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Post by pennmom on Jan 14, 2022 15:21:29 GMT
International Kite Day – January 14, 2022~International
International Kite Day begins every year on January 14 during Makar Sankranti and ends on January 15. Gujarat has declared the dates a public holiday so that people can join in the festivities. Kite makers start preparing for the festival months in advance. Markets are packed with kite aficionados and festival goers buying supplies days before the festivities.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL KITE DAY
Originally, kite flying was a pastime reserved for royalty and the wealthy, but in recent years, it has evolved into a festival open to all, with participants hailing from Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Indonesia, Singapore, the United States, Malaysia, Australia, France, and Brazil.
International Kite Day originated in India, where it is most popularly observed in the city of Ahmedabad in the northern state of Gujarat. In Hindi, the festival is known as Uttarayan, while in other regions of India, it is known as Makar Sankranti.
It commemorates the transition from winter to summer, as well as the forthcoming winter crop harvest. People go from all over the world to participate in the festivities. The kites linked with the celebration represent the gods’ spirits waking from their winter slumber.
Simple kites made of lightweight colorful paper with bamboo frames are the most frequent. Aside from traditional kites, several feature Bollywood celebrities or social themes. Kite lines are frequently coated with a mixture of rice and crushed glass to aid in “kite fighting.” This is a game when kite fliers try to cut one another’s strings and knock down their kites during the festival.
During the day, acrobats perform, while at night, illuminated kites known as ‘tukkals’ fill the skies. The night sky is also lit up by fireworks. Although this is an Indian festival, Hindu temples in the United States frequently celebrate it, and because it is an inclusive celebration; anybody can participate.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 14, 2022 15:27:54 GMT
Feast of the Ass Day – January 14, 2022~International
The Feast of the Ass on January 14 began as a medieval Christian feast, and commemorates the Israelites’ flight into Egypt. It was predominantly observed in France as a variant of the Feast of Fools, which commemorated biblical donkey-related narratives, particularly the donkey that carried the Holy  into Egypt following Jesus’ birth.
HISTORY OF FEAST OF THE ASS DAY
This feast may be a Christian adaptation of the pagan feast, Cervulus, and incorporating the Nativity story’s donkey. It was first held in the 1000s and celebrated various Bible stories. Additionally, it had a pseudo-Augustinian influence credited to the ‘Sermo contra Judaeos.’
After the Catholic Church publicly condemned the celebration in the second half of the 15th century, it became less popular. The Feast of Fools was also condemned during this period. Both feasts were thought to be improper, albeit the Feast of Fools was regarded as such far more than the Feast of the Ass.The Feast of the Ass honors all of the Bible’s donkeys, particularly the one thought to have transported Jesus and his to Egypt following his birth. The was escaping Herod the Great’s assassination of young boys at the time. The donkey that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday is another biblical account of a donkey. A donkey is also said to have been present in the manger where Jesus was born.
A girl would ride a donkey through a town to a church on the day. As she rode through the streets, people would sing a song about her carrying a baby or being pregnant herself.
Once the donkey reached the church, it was given food and water and stood near the altar for the service. The crowd would bray back to the priest, and the priest would occasionally bray as well. The Feast of the Ass was especially rowdy in the city of Beauvais in northern France.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 14, 2022 15:31:17 GMT
Cesarean Section Day – January 14, 2022~U.S.
Cesarean Section Day is on January 14. Do you know that it has been more than 200 years since the first successful cesarean section was performed? C-section, or cesarean section, is a procedure in which the baby is operated out of the mother’s womb by making an incision in the abdomen, instead of normal delivery, which is through the vaginal canal. Cesarean Section Day was created to credit the first successful cesarean section delivery performed by Dr. Jesse Bennett in 1794. This day is dedicated to the people born through C-section and also to the medical marvel that helped many mothers give birth without any complications.
HISTORY OF CESAREAN SECTION DAY
The story behind the first C-section performed is an interesting one. The year was 1794. Elizabeth, the wife of American physician Dr. Jesse Bennett, was in labor, and Dr. Humphrey and Dr. Jesse himself were the only two doctors to attend to her. Elizabeth had been in labor for several hours, and the delivery became riskier as time went on. The doctors realized that C-section was the only option they had. This was a time when the C-section had never been performed and Dr. Humphrey was skeptical about this. He believed that carrying a C-section delivery meant certain death of the mother and the child. An argument followed between the two and Dr. Humphrey left Dr. Jesse Bennett’s house.
