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Around the world – December 2015

Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25. The word Christmas comes from the Middle English word Cristemasse, which is derived from the Old English word Crīstesmæsse. Cristemasse was first recorded in 1038. The word Cristes-mæsse was first known to be recorded in 1131. It means Christ’s Mass and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. Not everyone celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25, though. The Orthodox Church celebrates this special day on Jan. 7. Hanukkah, sometimes called Chanukah, falls on the 25th day of the month of Kislev and goes through the second day of Tevet in the Hebrew calendar. The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar, so Hanukkah does not always fall on the same day each year the way Christmas does on the Gregorian calendar that most people use today. Hanukkah lasts eight days. It is a holiday that remembers the Jewish people’s struggle for religious freedom. Kwanzaa was started in 1966 by Dr.Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. The word Kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase matundaya kwanza meaning first fruits. Kwanzaa lasts seven days and celebrates a different principal each day. These principals are: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. Kwanzaa is from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

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Around the world – November 2015

Pennsylvania Bacon Fest People will have a party for almost anything. In Easton, Pennsylvania, folks are proud to celebrate one of their favorite foods: Bacon!!! The Pennsylvania Bacon Fest has grown into one of the region’s most popular events. With more than 100 vendors and a ton of musical acts performing on eight stages, the two-day festival attracts more than 50,000 people each year. The festival runs at the same time as the Easton Farmers’ Market — which happens to be the oldest, continuously operating open-air market in the country — offering local, sustainable, fresh organic bread, produce, cheese, meat and more. So it’s no surprise that one of the aspects of this festival that makes it so unusual is its mission. The goal of Bacon Fest is to promote local, sustainable farms, farm-to-table food and restaurants and, of course, bacon! While there, you can taste bacon candy or try your hand at making a unique BLT. You can also eat bacon ice cream and sample some great bacon cupcakes!! Before you eat all of that, you may want to run in the Racin’ Bacon 5K. Easton is serious about their bacon. How about you? Journalists’ Day in China On Nov. 8, Journalists’ Day will be celebrated in the People’s Republic of China. Although it was only recognized in 1999, it’s roots go back to 1934, to commemorate a reporter who was prosecuted for writing an investigative report criticizing the government. Some people find it odd that China, which controls its media, would have this holiday. China is ranked very poorly in the Press Freedom Index, usually ranking in the five worst countries for journalism. On Chinese Journalists’ Day, Chinese reporters are congratulated on their work by their supervisors and government officials. Unfortunately, they do not get a day off. It is a working holiday. Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is the kick-off to the biggest holiday season in America. Many events occur on Thanksgiving that signal the beginning of the Christmas season. But that wasn’t always the case. The first Thanksgiving didn’t have parades and marching bands. Instead it was a celebration of survival. Throughout that first brutal winter in the colonies, most of the people remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, we know that there were no pies, cakes or other desserts because the colonists’ sugar supply was gone!

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Around the world – October 2015

National Foundation Day Gaecheonjeol is a public holiday in South Korea on Oct. 3. Also known by the English name National Foundation Day, this holiday celebrates the formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon in 2333 BC. This date has traditionally been regarded as the date for the founding of the Korean nation. Korean mythology holds that Hwanung descended from heaven to live with mankind. According to the legend, in his kingdom were a bear and a tiger who wished to become human. Hwanung told them that if they remained in a cave for 100 days eating nothing but mugwort and garlic, they would become like people. The tiger got bored, but the bear lasted it out and became a beautiful woman. She and Hwanung bore a son called Tangun Wanggom, meaning Sandalwood King. When he grew up, he built his own city at the present site of P’yongyang (now the capital of North Korea) and called his new kingdom Choson, meaning “morning freshness” or “morning calm.” On Oct. 9, Korean’s celebrate Hangul Day, which is the day their alphabet was established. The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul in South Korea and elsewhere and as Chosŏn’gŭl in North Korea and China, is the alphabet that has been used to write the Korean language since the 15th century. In its classical and modern forms, the alphabet has 24 consonant and vowel letters. However, instead of being written sequentially like the letters of the Latin alphabet, Hangul letters are grouped into blocks. Halloween It wouldn’t be October if we didn’t mention Halloween. Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

