's Clubs that provide safe activities for our children all over the country. Parents need a safe place for their children to go when they have to work and these clubs fill that need. The first Boy's Club was begun in 1860 and in 1906 the Boys and Girls Clubs of America began operations and they have expanded to more than 4,300 locations.
National Learn To Swim Day – Celebrated for the fourth year, this day is always and forevermore celebrated on the Saturday of the weekend before Memorial Day weekend. This is a day to become aware of the importance of teaching your children how to swim. Children who cannot swim are far more likely to drown if they accidentally end up in a pool or pond or lake or river. Make sure your child learns this important life saving skill and if your child is afraid of the water, as my youngest was when she started learning, don't cave in to their fear and give up on making them go to lessons. After a scare in a pool when she was three, my daughter cried through nearly 6 months of swimming lessons before she finally started enjoying the water and now she swims like a fish. It’s hard, but it's worth it.
National Devil's Food Cake Day – Rich and moist and delicious, this is one of my favorite cakes.
May Ray Day – This is a day with two purposes. The first is to celebrate the warmth the sun provides for our enjoyment and for our ability to grow things, and the second is to celebrate everyone named Ray. I suspect you may think I am kidding about this, but I assure you that this is a real day.
World Inflammatory Bowel Disease Day - More than 5 million people around the world suffer from IBD’s such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. There will be events taking place around this time, although not necessarily on this day, in the more than 40 participating countries. Many of the events will be in the form of charity walks, runs and open discussions with doctors.
National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – This is a day to spread awareness of the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among Asians and Pacific Islanders. This is a disease that does not care where its victims are from. Find out how to protect yourselves.
Do Dah Day - On a day way back in 1979 in Birmingham, or so I am led to believe, a bunch of friends decided to have a party and over the years turned it into a fund raising event for local charities involving animals. More and more Do Dah volunteers joined the effort and it has become a festival with a parade.
Cultural Freedom Day - The first of many third Saturday in May holidays, for this one we celebrate free culture. The term comes from Lawrence Lessig who used “Free Culture” as the title to his book. The day is about creating art, and allowing anyone who wants to, to use their art, study it, spread it around and use it to improve their own art and spread that around as well.
Armed Forces Day – Celebrated on the third Saturday in May, this is a day to honor the men and women who serve in the United States Armed Forces. There will be a wide variety of activities going on all day all over the country from parades to motorcycle rides to educational activities. In the past there were celebration days for each of the branches of the armed forces, but in 1949, Secretary of Defense, Louis Johnson, announced that they would all be consolidated under one day because all of the armed forces had united under Department of Defense. The only branch that has chosen to still have it's own day is the Marines although they support this day as well.
River Cleanup Day - Celebrated on the third Saturday in May, this is a day of action. Thousands of volunteers all around the country get together in their local areas to clean up the trash in rivers, creeks, streams, and lakes. See if you can find a local volunteer group to join today, or make your own with some friends who care about our environment.
Preakness Stakes - Celebrated on the third Saturday in May, this is the second race of the Triple Crown and is always two weeks after the Kentucky Derby and three weeks before the Belmont Stakes. It is an exciting race, especially if the same horse that won the Kentucky Derby is racing in it.
World Whisky Day - Celebrated on the third Saturday in May, this is a day to enjoy a whisky with your friends. I thought whisky was spelled whiskey, but according to the website, I was incorrect.
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