Dr. Jesse, Elizabeth, and a few maids and domestic help were the only few people left in the house with a daunting challenge staring at them. Dr. Jesse mustered the courage and decided to perform the C-section himself. He did not have proper medical apparatus and equipment at home to perform the delivery and had homemade instruments only. He quickly assembled planks supported by barrels, to make the operation table. A candle was lit to serve as the guiding light. Laudanum, which is a tincture of opium, was used as an anesthetic.
The operation began. Dr. Jesse confidently made a precise cut on his wife and cut open her abdomen. He then removed his daughter from her mother’s womb and cut off the umbilical cord. It is said that Dr. Jesse then proceeded to take out Elizabeth’s ovaries, justifying that he didn’t want to have such an experience again. Miraculously, both the mother and the child survived. The daughter was named Maria.
It is believed that Dr. Jesse never disclosed the details of the crude C-section performed in his barn. He felt that no one would believe him, or worse, they would call him a liar. It was much later, after Dr. Jesse’s death, that Dr. A.L. Night, who was a young boy when Dr. Jesse performed the C-section, assembled eye-witnesses of the C-section delivery and made a detailed report of the incident. And thus, the world came to know about the story of the bravery shown by both Elizabeth and her husband in times of crisis. Cesarean Section Day was created to honor this legendary couple and celebrate the advancement in medical history that helps save millions of mothers and infants every year.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 15:58:00 GMT
Wikipedia Day – January 15, 2022~International
Wikipedia Day on January 15 is an occasion that celebrates the birth and formation of the site. Almost every single person in the world knows what Wikipedia is. When we search for something, a Wikipedia link is the first thing that pops up on our search engines. It is also a popular site since it provides in-depth information and presents everything in a user-friendly way. So without further ado, let’s dedicate this day to the information provider that has been feeding us with knowledge since day one. Happy Wikipedia Day!
HISTORY OF WIKIPEDIA DAY
There was a time when students and researchers would need to go through tons of books in a library to attain information regarding a certain topic. This was the time when the internet had not reached the heights of innovation it has today. However, the world as we know it, completely evolved when this search engine was formed, and numerous websites were created to provide people with information regarding several topics. One of these famous websites is Wikipedia — also known as the free internet encyclopedia. Overseen by the nonprofit Wikimedia Foundation, the website is recognized for facilitating the creation and development of articles.
Here’s a bit more on the history of Wikipedia. It all started when Jimmy Wales established Bomis, Inc., a web portal company, in 1996. By March 2000, Wales had introduced “Nupedia” to the world. This was a free online encyclopaedia that had an editor in chief, and a team of individuals who were reviewing the information published. In 2001, Nupedia was supplemented with a wiki software, and Wikipedia was launched as a feature of Nupedia.com. However, after several discussions, Wikipedia was relaunched as an independent website, and managed to publish over 20,000 articles in its first year! This included work in 18 different languages such as French, German, Polish, Dutch, Hebrew, Chinese, and Esperanto.
Today, it has become one of the most visited sites in the globe and has information regarding almost every single topic of interest. However, schools and universities do not permit the use of Wikipedia in term papers due to a lack of proper references used by the site.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:00:17 GMT
National Strawberry Ice Cream Day – January 15, 2022~U.S.
National Strawberry Ice Cream Day is celebrated on January 15. As the name suggests, it is time to try some strawberries in your ice cream! It was more traditional to eat your ice cream with strawberries as a topping. Strawberries are also a popular complement to chocolate and cream and so many other desserts. This day, however, celebrates strawberries in their delectable ice cream form.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM DAY
The history of Strawberry Ice Cream Day is unknown. The origins of ice cream, however, are better recorded. Some say it was the Romans that invented the practice of mixing ice with fruits and other flavors. Emperor Nero was said to have sent runners up the mountains to fetch snow and ice for this purpose. Others say it was the Persians who first indulged in the practice. There are also varied reports about who is credited with spreading the concoction across Europe.
Whomever the credit goes to, it was the discovery of the endothermic effect that allowed for the invention of ice cream as we know it. The first record of this comes from Panchatantra, where salt was added to cream to lower its melting point, allowing it to freeze at a higher temperature.
