Summer will soon be upon us — the time of year when many of us will be seen in swim wear or, as it used to be called, bathing costumes. Summer wasn’t always synonymous with a seaside vacation. A convergence of factors in the mid-nineteenth century introduced the annual ritual
Next Sunday is Mother’s Day, a commemorative day established by Anna Marie Jarvis in 1911 as a tribute to her mother and all mothers. In 1911 the day usually involved church services. Over time the celebration evolved into a sentimental event with all manner of gifts and cards for mom.
Lei Day, officially launched in 1928, is a popular festival in Hawai`i. Don Blanding, then a columnist for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, came up with the idea, later saying that at the time Hawai`i had no day that was special. Why not have a Lei Day – a day when everyone
It’s the end of April. Rain is streaming down my windows. I’m thinking about summer holidays — the kind that require a passport or at least an airline ticket. Although I know I’ll enjoy my destination, there are two things I dread: making the travel arrangements and packing. Travel arrangements
The Taj Mahal is many things. It’s a seventeenth century mausoleum built by Shah Jahan for his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal. As such, it’s often called a monument to love. Mumtaz Mahal Begum (Exalted One of the Palace) was the Shah’s second wife, and chief consort. She died giving birth
Long before Capability Brown improved English landscapes, Chinese and Japanese garden designers created “natural” gardens. Ji Cheng (1582-1642) observed in the seventeenth century that the purpose of a Chinese garden is to “hide the vulgar and the common as far as the eye can see, and include the excellent and
Although gardening takes place all year round, it comes to mind most readily in the spring. April is a good month for planting trees, shrubs, and annual flowering bulbs that bloom in summer. These might include dahlias and gladiolas. It’s also time to plant seeds for marigolds and zinnias. If
One of the many signs of spring is cute bunny rabbits like this one on the 1902 cover Beatrix Potter’s Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter, who wrote and illustrated the book, was the first children’s author to dress small furry animals in jackets and dresses, perhaps inspired by the
Six weeks ago the groundhog saw his shadow and declared winter wasn’t over. Between then and now we’ve had indicators that spring was on the way. Holi, a moveable festival, took place on March 2. Daylight Savings Time in the U.S. started last Sunday. But tomorrow is the Spring Equinox
With St. Patrick’s Day coming up on Saturday, it’s time to think about how to catch leprechauns, the wee people associated with Ireland and gold. Leprechauns aren’t easy to find. Rumor has it these small fairies were once about two feet tall, but they’ve become smaller over time until
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