National Brisket Day - Brisket is a specific cut of meat that comes from the lower chest of the animal. It is generally cooked low and slow, as my husband says, a phrase that you may not recognize if you are not an experienced cook or if my husband made it up. He means that you cook it for a long time over a low, or indirect, heat (if you are cooking it on a grill). All I know is that it is delicious!
National Hamburger Day - Hamburgers apparently originated in Hamburg, Germany but the Americans added their own spin to it by putting it on a bun. Seymour, Wisconsin lays claim to that addition and hosts a hamburger festival called Burger Fest every year. I haven’t yet heard about anyone disputing that claim, although maybe no one cares enough to do so.
Amnesty International Day – Amnesty International was founded in 1961 after an article was published on this day in 1961 by the The Observer entitled “The Forgotten Prisoners” by Peter Benenson. Amnesty's goal is to bring attention to the many cases of human rights abuse in the world and to bring pressure to governments whenever and wherever they can to try to get those abuses to end. The organization was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 for its “campaign against torture,” as well as the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 1978.
Sierra Club Day – Founded on this day in 1892, with John Muir as its' first President and a membership of 182 charter members, this club has worked tirelessly to, as John Muir said, “do something for wildness and make the mountains glad.” This club now has more than a million members and is the oldest environmental organization in the U.S.
Memorial Day – Celebrated on the last Monday in May, this is a United States Federal Holiday and is a day for remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It was originally known as Decoration Day, as I mentioned yesterday, and celebrations began shortly after the Civil War to commemorate both Union and Confederate soldiers who died in that war. It has since been extended to honor all Americans who died in all of the wars we have been involved in. Veteran's grave stones or crosses are typically decorated for this day with an American flag and sometimes with wreaths and flowers as well.
Fiji Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day - On the last Monday in May, the people of Fiji celebrate the life of one of their most important leaders, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna. He was a hero in WWI and then became a politician who helped Fiji gain independence from Great Britain. He didn’t see that goal reached because he died on May 30, 1958, twelve years before independence was achieved. In 2010, Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama declared this to be no longer a public holiday.
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