One of the earliest references to ice cream in North America is recorded in the “Pennsylvania Magazine of History & Biography:” “Among the rarities...was some fine ice cream, which, with the strawberries and milk, eat most deliciously.” Strawberry ice cream itself may have been invented between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Ice cream, however, remained a treat for the upper classes until a Swiss entrepreneur by the name of Carlo Gatti set up an ice cream stand in London in 1851. It was very difficult to store ice at that time but Gatti built an “ice well” in which he stored the ice that he procured from the Regent’s Canal. He sold ice cream scoops in “shells” for a penny each, and he eventually became successful enough to start importing ice from Norway for his business.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:02:12 GMT
National Pothole Day – January 15, 2022~U.K.
National Pothole Day on January 15 is an observance that highlights the ever-growing problem of potholes on our roads. There is nothing more irritating than trying to avoid potholes while driving down the road. The only thing that could be worse would be driving in a heavy downpour while swerving to avoid them. National Pothole Day was established to bring attention to the ever-increasing pothole menace on our highways.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL POTHOLE DAY
Potholes are a constant nuisance for drivers everywhere, yet they’ve been around since the dawn of time, and the name has been in use for centuries.
Each day, it seems like a new pothole appears on the roads you frequently use, making your journey increasingly dangerous. Modern potholes are the result of excessive wear caused by rain and sun, as well as repetitive vehicle movement across the road. Hot-patch is frequently employed to repair it, but when the road swells and contracts due to the changing heat, this makeshift patch is often pushed out again during the next heavy downpour.
Potholes have been around for a while, and the name stems from the roads that were created during the Roman Empire’s reign. Pottery producers in the 1400s and 1500s in England took advantage of the ruts carved into roadways by wagon and coach wheels. They would dig further into these deep ruts to uncover clay deposits beneath in their search for a cost-effective source of raw materials for crafting clay pots. Teamsters who drove wagons and coaches across the roads were aware of who or what produced the holes, which is why they called them ‘pot-holes.’
Aside from the harsh and fluctuating winter weather conditions causing havoc on the roads, drivers, too, play a part. Water causes cracks, potholes, as well as other issues that make traveling unpleasant, but we all contribute to the problem by driving our cars every day, even while lamenting the condition of the roads.
Roads really aren’t permanent structures. Regular use and the weight of road traffic will damage them over time. As the roads we drive on age, they will deteriorate more and more, resulting in new potholes.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:03:45 GMT
National Hat Day – January 15, 2022~U.S.
Get out your favorite hat (we know, sometimes it can be really hard to decide) and celebrate National Hat Day this January 15! Hats have been worn as uniforms, fashion accessories, and protective gear. And did you know that they date all the way back to before 3,300 BCE? That’s right, that’s older than both your parents combined!
HISTORY OF NATIONAL HAT DAY
Though there aren’t any official records of hats before 3,000 BCE, it is believed that they were commonplace long before that. The 30,000 year old Venus of Willendorf figurine may depict a woman wearing a woven hat. One of the earliest known confirmed hats was worn by a bronze-aged man nicknamed Otzi, whose body was found frozen in a mountain between Austria and Italy, where he had been since around 3250 BCE. He was discovered wearing a bearskin cap with a chinstrap made of several hides stitched together, resembling a Russian fur hat.
In the Middle Ages, hats were a marker of social status and used to single out certain groups. The 1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran required that all Jewish people identify themselves by wearing the “Judenhat”, marking themselves as targets for anti-Semitism. On the other hand, hats for women ranged from simple scarves to elaborate hennin, and acted as a symbol of social status. Structured hats for women similar to those of male courtiers began to be worn in the late 16th century. In the first half of the 19th century, women wore bonnets that gradually became larger, decorated with ribbons, flowers, feathers, and gauze trims. By the end of the century, many other styles were introduced, such as hats with wide brims and flat crowns, the flower pot and the toque. In the middle of the 1920s, when women began to cut their hair short, they chose hats that hugged their head like a helmet. These were the cloche hats, whose low brim made it so women had to walk with their chins up, creating an air of independence and self-reliance
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:05:22 GMT
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day – January 15, 2022~U.S.
