Now that the flowers are in water, the brunches eaten, and the cards placed somewhere conspicuous, it might be fun to take a look at the history of the annual sentimental celebration called Mother’s Day. As far as I’m concerned, mothers are those women in our lives who nurture us, believe in us, and love
Articles Categorized Holidays
¡FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!
The phrase “Fifth of May” doesn’t have much meaning, but translate it into Spanish, Cinco de Mayo, and it’s a celebration with parades, parties, and special food. But why is it celebrated? If you guessed a Mexican victory in battle occurred on May 5, you’re correct. If you know the year, 1862, you’re ready to
NO HOUSEWORK DAY & OTHER APRIL CELEBRATIONS
I subscribe to Darcy Pattison’s blog. Today’s entry announced that tomorrow, April 8, is Draw a Bird Day. Never heard of it? Neither had I. The day honors Dorie Cooper. In 1943 Dorie, aged 7, visited her wounded uncle in the hospital. Trying to cheer up a man who’d just lost his leg to a
SOME PROPERTIES OF GLITTER
Ever had the urge to assemble of bowl of multi-colored glitter and just throw it in the air while you ran around the room? Ever curbed that urge by thinking about how you’d never get the glitter out of the carpet? If you answered yes to the first question, you are either a water sprite
KUNG HEE FAT CHOY!
In case you missed the New Year Celebrations on December 31st, you have another opportunity on January 31, day of the lunar new year. Decorate with Red Chinese Lanterns. Gift your friends with red money envelopes. Welcome the Year of the Horse which, according to astrologer Susan Levitt, will be a time of high energy
2014 – VIVA LA REVOLUTION!
Seems like the custom of lighting fireworks on New Year’s Eve is global. My son took the photo at right. New Year’s fireworks at Kailua Bay, Hawai`i. These colorful, artificial stars in the sky always make me smile in awe. Americans also have fireworks displays on the 4th of July, anniversary of the signing of
NEW YEAR DREAMS
I’m writing this on December 30 – exactly mid-way between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Time to take a deep breath before rushing to those New Year’s Eve parties – If you aren’t rushing already. Americans, especially the ones involved in retail, are always rushing. I’m picking a bit on retailers, because on Friday
LET US COMMENCE OUR CELEBRATIONS!
Not everyone enjoys December holidays. For every memory of joyful family traditions, there are other memories. Life does not stop – which is why the holidays can never be as perfect as we imagine. Holidays are about the past. They remind us of something important to an individual, family, or group. The month of December
WHY SEND HOLIDAY CARDS?
The year-end holiday season brings joy to children looking forward to school vacation and lots of “stuff.” Adults, drowning in a deluge of tasks, find joyful anticipation transforming into what I call “the season of eating and drinking” – all calorie free, of course. By this time, organized veterans of the season have put up
SONGS OF THE SEASON
For people who like to sing, the Christmas season provides ample opportunities. Many of us had our first experiences as children in nursery school pageants, singing our hearts out to an audience of long suffering parents waiting to see their personal child on the stage. The repertoire usually consisted ( and perhaps it still does)
WHY IS THERE A TREE IN THE LIVING ROOM?
When I was a child – sometime during the first Roosevelt Administration – the annual Christmas Tree was a truly strange thing. All year my mother tenaciously swept anything resembling nature out of the house. Then, without warning, there was a tree in the living room, usually accompanied by muttering about having to pick up
A DANGEROUS SEASON FOR TURKEYS
Once again we have arrived at the official Holiday Season. It is three days until Thanksgiving which this year also marks the first day of Hanukkah – a joint festival that no matter what year you were born, will not recur in our lifetime. In four days we celebrate the annual Black Friday Shopping Extravaganza,
THANKSGIVING & THE FOUR FREEDOMS
Next Thursday Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving. Some will feast with Butterball turkeys; some will go vegan and create turkeys out of tofu. Some folks will skip the turkey and head straight for pie and football. But just for a moment, allow me to take you back to January 6, 1941 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt
“THE GOBBLE-UNS ‘LL GIT YOU, EF YOU DON’T WATCH OUT!”
Halloween is a distinctly odd holiday – initially a day when the boundary between the living and the dead was more than a little blurred. How it became a celebration of costume, children, and candy treats … well, it seems a bit odd to me. Living humans are generally a bit nervous around the dead.
OLYMPIC HOTEL: DOYENNE OF 1920s SEATTLE
OLYMPIC HOTEL. When I was a high school student in a Seattle bedroom community on the other side of Lake Washington, those two words symbolized all that was posh and sophisticated. I never dreamed I could set foot inside such an illustrious palace, let alone stay there regularly. The Olympic Hotel is a palace of
EASTER – SPRING – THE EXPECTATION OF NEW LIFE
OSTARA: PAGAN GODDESS OF SPRING Ostara, an obscure Germanic goddess, lent her name to the annual season of Easter. Anglo-Saxon accounts mention feasts in her honor held in April. EASTER: CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION OF CHRIST’S RESURRECTION The early Christian Church superimposed its teaching on many ancient holidays, among them celebrations to welcome Spring’s return. Easter is