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Columbus, Model T and Halloween

On Monday, Oct. 10, we celebrate Columbus Day. Christopher Columbus sailed from Spain in August 1492, and landed in the Bahamas. In 1792, New York’s Columbian Order hosted the first Columbus Day event to celebrate the 300th anniversary of his landing in the Americas. President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Oct. 12 as Columbus Day and made it a national holiday in 1937. In 1971, that was changed so that we celebrate Columbus Day on the second Monday in October. Can you imagine what the world would be like with no cars or trucks? Henry Ford is credited with making cars affordable. His “universal car,” the Model T went on sale Oct. 1, 1908. It cost $850. By 1925, a person could buy one for less than $300. The first vehicle that could actually carry people in it was steam powered. It was built in 1768 by a man named Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. Halloween. For some people it is time to dress up and go trick-or-treating. That isn’t what it used to be about, though. Halloween falls on Oct. 31. About 2,000 years ago the Celts living in what is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France celebrated the end of summer and harvest time with the festival of Samhain. They believed that on this one night every year, ghosts of the dead could return to Earth. The Celts would build big fires and wear costumes. Halloween was not really popular in the U.S. until the 1840s and ‘50s when Irish immigrantscame to America to get away from the potato famine in Ireland. They brought their traditions with them. One of them was Halloween.

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Around the World – August 2016

Labor Day Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September. It is a time to honor workers — all workers. The very first Labor Day took place on Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City. It is a toss up as to who founded Labor Day. Some say it was Peter McGuire. Others claim it was Matthew MacGuire. Peter was part of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and cofounder of the American Federation of Labor. Matthew was the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York in 1882 and since that is the union that hosted the first Labor Day celebration, he often gets credit. Jimmy Carter In 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. If you live near your grandparents, it is the perfect time to visit them and spend some quality time doing things together. Distance shouldn’t keep you from celebrating, though. If your grandparents live far away, you can still celebrate. Call them. Skype or Facetime them. Send an email or make a card, draw a picture or write them a letter and send it to them in the mail. Cure Salee Every September the Fulani and Tuareg cattle herders in the Sahara Desert hold a celebration called the Cure Salee (Salt Cure). It is a time when cattle herders bring their herds to graze on the plains, which have a high salt content. The salt is important because it helps keep the cattle healthy. While the livestock graze, the people socialize and celebrate. One of the highlights of the gathering (for the people at least) is the Yaake. This is a dance and beauty contest where men dress up and perform for the ladies. The men use all their charms and best dance moves to try and get a woman to propose to them. If a man is chosen for marriage, he takes a gift of milk to the woman’s parents. If her parents approve, the man brings them three cattle which are slaughtered to celebrate the engagement.

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Festivals, Tomatoes and School!

In late July or early August each year, the town of Coban in the highlands of Guatemala hosts a folklore festival called Rabin Ajau. There is music and dancing, traditional food, a parade, a beauty contest and other activities and events that celebrate the Mayan culture. On the last Wednesday in August, Valencia, Spain, turns into a big food fight, well, a tomato fight, really. More than 30,000 people show up at the Plaza del Pueblo to hurl 140 tons of tomatoes! Shopkeepers hang plastic sheets on their store fronts to keep the mess to a minimum. When the tomato fight is over, the fire department comes in and sprays the mess away. In America, August often means it’s time to go back to school. That might mean getting back into school-related routines like going to bed at a set time each night, brushing up on math skills and reading a little bit extra every day. Maybe it means a shopping trip for new school supplies and waiting to hear who your new teachers are. Back-to-school season is different for every family, but it is an important time to mentally and physically prepare for what the coming school year will hold.