National Fresh Squeezed Juice Day is celebrated on January 15. It is an ode to the restorative properties of fresh and natural fruit and vegetable juices, and a reminder for us to include it more often in our diet. Fresh-squeezed juice can be more delicious, and for some of us, an easier way of consuming vitamins and minerals.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL FRESH SQUEEZED JUICE DAY
The first occurrence of this holiday and its advocates are unknown. The word ‘juice’ itself comes from Old French. The words ‘jus,’ ‘juis,’ or ‘jouis’ refer to the liquid obtained from boiling herbs. In many other cultures and civilizations, it referred to other liquids such as broths, soups, or even sauces. In the 14th century, juice was recorded as “the watery part of fruits or vegetables,” bringing it into alignment with the current meaning of the word. However, the meaning further changed through the ages, coming to mean liquor in the 19th century. It was even recorded as being used as a term for electricity in the same period.
The term reverted to meaning the liquid extracted from fruits and vegetables when the juicer was invented in the 1930s by Norman Walker. Walker was born in Italy and moved to New York in 1910. Upon becoming seriously ill, he consulted William Baum, a chiropractor and physical therapist, who recommended he switch to a raw vegetarian diet. This is when he invented an innovatively engineered juicer that is still in demand today. He even founded the Norwalk Laboratory of Nutritional Chemistry and Scientific Research and conducted research on the nutritional qualities of juices.
Today, juices are part of diets across the world, with orange being a staple in American breakfasts. There are many kinds of juicers that are able to extract vital nutrients from fruits and vegetables without losing them to heat. The hydraulic ‘triturator’ juicer developed by Walker does a great job of this. Others include twin-gear juicers and slow juicers.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:07:13 GMT
National Booch Day – January 15, 2022~U.S.
On January 15, National Booch Day is celebrated in the U.S. to pay tribute to kombucha tea that has existed on this planet for centuries. Also known as the National Kombucha Day, the holiday aims to provide “booch” fans with an opportunity to simply unwind and sip on their favorite tea. And yes, several flavors of the tea are available. If you haven’t tried kombucha tea before, now is the time to give it a shot. Why, you ask? Because the tea is full of probiotics and vitamins that are meant to elevate your health.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL BOOCH DAY
The origins of the tea go as far back as 2737 B.C., when the Chinese Emperor, Shen Nong, discovered the miraculous tea. According to legend, the tea was created by accident. As the story goes, the Emperor was merely boiling water, when a leaf from a wild tree drifted into his pot, furthermore brewing the first tea. The Emperor loved the tea and decided to introduce it to the people around him — and the rest is history. From thereon, the tea spread out to Japan, Russia, and finally the Western world.
The tea was given the name Kombucha after a man named Dr. Kombu brought the beverage to the Japanese Emperor Inyoko during his travels. After the tea became famous, the term “cha” was added to Dr. Kombu’s name. The term “cha,” means “tea” in Japanese. Based on the myths of ancient times, the tea was presumed to give samurais a great deal of energy during battle. When the tea finally reached Europe in 1900, it gained instant popularity due to its rumoured health benefits. For those who haven’t tried the tea, the tea is a unique mixture of sweet and sour. It is also often compared with wine and apple cider. The tea is created from a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY).
Once Kombucha reached the U.S., it became a household name. Hence, the beverage brand KeVita saw it as a perfect business opportunity, and decided to launch their brand of Kombucha tea. The National Booch Day was also founded on January 15, 2019, by the same company.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:08:48 GMT
National Bagel Day – January 15, 2022~U.S.
National Bagel Day is January 15. Bagels have a history that is richer than your favorite cream cheese spread! These rounds of dough can be found just about anywhere: breakfast joints, coffee shops, supermarkets, or even your kitchen pantry. In fact, 2018 saw more than 354 million bagels sold.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL BAGEL DAY
Bagels have a long and highly documented history that travels from the Jewish families of Poland in the 1600s to wrapped up in parchment paper in your hands today. And, unlike many things created nearly five-hundred years ago, bagels are remarkably unchanged. Sure, cream cheeses and butters and flavors and toppings may have evolved over time but bagel is a beigel is a beygal.
Bagels made the jump to America with a massive Polish-Jewish immigration in the 1800s that firmly entrenched itself in New York City where it thrived. In fact, an entire union was created in the early 1900s called Bagel Bakers Local 338 to support the growing, immigrant-led industry. That also begat the “bagel brunch,” that we still enjoy to this day with little to no changes: lox, cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, and red onions.
