Holidays in the U.S.A.

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My birthday is in August, and I grew up knowing that August is the only month that does not have a federal holiday in the U.S.  Also, no other month starts on the same day of the week as August 1, except in leap years when February 1 and August 1 will fall on the same day of the week.

Contemplating my birthday this year made me think about the above, which then made me wonder about the holidays that are in August and other months.  It turns out that there is a holiday on just about every day of the year in the U.S.!  It appears food is the primary reason for celebrating August, as it is National Catfish Month and every day celebrates some type of dessert.  For a listing of all holidays for the entire year in the U.S. click here; this site also has lists of the various symbols for every state and the nation.

What did you learn today?

Today's Leap Second And Atomic Clocks

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Atomic clocks run at the same speed over millions of years, but the earth very gradually slows down spinning on its axis.  So in order to keep clocks accurate in time, every so often a second is added.  Twenty-four seconds have been added since 1972, but our days are not 24 seconds longer.  The seconds are added only to the date in which they are inserted.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Almanacs Through The Ages

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Almanacs go back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans.  The earliest Roman almanac, the "dies fasti", listed days when legal business should and should not be conducted.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Farmer's Almanac History

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Wednesday was the first day of summer, and the summer solstice.  So, I went to The Farmer's Almanac for information, just as my grandparents and great-grandparents used to do. 

The Farmer's Almanac has been published continually since 1792, and there is something in every annual publication for everyone, no matter their occupation or location.

For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Early Arrival for Vernal Equinox 2012

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Tuesday, March 20, was the 2012 Vernal or Spring Equinox, where the number of daylight and night hours are equal.  There are many spring equinox rituals and celebrations, such as attempting to stand an egg on its end.  Some gardeners believe that it is the best time to do spring planting, so I have several friends who have been unavailable since Tuesday as they are spending every spare minute in their gardens. 

This year spring made its earliest arrival since 1896.  For more information click here and click here.

What did you learn today?

World Interfaith Calendar

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In looking up which day this weekend is St. Patrick's Day, I stumbled on a fabulous calendar, InterFaithCalendar.org, that has dates of religious observances for many faiths, definitions for the observances, and much more.  You can access calendars from 2009 through 2019, and an archive that dates from 2001.  For more information click here.  This would be very useful for teachers and business owners, and others, too.

Click here to find out why 2008 had two unique dates in religious history.  What did you learn today?

What Time Is It?!

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Click here for the TimeTemperature.com website, where you can find the current time and temperature and time zone of any city in any country in the world!

What did you learn today?

Daylight Savings Time Around the World

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Daylight Savings Time in the U.S.A. begins Sunday, March 11, 2012 and ends Sunday, November 4, 2012.  Click here for a map (also see above) and fascinating details about other countries around the world who currently have, previously had, and have never had DST.

What did you learn today?

Next Week: Daylight Savings Time

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On this day next week, in the U.S. and some other countries we will be changing our clocks by one hour for Daylight Savings Time.  I remember how to make the change by saying, "Spring forward, fall backward." 

The only two states who do not use DST are Arizona and Hawaii.  In 1784 American Benjamin Franklin thought of the idea and wrote and essay about it.  In 1895 New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson proposed a two-hour change.  In 1905 Englishman William Willett proposed a weekly 20-minute change over the course of four weeks each spring and fall.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Leap Year Birthdays

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There are about 4 million people in the world who were born on a leap day.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Leap Year Driver's License Birthdays

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If you were born on February 29 and live in the United States, the state in which you live will determine whether you can celebrate your birthday and get your driver's license on February 28 or March 1.  For more information click here.  What did you learn today?

Leap Year Babies

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Your chances of being born on a leap day are 1 in 1,500.  For more leap year information click here.  What did you learn today?

Today is the Pin Festival !

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Hari-Kuyo, the Festival of Broken Needles, was the beginning of the lunar year on the old Chinese calendar, and is now a festival in China and Japan every year on February 8.  People bring to the shrine their broken pins and needles used in the previous year, and express gratitude for their service.

For more information click here and click here.

I've broken sewing machine needles and the eyes in needlepoint needles, but I didn't exactly express gratitude for the broken needle, nor even for the service it had provided.  I wonder if there are uses for broken needles, but that's for another blog on another day.  What do you do that requires you to use needles?  (You can leave comments below.)

History of Ground Hog Day

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Ground Hog Day is celebrated only in the United States and Canada, but it evolved from Candlemas celebrations that originated in Europe.  In pre-Christian times, the Romans celebrated the Feast of Lights on February 1, which became Candlemas to the Christians on February 2, and eventually led to the founding of Ground Hog Day in Canada and the U.S.  The underlying reasons for all these celebrations had to do with forecasting the last weeks of winter weather and the viability of the coming spring and summer crops.  There were also religious reasons for celebrating Candlemas, which are quite interesting.  For more information click here.

Chinese Year 4710

Moon phases:  New, First Quarter, Full, Third Quarter
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We are now in day two of Chinese year 4710.  The Chinese use a lunar calendar (although in business they usually use the Gregorian calendar like most of the rest of the world), and the first of every month is the darkest night of the month, or the night with the new moon.  For more information click here and click here.

Year of the Water Dragon

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Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar.  The celebration lasts for 15 days.  This is the year of the water dragon, and so is supposed to be the most prosperous and lucky of years in the Chinese zodiac calendar.  For more information click here and click here.

I was born in a year of the water dragon.  What animal in the Chinese zodiac were you born under?  If you don't know, click here.

Thanksgiving in Hawaii

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The traditional Hawaiian thanksgiving celebration is called Makahiki.  Makahiki lasts from November through February, and during this time all are forbidden to engage in work and war.  It is a time of celebrating harvests with religious ceremonies, luaus, and competitive games.

For more information see the HawaiiHistory.org website.

Thanksgiving in India

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Thanksgiving celebration in India is called Ladin or Ladainha, and is celebrated primarily in the Indian state of Goa.  Ladin is a Christian celebration held on August 15, and hymns and prayers are sung.  People celebrate with special candles and wine, and decorate altars with flowers and vines.

For more information see the Food.Gather.com and Thanksgiving-Day.org websites.

Thanksgiving in the United Kingdom

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There is a Thanksgiving Day of sorts in the United Kingdom known as Harvest Day.  It is primarily a rural celebration held on a Sunday in September near the harvest moon.  It is not a national holiday.  Churches are decorated with autumn foliage, fruits, and vegetables, and communities gather together for a dinner.  Turkey is not an obligatory part of the meal as it is in Canada and the United States. 

For more information see the Thanksgiving-Day.org and Thanksgiving-Day.biz websites.

Thanksgiving in Canada

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In Canada, Thanksgiving is the second Monday of October, and constitutes an official holiday and three-day weekend.  Families usually gather together on any one of the three days of the long weekend for a big meal that includes turkey.  In Quebec, English-speaking families observe this tradition, but the French-speaking families usually do not.  Many Canadian cities have Thanksgiving parades.

The Thanksgiving Day as it is currently celebrated was made official by the government in 1957 as a day of thanks to God for the year's harvest.  However, there has been a Thanksgiving Day of some sort or another in Canada since April 15, 1872, when this day was celebrated in order to give thanks for the recovery of King Edward VII from a serious illness.

For more information, see the ThanksgivingDay.org website.