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4th of July

We celebrate America’s birthday on July 4 every year, but did you know that America’s second president and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams, considered July 2 America’s birthday? He even wrote about it in a letter to his wife! Here’s what happened: On July 2, Congress voted to declare independence from England, but the Declaration of Independence was not ready until July 4. When the document was printed — on July 4 — that is the date the printer put at the top of the page! And even though we have celebrated Independence Day every year since 1776, it was not declared a Federal holiday until 1941. A regatta is a boat race. In England, every year there is a race at the Henley Royal Regatta where teams of rowers race in long, slim boats. ere are more than 200 events every year in this one competition. e rowing teams train hard all year and compete in qualifying races to see if they are good enough to participate in the Henley Royal Regatta. The Henley Royal Regatta started in 1839. ere were no regattas during World War I and World War II, but other than that, this is an event that people look forward to every year. You can see what it is like here: HenleyRoyalRegatta. Every July, England counts its swans for the queen. It’s called swan upping. It takes about ve days to get all that work done. is year it starts on July 18. Hundreds of years ago (think the 1100s), the royal family decided that all the swans in the country belonged to them. e birds tasted especially delicious and made wonderful meals at royal feasts. While swans aren’t served at parties anymore, they are still counted every year. It is important because the swan markers use this occasion to help keep the swan population healthy and to educate the public about this regal bird. Swan markers spend five days rowing up the ames River. When the swan markers and a family of swans and babies (cygnets) they yell: “All up!” en they gently pull the swans and cygnets from the river to see if they are healthy. Sometimes they and swans that need help. O en, sh hooks get tangled in the swans’ feathers, and the swan markers are able to remove them and send the swans on their merry way.

Kids

Around the World – June 2016

Father’s Day is a special day to celebrate dads and father figures everywhere. It’s a day to say thanks to the men who have played an important role in your life. Of course that includes dads, grandfathers and uncles and can even include coaches and other mentors. The first Father’s Day was officially observed in 1908 in Fairmont West Virginia. Grace Golden Clayton was mourning the loss of her father at the time and a nearby town had recently lost 361 men in a mining accident. This tragedy left about 1,000 local kids fatherless. This inspired Clayton to talk with her pastor, Robert Thomas Webb, about honoring all those fathers. There were Father’s Day celebrations in many place across the country each year, but it was not until 1966 that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued a proclamation declaring the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. This year, Father’s Day falls on June 19. The summer solstice is on June 20 this year in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere celebrates the winter solstice on this day. On this day, Earth’s North Pole will tilt directly toward the sun. Solstices were commonly celebrated in the past (and still are in some places). Stonehenge in England is designed to mark the exact moment of the summer solstice and is believed to have played a big part in the ancient cultures that used to reside there. Although the Russian population is made up of ethnicities, on June 12, the entire population celebrates Russia Day. The holiday was officially introduced in 1994 when the country’s leaders agreed to dissolve the Soviet Union and embrace a different and more democratic form of government. The holiday was originally named the Day of Signing the Declaration of State Sovereignty. It was renamed in 2002. On Russia Day, the president recognizes and awards prominent writers, scientists and humanitarian workers.

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Around the World – May 2016

CINCO DE MAYO In America and Mexico, Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is a special day. It celebrates the Mexican Army’s victory at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This battle was a big win in the war against the French. Today, Cinco de Mayo is more about celebrating Mexican culture than victory in battle. On May 5, in cities around the country, there are street parties, parades, mariachi music and more. Some people consider Cinco de Mayo a celebration of Mexican independence, but that is inaccurate. Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1810 and celebrates it’s independence on Sept. 16. MOTHER’S DAY Mother’s Day is a time to say thanks to your mom, grandma or any female who is like a mother to you. We have Anna Jarvis to thank for the holiday. Anna’s mom was very sick and Anna looked after her. When Anna’s mom died, Anna decided to start a National Mother’s Day. She and her friends wrote letters and campaigned for the holiday. And on May 10, 1908 the first Mother’s Day was celebrated. At first it was a religious celebration that happened every second Sunday in May. It was not until 1914 that Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day a national day to honor moms. MEMORIAL DAY Throughout history people honored their ancestors by taking care of their graves and burial sites. In America’s early history, people would usually do this late in the summer and even centered it around family reunions and picnics. After the Civil War, in 1868, Decoration Day was established. People would go out and decorate the graves of soldiers who died in the war. It was later called Memorial Day. After World War I, the day was expanded to honor soldiers who died in all American Wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was officially made a national holiday. It always falls on the last Monday in May.

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Around the world – April 2016

In the Czech Republic, April 30 is known as pálení čarodějnic (burning of the witches) or čarodějnice (the witches). Every year, on the night of April 30, in towns across the Czech Republic, people light bonfires. On this night, folktales say that witches gather and meet in the hills. The fires are meant to scare away the witches. This also serves as an official farewell to winter. April Fool’s Day falls on April 1. While no one knows for sure when our how it became a day for pranking friends and family, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy it. The first recorded reference to April first and foolishness was in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, which was published in 1392. In Mexico, April 30 is known as el Dia del Niño — Children’s Day. Even though it is not an official holiday on the school calendar, there are no classes on Childrens Day. Instead of going to school, many families go do special activities like visiting a zoo or going to a water park. Some parents give their children gifts on this day, too.