While bagels were hugely popular in New York City almost immediately, they didn’t make their way to the national scale until the mid 20th-century where automation and bread slicing (the coolest thing!) made mass manufacturing much more efficient. Since then, bagels have taken off to include a variety of flours, toppings, dips and smears but still remain – by and large – exactly as they were in the 1600s.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:10:32 GMT
Martin Luther King's Birthday – January 15, 2022~U.S.
On January 15, we celebrate the birthday of civil right’s leader, Martin Luther King. When we hear his name, we most often think of his legendary “I Have A Dream” speech, the civil rights movement, and, sadly, his assassination. When we celebrate his birthday, let’s take a few moments to look into the personal story of the man himself.
HISTORY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING'S BIRTHDAY
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia to Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. King’s given name at birth was Michael King, which was also his father’s original name, but after a period of gradual transitioning by the elder King, he changed both his and his son’s names in 1934.
King was a middle child, between older sister Christine King Farris and younger brother A.D. King. He sang with his church choir at the 1939 Atlanta premiere of the film “Gone with the Wind” and enjoyed singing and music. When King was a child, he befriended a white boy whose father owned a business near his ’s home. When the boys were six, they started school: King attended one for African Americans and his friend went to one specifically for white children. Their friendship ended because the boy’s father didn’t want his son playing with a black child.
In 1955, Dr. King received his Ph.D. in systematic theology at Boston University, with a dissertation titled “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman.” While pursuing his doctoral studies, King worked as an assistant minister at Boston’s historic Twelfth Baptist Church with Reverend William Hunter Hester, who was an old friend of King’s father and a huge influence on the young man. Also in 1955, Claudette Colvin, a fifteen year-old black schoolgirl in Montgomery, and a few months later Rosa Parks both refused to give up their seats on busses to white men. This lead to the Montgomery bus boycott, urged and planned by Edgar Daniel Nixon and led by King. His role in the bus boycott transformed him into a national figure and the best-known spokesman of the civil rights movement.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:12:09 GMT
Indian Army Day – January 15, 2022~India
Indian Army Day is observed on January 15 every year to recognize the day the British commander-in-chief handed over the reins of the Indian army to Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa. While India got its independence in 1947, this handover only took place in 1949.
HISTORY OF INDIAN ARMY DAY
India has had military capabilities from the time of the Indus Valley Civilization that flourished between 3300 B.C. to 1300 B.C. Many succeeding dynasties during the time of Alexander and beyond used their military strengths to fight wars and expand their territory across the sub-continent. Some of the most famous of these dynasties were Maurya, Satavahana, Gupta, Vijayanagara, Chalukya, and Chola.
These dynasties were followed by a series of wars waged between central Asian armies, which the Mughals, considered to originate from present-day Uzbekistan, eventually won. They went on to establish their empire on the sub-continent. When the East India Company was set up, the territory was divided into presidencies, and each had its own army unit. These were Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay. Independent, regional kingdoms, like Mysore, were able to defeat the British Army at war and hold on to their territory until the ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan, was finally defeated in 1799.
During the First World War, one million Indians volunteered to fight in the British Army and around 90,000 lost their lives. Similarly, almost half of the officers in the battles fought during World War II were Indian. As the Indian Independence movement gained traction in 1946, the loyalties of Indian soldiers became conflicted. Many mutinied against or resigned from the British-led army and navy units. While the ‘Indianization’ of the armed forces under the British continued well into the country’s independence, the final handover took place on January 15, 1949, and this is the day we celebrate.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 15, 2022 16:14:20 GMT
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week – January 15-15, 2022~International
International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week starts on the third Saturday of January every year. Did you know that it has been more than 70 years since the first snowmobile was made? Snowmobiles are vehicles designed and built to be used in the snow. They’re a fun way to go about in places where there is heavy snowfall, and are enjoyed by millions all over the world as a winter sport. But it does not come without safety concerns. Snowmobiles can quickly become dangerous if not used with the necessary precautions. International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week was created to spread awareness among the people about the safety precautions one needs to ensure before using a snowmobile, to keep them and the people around them safe.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL SNOWMOBILE SAFETY AND AWARENESS WEEK
Sledding has been a popular recreational activity for many centuries. However, the motorized sled was invented in 1927 by a mechanic in Valcourt Quebec named Joseph-Armand Bombardier. Bombardier made the first-ever motorized sled by using a propeller. A few years later in 1927, the motor toboggan was made. Bombardier used the wheel and track system to further improve his invention, and thus in 1935, the first snowmobile was made.
