Holidays & Days of Note for January, 2013.

Jan. 1. New Year’s Day, a very popular one anyway, but not the only one throughout the year. Whatever the case may be I just hope 2013, a year that just for the record will have 54 Friday the 13^th’s, two regular ones in September and December and the rest because, well because when you write out the day on a Friday it will have a 13 in it, so there!  / Festival of Janus (Roman) / Circumcision of Christ Day (Catholic) Yes there is at least one church that claims to have the item in question. / O-Shogatsu (Japan) Along with O-Bon this is one of Japan's most important ceremonies where bad fortune of the past year is eliminated. / Fortuna's Day (Roman) Fortuna was the Roman Goddess of Luck / Zeus & Hera's Day (Greek) / Jupiter & Juno's Day (Roman) / Independence Day (Haiti) Heck of a lot of holidays to be piled up on a day when so many people have hangovers. / Kwanzaa ends.

Jan. 2. Ancestors Day. (Haiti) Be sure to call yours up and have them over! / Only 4 shopping days left until Armenian Christmas. 

Jan. 3. Festival of Sleep (U.S.) and it's on the Thursday after my winter vacation is over, is this supposed to be ironic or something? /  and going until the 7^th, Carnival de Blancos y Negros Holiday of Blacks and Whites (Columbia) Festival held in Pasto City, Columbia. To celebrate 300 years of racial harmony they have a two-day festival with music, street dances, free food and drink, and usually water & flour fights and the picking of a queen. On the first day everyone wears white face while on the last they don black face with special make-up produced in the city for the purpose, it helps that they don't have that whole toxic `minstrel show thing as part of their heritage. But what of the Indians? / It was on this day in 1863, on the cover of Harper´s Weekly in a cartoon by Thomas Nast, that Santa was first shown delivering gifts with a reindeer-drawn sleigh. The title was `Santa Claus in Camp, the recipients of those gifts, Union solders. 

Jan. 4. Braille Day, birthday of Louis Braille a day for honoring the blind. / Pharmacist Day (U.S.) / Spaghetti Day (U.S.) / Elizabeth Ann Seton Feast Day (Catholic) First American born saint.

Jan. 5. Fragga's Day. (Norse) A day for the wife or Odin and the Goddess of marriage. / Christianity introduced to England in 597.

Jan. 6. Twelfth Day, now you know when that damn song is over! / Epiphany, This day was also at one time known as Old Christmas (Julian calendar). / Christmas Day (Armenia). / La Bafana (Italy) a festival on which the night before Bafana, a kindly witch flies down chimneys on her broom and bestows gifts on good children and leaving lumps of coal for the bad children. / la Fiesta de los Reyes Magos `Three Kings Day (Latin America) day when, among other things, the kids get presents rather than Christmas. / Festival of Kore (Ancient Greek)

Jan. 7. Nanakusa (Japan, a festival that dates back to the 7th century and recalls the seven plants served to the emperor that are believed to have great medical value: Shepherd's Purse, chickweed, parsley, cottonweed, radish, hotoke-no-za, and aona.

                                     Nanakusa

Jan. 8. Feast of Justicia (Roman) / Mid-Wife's Day, (Greece) / Man Watcher Day (US) / Rock n' Roll Day or the Birthday of Elvis 1935. / Secret Pal Day (internet) I guess if Hallmark can push dubious holidays why not 123greeting? 

                                  Secret Pal Day

Jan. 9. Seijin-No-Hi `Coming of Age Day´ (Japan) Holiday for anyone who attains the age of 20 anytime between April 2 of last year April 1 of this year. Always held on a Monday. / Feast of the Black Nazarene (Philippines)

Jan. 10. Business God's Day (Japan) / Peculiar People Day (US) about damn time. / The film Metropolis by Fritz Lang premiers in 1926.

Jan. 11. Juturnalia (Roman) Time when water was taken from her well to be used in state offerings. / Carmentalia (Roman) Day to celebrate prophecy, the chief giver of which was Carmentis, Goddess of prophecy, who also protected women during childbirth.

Jan. 12. Fabulous Wild Men Day (US)

Jan. 13. Midwinter blot (Norse) / Final Witchcraft laws repealed in Austria, 1787. / Wham-O introduces the Frisbee in 1957; American roofs have never been the same since.

Jan. 14. Makar Sankranti (Hindu) Marks the transition of the Sun from Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius) to Makara rashi (Capricorn) while there are 12 Sankranti throughout the year, this is regarded as one of the most important and is celebrated across Indian in a variety of ways depending on the local culture of the different regions. / Bald Eagle Appreciation Day (US) / The Simpsons Series Premiered 23 years ago, meaning Bart & Lisa have been around longer than they are old.

Jan. 15. Feast of the Lord Esquipulas (Mayan) / Black Christ Festival (Guatemala) / Feast of the Ass (French) Started out in Rome and was dedicated to the Goddess Vesta's sacred animal, later it was Christianized.

Jan. 16. / Flag Day or Magen David Day (Israel) / Teacher's Day (Thailand)

Jan. 17. Surya, Hindu Feast of the Sun Goddess.

Jan. 18. World Religion Day. (U.N.) Day to appreciate the diversity of different religious expressions. At least the ones that aren't trying to kill each other that is. / Winnie the Pooh Day.

Jan. 19. International Hot & Spicy Food Day (see bottom of page for recipes) / Ati-Atiha Festival (Philippines) which goes to the 20th. 

                                Ati-Atiha Festival

Jan. 20. Theogamia of Hera (Greek)

Jan. 21 Martin Luthor King Jr. Day observed / White Dog Feast. (Iroquois)

Jan. 22 Festival of the Muses (Ancient Greek) / today is the 107th birthday of Robert E. Howard creator of Conan, Kull, Solomon Kane & others. 