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Around the world – September 2015

Happy Labor Day! Labor Day falls on the first Monday in September. For many people, it is the last big weekend of the summer, a time to have fun and play before buckling down and studying. Labor Day is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers. Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic. Northern Lights Iceland is known for many things, but one thing that makes it a destination for a lot of people is the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights are bright dancing lights of the auora that are caused by a collision between electrically charged particles from the sun that enter the earth’s atmosphere. The lights are seen above the magnetic poles of the northern and southern hemisphere. As you know, Iceland is a scarcely populated island with many wild, unpolluted places. It is just the kind of place that makes it possible to see the Northern Lights. The Northern Lights are visible in Iceland from September to mid-April. The lights are actually active all year, but you can only see them when it is dark. In summertime, Iceland is bright almost all the time, so that’s why people look forward to September.

Kids

Around the world – August 2015

The American Folk Festival on the Bangor Waterfront From Aug. 28-30, the Bangor, Maine, waterfront is home to the American Folk Festival, which is a large, three-day event that focuses on the many cultures that make up America today. At the festival, you can see the nation’s finest performing groups sharing the traditional arts of their region and culture, which includes story telling! For more on the festival, visit www.americanfolkfestival.com. World Folk 2015 The World Folklore Championship is Aug. 20-30 at Nessebar, a beach resort in the European country of Bulgaria. Hundreds of folk performers from music to dance to storytelling gather to compete for the world championship. This year, all of the performances will be videoed and shown throughout Europe, you can also catch it on the Internet at World Internet Television “EuroFolkTV” at tv.eurofolk.com. There are seven days of competition, and thanks to technology, you don’t have to miss any of them! Rockland, Maine Lobster Festival The people of Maine are known for a lot of things, one of which is their catch of fresh lobster. For the past 68 years, the town of Rockland, Maine, has celebrated its commercial fishing success with the Annual Maine Lobster Festival. The festival begins each year on the Wednesday before the first full weekend in August and runs through Sunday. In the case of this year, it is July 29-Aug. 2. If you decide to attend the festival, you will find some interesting things, the most important of which is the 20,000 pounds of lobster that will be sold in various forms throughout the event. Throw in a big parade, entertainment, arts and crafts, a carnival, a seafood cooking contest and a blueberry pancake breakfast and it’s a party you don’t want to miss! For more on the festival, visit www.great-maine-vacations.com/maine-lobster-festival.html#sthash.xHpwfRh9.dpuf.

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Around the world – July 2015

4th of July On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. This set the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. In July of 1776 there were about 2.5 million living in America. Today, www.census.gov/popclock estimates that there are 318.4 million people living in the U.S. On the 4th of July, most people celebrate with friends and family. Some people enjoy going to barbecues or other get-togethers. Others go to concerts that play patriotic music. Other festivities might include baseball games and hanging out with friends. Most communities have fireworks displays to celebrate. It is a great time to enjoy being with friends and family and to reflect on the many things that make our country special. Every five years, the people of Latvia hold the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. This year the event falls on July 13. It is one of the biggest amateur choral events in the world. The event was first held in 1873 and continues to be an important part of Latvian culture. About 30,000 people participate in the event. There are also art and photography exhibits, orchestra concerts and a parade. In the years between the Song and Dance Festival, events and competitions are held.

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Around the world – June 2015

Happy Father’s Day! Hour of Code Computer games and other programs are written using special instructions that tell the computers what to do. These instructions are called code. An event called Hour of Code took place during December 8-14, 2014. It was a celebration of Computer Science Education Week. It involved a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics. This event showed kids and grown ups that anyone can learn how to code. You can do it, too! With the help of a responsible grown up, check out websites like hourofcode.com, code.org or khanacademy.org to get started. Who knows, maybe your parents will learn code with you! Sweet History Chocolate … Yum! Switzerland is known for its chocolate. In fact, some of America’s biggest names in chocolate can be traced to Switzerland. In 1815, Philippe Suchard was an assistant confectioner (candy maker). He opened his own shop in 1825, and in 1826, Jacques Henri Nestle joined the business. Nestle was known for making condensed milk at the time. When Nestles condensed milk was added to Suchard’s chocolate treats, the sweet creamy result is what people now consider Swiss chocolate. On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s first celebration in honor of fathers. It was a Sunday sermon in memory of the 362 men who had died in local coal mines. It was a single event, though – not an annual holiday. In 1909, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd from Spokane, Washington, tried to establish an day to honor fathers. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government officials to drum up support for her idea. It worked. Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910. It was not until 1972 that Richard Nixon proclaimed Father’s Day a federal holiday. This year we celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 21. It is estimated that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts.