In the coming years, Bombardier would make modifications to the snowmobile, which became immensely popular. He patented the first seven-member snowmobile in 1937 and the 12-member capacity one in 1941. Bombardier’s snowmobiles turned out to be extremely useful for people, especially people working in the law enforcement, fire service, hospital emergency services, etc. Some of these vehicles were modified for military use and used by the American troops in World War II.
By the 1960s, new snowmobiles with powerful engines emerged. It was popular among people around the world who lived in frigid regions where there was heavy snowfall. People enjoyed snowmobiles as a recreational activity and as a winter sport. It was also useful for going from place to place during the times heavy snowfall would block the roads.
Many incidents of accidents and mishaps involving snowmobiles were reported. Many were also concerned about fuel usage and its impact on the environment. In 1993, International Snowmobile Safety and Awareness Week was created to encourage people to use necessary safety equipment like helmets and protective gear and to use snowmobiles made by authorized companies that produce snowmobiles that undergo strict pollution checks.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:36:23 GMT
World Snow Day – January 16, 2022~World
World Snow Day is observed on the third Sunday in January each year, and was created by the International Ski Federation (FIS). The purpose behind it is to increase children’s participation in snow-related sports like skiing and snowboarding, while bringing together families for a fun-filled frolic in the snow. Countries all over the world can make use of their snowy regions to host winter sports and activities so that more people can get the chance to experience snow. Imagine one great big global snowy fiesta, celebrated around the world over the same weekend — that’s the vision with which World Snow Day was established.
HISTORY OF WORLD SNOW DAY
The first official celebration of World Snow Day kicked off in January 2012, as phase two of the International Ski Federation’s campaign ‘Bring Children to the Snow’ (which began in 2007). The idea behind it was to have the world’s biggest snow day, bringing together people all over the world as they hit the slopes to ‘enjoy, experience and explore’ the wonders snow and snow-related activities have to offer. The purpose of the campaign is twofold — one is to increase the numbers of participants in snow sports like skiing and snowboarding, and the other is to ensure that children and their families create lasting memories of the wonders of snow. The endeavor has met with so much success since it began that a variety of industries now work together to plan for and provide snow activities for kids (and their families).
First founded in 1910, when 22 delegates from 10 different nations came together to form the International Skiing Commission in Christiania, Norway, the group formally changed its name to FIS in 1924. Today, more than 180 national skiing organizations are members of the group. Based in Switzerland, FIS is responsible for a range of snow-related activities from different styles of skiing to snowboarding. According to the late FIS President Gian Franco Kasper, “The children are our future. Each and every season we see children taking to snow sports for the first time. Whether they will grow up to be top skiers is not what matters – what we want is to watch them grow with skiing and snowboarding as part of their lives.” This is the vision with which the campaign was launched, and it not only gives children a chance to experience the fun of snow activities, it also educates them on snow safety, the health benefits of physical activity, and the environment. All this, while getting a chance to play in the snow, has us sold.
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:38:31 GMT
World Religion Day – January 16, 2022~World
World Religion Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in January every year, and is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings. There are approximately 4,200 religions around the world. While many people live their lives without religion, faith in a higher being or power works for the majority of people. Whatever the reasons, we are all for the idea of people being unified despite differences, and celebrating them.
HISTORY OF WORLD RELIGION DAY
The first official observance of World Religion Day (as it is known today), was in 1950, but the concept began a few years prior to that. In Portland, Maine, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’í Faith hosted a talk in Eastland Park Hotel in October 1947, culminating in the decision to observe an annual event, then known as World Peace Through World Religion. By 1949, the event began to be observed in other parts of the U.S. and grew more popular. By 1950, it came to be known as World Religion Day. On this day, at various different locations, many authors, educators, and philosophers are invited to speak on world religions and the importance of establishing and maintaining harmony between them. It’s a great forum for learning more about other religions and cultures too, and a chance to intermingle socially with people of different faiths and worldviews.