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Around the world – March 2016

The Pawkar Raymi and Mushuk runa is also known as the indigenous New Year celebration party of the Andean and Amazonian communities. It starts at the beginning of February and goes until March 21. This celebration is a way to give thanks to Earth for the flowering of the plants. There are many rituals that happen during this time and they are accompanied by water and flowers. March 20 marks the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. Also known as the spring or vernal equinox, this marks the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator. The celestial equator is the imaginary line in the sky above the earth’s equator. This is just one of the ways that we measure seasons — it is called astronomical spring. A more common way that we measure the start of a new season is called meteorological. This system is based more on average temperatures. March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day. It is a day for the Irish (and Irish at heart) to celebrate all things Irish. The day honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was taken to Ireland as a slave. He eventually escaped and returned to his family who were Romans living in Britain. Years later, he returned to Ireland to share the Christian faith. The first St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated in America in 1737, more than 1,000 years after St. Patrick lived. It was organized by the Charitable Irish Society of Boston and included a feast and religious service. Today, St. Patrick’s Day celebrations include parties, parades and the wearing of green.

Around The World

Around the world – February 2015

Ecuador is the seat of government for the Galapagos Islands. One of the most important events throughout the year in Ecuador is Carnivale, which falls between Feb. 3 and March 9. It starts on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. It’s a big party, where people eat and dance and just generally have fun. There is music, food and the sharing of culture. Some people make elaborate masks and then parade throughout the city. The Battle of the Oranges If you happen to be in Ivrea, Italy, March 6-9, you may want to keep clear of the Battle of the Oranges. This is an annual observance of the town’s revolt against an unjust ruler known as the Carnevale di Ivrea. Each year, the tiny town in northern Italy gathers up more than 500,000 kilograms (around two tons) of fresh oranges and refight the Battaglia delle Arance or the Battle of the Oranges. Teams wage full-on fruit war, which is watched by more than 100,000 people. There are designated teams — nine of them — which represent the different sides of the battle. Spectators stand on the sidelines wearing red hats. If they decide they want to join the battle, they take off their hats and start throwing oranges!

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Around the world – January 2016

January first marks the beginning of the New Year for most of the world. On the last night of the year, Dec. 31, people gather for parties and other festivities. They stay up late and “ring in the new year” with friends and family. Traditionally, at the stroke of midnight, as the old year ends and the New Year begins, people throw confetti, cheer and offer a kiss to someone they care about. For many the start of a new year is about more than numbers changing on the calendar. It is a time of reflection and setting goals. Many people make a list of things they want to accomplish in the New Year. These are resolutions. They usually involve things like choosing to eat healthier or exercise more or to save more money. In America, we celebrate the New Year on January 1. In Nepal, the New Year falls in mid-April. The holiday is known as Navavarsha, which is based on Nepal’s lunar calendar called Nepal Sambat. Because the calendar is lunar, it centers on the cycles of the moon, so the first day of the Nepal Sambat usually falls between April 11 and 15. The Navavarsha is one the many festivities of Nepal celebrated with parades, parties, family gatherings and a lot of food. Because this is also a religious celebration, people spend the morning hours in prayer and visit the temples to worship. There are many interesting New Year’s traditions that people practice in different parts of the world. In Colombia, people who hope to travel during the coming year carry empty suitcases around the block. In Denmark, it is common for people to welcome the new year by standing on chairs and then jumping off them at midnight at the same time. This is supposed to bring good luck. In Stonehaven, Scotland, there is always a bonfire on New Year’s Eve. As part of the celebration, townsmen walk through town swinging poles with giant fireballs on the end of them. Round shapes are considered lucky in the Philippines. They represent coins and are considered lucky. On New Year’s Eve, many families have big displays of round fruits set out. Some families eat exactly 12 round fruits at the stroke of midnight.

Category - Around The World

Columbus, Model T and Halloween

Around the World – August 2016

Festivals, Tomatoes and School!

4th of July

Around the World – June 2016

Around the World – May 2016

Around the world – April 2016

Around the world – March 2016

Around the world – February 2015

Around the world – January 2016

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