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Around the world – May 2015

Buddha’s Birthday On Sunday, May 3, many people in India will celebrate the birth date of Gautama Buddha. Buddha was a spiritual teacher whose teachings are the basis for the Buddhist religion. While no one is certain of the exact date and time of his death, most historians believe that he lived between 563 and 483 B.C. Most people consider Lumbini, Nepal as his birth place. He died at the age of 80 at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh. Mother’s Day Every May you have the opportunity to celebrate your mom. This year, that day is on May 10. Mother’s Day was established on May 9, 1914. President Woodrow Wilson issued a Presidential Proclamation urging people to make a public expression of the love they have for their mothers. Carnations have come to represent the day as they were distributed at one of the first commemorations honoring mothers. The idea came from Anna Reeves Jarvis, a woman from West Virginia, who started a campaign to honor mothers following the death of her own mother. Memorial Day Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country. The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities. It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May.

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Around the world – April 2015

Northern Lights The Northern Lights blaze across the Arctic skies in Sweden when charged particles discharged by the Sun reach Earth’s atmosphere on solar winds and then collide with gaseous particles. The different gases produce different colours, usually pale light greens and pinks. And because of Swedish Lapland’s proximity to the magnetic north, it makes it a hot spot for the phenomenon. The Northern Lights appear around the beginning of September (Kiruna) to around the end of March all over Swedish Lapland. But for the very best chance of seeing the Northern Lights, you should make the trip to the Aurora Sky Station in Abisko National Park. A chairlift takes you up to the observation tower, as well as the station’s Northern Lights exhibition. You will need to dress warmly though because it is in the Arctic Circle.Surrounded by mountains, Abisko is known for its clear skies, so there’s a good chance of seeing this fantastic heavenly show. National Cherry Blossom Festival If you have had enough of cold weather and are ready for spring, instead of heading to Lapland, you can head to our nation’s capitol and take part in the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which happens every year from mid-March to mid-April. The National Cherry Blossom Festival celebrates spring in Washington, D.C., the gift of the cherry trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan (who gave the cherry trees to the city). The Festival produces and coordinates daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty and community spirit. Events are primarily free and open to the public. But one of the best parts is just walking through the city and seeing it in full bloom.

Kids

Around the world – March 2015

Read Across America Every year on March 2, Americans are encouraged to pick up a book and read in celebration of Read Across America. This nationwide focus on reading occurs on the birthday of Dr. Seuss, the author who wrote many beloved children’s books like Green Eggs and Ham and Hop on Pop. Many of us, maybe even you, learned how to read from reading Dr. Seuss (whose real name is Theodor Seuss Geisel) books. On this special day every year, many libraries and schools hold special programs that encourage people to read together, or your school might have a book parade or even a book fair, where you can buy a book. Whatever you do on March 2, take some time to read; it’s an adventure you do not want to miss! St. Patrick’s Day On March 17, everybody is a little Irish as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! Many people celebrate the day with parties where Irish food is served, while others get into the spirit of things by dressing in green or eating green-colored food. In many cities where large numbers of Irish immigrants settled, there are large parades. In Savannah, Ga., they even dye the river green!!! St. Patrick is one of Ireland’s patron saints. He is most commonly known for driving snakes out of Ireland! March Equinox Every year there are two equinoxes, or days when the Sun shines directly on the Equator, and the length of day and night are nearly equal. The spring (or vernal) equinox is on March 20 this year. The March equinox marks the time when the Sun crosses the celestial equator — an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator that runs from south to north. If you travel below the Equator, they would be celebrating the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere. In the United States, the arrival of the spring equinox means our days get longer and our temperatures get warmer. For many of you, it means it is time to break out your baseball or softball bats to enjoy fun games of baseball or softball!

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Around the world – December 2015

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