Since this concept was the brainchild of people from the Bahá’í Faith, it is worth exploring what this faith is and tracing its historical roots. As a religion, Bahá’í first emerged in Persia (modern-day Iran), in the 1800s. There are three core principles of this faith — unity of God, unity of religion, and unity of all mankind. It is a monotheistic faith, believing in a single god, and that the spiritual aspects of all religions in this world stem from this single god. Another central tenet is the belief in the innate equality of all human beings. Thus, all humans have the same rights and responsibilities. If you look at it, the Bahá’í Faith is an all-encompassing one that recognizes the commonalities between all religions, so Baháʼí believes that all faiths have common spiritual goals too, especially since religions are ever-evolving.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:40:55 GMT
Tu BiShvat – January 16, 2022~Israel
Tu BiShvat is a Jewish holiday on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat. This year, Tu BiShvat begins at sunset on January 16 and ends on the evening of January 17. In contemporary Israel, it is an ecological awareness day celebrated by ecologists, children, and anyone who cares for plants and the future of the planet, with the planting of trees. Although it’s not an official holiday, Jews take pride in observing a celebration that is dedicated to the life-giving plants.
HISTORY OF TU BISHVAT
The name ‘Tu BiShvat’ has its roots in the Hebrew date of the holiday. Traditionally, the holiday occurs on the 15th day of Shevat. ‘Tu’ represents Tet and Vav, Hebrew letters with the numerical value of nine and six respectively, which add up to 15. ‘Tu BiShvat’ is also called ‘Hamisha Asar BiShvat’ or the ‘15th of Shevat.’
In the Middle Ages, Tu BiShvat was celebrated with a feast just like the Mishnaic description. In the 16th century, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed, who is recognized as the father of modern Kabbalah, invented a Tu BiShvat seder that gave the fruits and trees of Israel symbolic meaning. He taught his disciples that bringing all living things to spiritual perfection could be achieved by eating ten fruits and drinking four cups of wine while reciting the appropriate blessings, all in a specific order.
In Israel today, many religious and secular Jews still celebrate the kabbalistic Tu BiShvat seder. In the Hasidic community, some Jews pick citrus fruits on Sukkot and eat them on Tu BiShvat. Some pray that they will be worthy of delicious and nutritious fruits on the following Sukkot. Also more commonly called Israeli Arbor Day by the international media, organizations that focus on the environment have adopted the holiday to promote their awareness programs. In Israeli kibbutzim, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:42:34 GMT
Prohibition Remembrance Day – January 16, 2022~U.S.
Prohibition Remembrance Day is on January 16 annually. Did you know that one of the groups that were instrumental in the passage of the 18th Amendment was the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.)? They believed an amendment would protect children, women, and families from the effects of alcohol abuse by reducing social problems such as poverty, crime, mental illness, and drunkenness. Prohibition had effects on society, but it isn’t as straightforward as it might seem!
HISTORY OF PROHIBITION REMEMBRANCE DAY
Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.
In 1906, waves of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours.
Prohibition came about after many years of work by those in the temperance movement, who wanted complete abstinence from alcohol. As a whole, the movement had close ties to the church. By the time the amendment went into effect, many states already had prohibition laws on the books, which helped with the final passage of the amendment.
The amendment was quite controversial during its 13-year tenure, and public pressure eventually led to its repeal. There were debates about its positive and negative qualities during its implementation, as there have been since its overturning. Overall, alcohol consumption declined during the Prohibition period, cirrhosis rates decreased, and admissions to mental hospitals for alcohol-related issues decreased.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:44:17 GMT
National Without a Scalpel Day – January 16, 2022~U.S.
We observe National Without a Scalpel Day on January 16 of every year. The day celebrates the first time an angioplasty – a surgical operation to clear a narrowed or blocked artery – was performed without a scalpel and goes on to further serve the purpose of spreading the word about the minimally invasive procedures that make surgery much better and safer!
HISTORY OF NATIONAL WITHOUT A SCALPEL DAY
Surgery and scalpels were inseparable partners in rescue missions for centuries. Before the arrival of scalpel-like instruments, the primitive tools that were used on the human body included shark teeth, bamboo shoots, and surprisingly fingernails!
In 1964, Charles T. Dotter performed the first peripheral angioplasty without a scalpel, instead of using X-ray technology and a small pinhole imaging device to see inside the body while performing the treatment. This procedure has become known as interventional radiology. Not only did the angioplasty allow the patient to avoid leg amputation surgery, but she left the hospital days later with only a bandage.
Dr. Dotter’s innovation was the stepping stone to a new branch in the medical field known as MIIP (minimally invasive, image-guided procedures). Today, MIIP can be used in diagnosing and treating a broad range of ailments throughout the body, including stroke, aneurysms, fibroids, back pain, among others.
It is superior to invasive surgeries in almost every aspect. The imaging techniques eliminate guesswork and guide the surgeon to the operation site. The wounds at the surgical site are also minimal and reduce the chances of infection and scarring.
National Without a Scalpel Day was proposed by the Interventional Initiative in 2005 to create awareness about the revolutionary MIIP, thereby enabling people to make better-informed healthcare decisions.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:46:05 GMT
National Religious Freedom Day – January 16, 2022~U.S.
National Religious Freedom Day is observed on January 16 to promote the message of peace and acceptance. The day is to highlight the fact that everyone has a right to their own religious beliefs. People can go and worship in their churches, mosques, and even mandirs freely since it is their human right. Unfortunately, not all nations are liberal regarding religious differences and often resort to violence and force to snatch away others’ religious freedom. It is why National Religious Freedom Day was formed — to spread the message of peace, love, and acceptance. Live and let live!
HISTORY OF NATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY
Though America is a nation that promotes religious freedom, there was a time when people weren’t so tolerant. It took the media and government years to work on the cause of religious independence. To ensure the coming generations do not stray down the path of intolerance, National Religious Freedom Day is observed every year. The day was officially proclaimed on January 16, 1993, in an annual statement by the U.S president. The cause was further promoted with the historic signing of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998. And yes, we have the U.S. Congress and U.S. Presidential Administrations to thank for constant support in the cause.
The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom is also one of the core foundations preserving an individual’s right to choose whichever faith one prefers, without any fear. The concept of religious freedom is essential for Americans because the idea is rooted in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The article states — “everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.” Religious freedom is also a subject that organizations such as the United Nations deeply care about.
Moreover, societies that protect religious freedom are more likely to experience a surge in economic and social development. A nation that promotes inclusivity is a happy one!
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Jan 16, 2022 21:48:49 GMT
National Nothing Day – January 16, 2022~U.S.
Ever been caught “doing nothing” and shamed into feeling lazier than the average person? Rest assured, that might not happen today, January 16, National Nothing Day. National Nothing Day has been “celebrated” since 1973. Since the trappings and pomp of the holiday literally add up to nothing, like its namesake, there’s not a lot to tell. A mind-teaser does occur to us, though — if you’re doing nothing, aren’t you doing something, with nothing as the thing you’re doing?
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NOTHING DAY
In 1972, journalist Harold Pullman Coffin proposed National Nothing Day as a “non-event” to be observed — by doing nothing — every January 16. The next year, National Nothing Day made “Chase’s Calendar of Events,” a publication that marks annual occasions in print since the 1950s. National Nothing Day is sponsored by Coffin’s own “National Nothing Foundation.” Unsurprisingly, there is nothing to be found about that organization. True to its title, it doesn’t even have a website.
Here’s a fact that may seem to denote the idea of “nothing.” Martin Luther King day falls on the third Monday of January, one out of every seven years. The event is concurrent with National Nothing Day, which would seem to expropriate the idea that there is nothing going on on National Nothing Day every year. Since MLK is celebrated for his nonviolent activism during the Civil Rights Movement, many might refute the idea of nothingness during this particular day.
Not only this, there are other days celebrated in contrast to this idea of nothingness. In an opposition to National Nothing Day, the Realist Society of Canada (RSC) has a religious holiday called There’s Always Been Something Day, pronounced THABS, which is dedicated on July 8 to the celebration of the “realization that if there was ever nothing, there would be nothing now.”
History is full of debates between philosophers and writers on the study of “nothing.” Because the question is, what is nothing? To answer the question of nothing, one must find the meaning of nothing. Even the true nature of “nothingness” in outer space causes disagreements between experts, because many claim even a true space devoid of anything is not nothing, because in space quantum particles exist even without gravity.
On National Nothing Day, promotion of the day is kind of contradictory, because the day is meant as an “un-event,” which means it should not be seen as an event and refers to a thing of no importance, consequence or interest.
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into Egypt following Jesus’ birth.