Jan. 23. National Pie Day. (US) Ooooooh National pie day agggggaaagh! (You know, the sound that Homer Simpson makes.)

Jan. 24. Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad) or Id-E-Milad which commemorates the Prophet Muhammad's (or Mohammad's) birthday. Shia Muslims celebrate these 5 days later. Some Muslims do not approve of celebrating the birthday, and regard doing so as a religious innovation. / Blessing of the Happy Woman's Candle (Hungary) Bless that candle you happy little woman! / Clashing Clothes Day (US) Held the 4th Thursday of each January, wouldn't want to get that wrong would we? I mean if they go to the trouble to make one of the few movable silly "holidays" we might as well play along. 

Jan. 25. Vietnamese New Year / Robert Burn's Night (Scotland). 

                                 Robert Burns

Jan. 26. Australia Day / Republic Day (India) 

Jan. 27. National School Nurse Day (US) / Thomas Crapper Day.

Jan. 28. National Kazoo Day (U.S.)

Jan. 29. Freethinker's Day also Thomas Paine's birthday in 1737. Happy 276th Tom!

Jan. 30. Festival of Pax (Greek) Feriae Senentiva `Feast of Spring´. (Roman) 

Jan. 31. National Popcorn Day (US) / Hecate's Feast (Greek) / Up-helly-Aa (Scotland) held the last Tuesday in January; it is the largest Fire Festival in the world. 

                                Up-helly-Aa

December Holidays & Days of Note 2012

Dec. 1 National Pie Day and Eat A Red Apple Day (U.S.) or save time and just have an apple pie / World AID's Day, names such because it was on this day in 1981 that the AIDS virus was officially recognized.

Dec. 2 National Fritters Day (U.S.)

Dec. 3 International Day of Disabled People / Bona Dea (Ancient Rome) Day for secret women's rites for "The Good Goddess" the exact identity of whom is unknown... at least to me, which is as it should be I guess. / Mindfulness Day (Zen Buddhism) day for mindfully seeing and acting with compassion for the poor and oppressed. / also Mercury, Venus and Saturn fall into alignment over the Giza pyramids on this date.

Dec. 4 Cracker Jack Day (U.S.) / Wear Brown Shoes Day. (U. S.) Just why I will not speculate on.

Dec. 5 H.M. The King's Birthday (Thailand) / Death of Aleister Crowley 1947, age 72, not bad for somebody hooked on smack.

Dec. 6 National Day of Remembrance and Action against Violence against Women (Canada)

Dec. 7 National Cotton Candy Day (U.S.) originally called fairy floss, it being made from flossine sugar for... I don't know... elves, pixies and fairies but no doubt stolen by some intrepid lad or lass and given to the rest of the world as detailed in a fairy tale I've never heard of. As for why this would be set in December instead of the summer or spring when most of this confection is eaten is beyond me.

Dec. 8 Hanukkah (Jewish) starts at sunset and goes until the 15th. / Bodhi day or Rohatsu (Zen Buddhist celebration of the Buddha's enlightenment.) / Tara Puja (Tantric Buddhism) for meditation on Goddess Red Tara, protector against evil and harm. / Feast of the Immaculate Conception Day.

Dec. 9. Anna's Day (Sweden and Finland) Day to celebrate all people named Anna also the day to start the preparation process of the lutefisk to be consumed on Christmas Eve. Hey Anne, we were dropping this dried codfish in lye to let it lay their for a few days till it turns into this translucent white goo and it made us think of you.

Dec. 10 Festival For The Souls Of Dead Whales (Inuit people of Alaska) / Human Rights Day. (U.N.)

Dec. 11 National Noodle Ring Day, laugh if you want, but at least its always on the 11th of December and not one of those darn movable feasts!

Dec. 12 Day of Our Lady of Guadeloupe (Mexico) To celebrate the appearance of the Virgin Mary in 1531 at a former Aztec temple. / Bonza Bottler Day(U.S.) An excuse to celebrate, this happens every month when the day and the date are the same numbers, and the last time we will ever be able to write a check with some thing like three twelves on it!

Dec. 13 The first Papal Bull against magic is issued by Pope Alexander IV in 1258... It being okay before than? As a note, rumor has it that the Vatican has in its library, hidden away under the equivalent of a Papal EYES ONLY seal, books of powerful magic that were used in the very early days to defeat the various shamanic, magical, and other religious groups they were competing against, after the other belief systems had been put down the books were hidden away under pain of death for those that might want to take a look, but not destroyed just in case any made came back.

Well it's what I heard!

Dec. 14 Consualia (Ancient Rome) Holiday for the god Consus, represented by a corn seed, who was the protector of grains and subterranean storage bins. / On this day in 1910 the Tarot deck that would later be known as the Rider-Waite, and the inspiration for dozens of other decks, was first published.

Dec. 15 Bill of Rights Day, the United States Bill of Rights is Passed in 1791. / Amitabha Day (Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhism) Day to do good deeds and chant the name of Amitabha to gain entry to His Pure Land, and aid in attaining nirvana.

Dec. 16 - 24 Posadas (Mexico) A holiday that commemorates Joseph and Mary looking for a place to stay in Bethlehem. All I know is unless they want to get arrested Joseph and Mary better stay out of Alabama and Arizona, I really doubt they have the right papers.

Dec. 17 1904 - First flight by the Wright Brothers. / - 23 Saturnalia (Ancient Rome) Dedicated to Saturn from which many of the things we call Christmassy come from, which is a little surprising considering what a gloomy cuss he was.

Dec. 18 Feast of Epona (Ancient Rome) Feast for the goddess of horses, donkeys & mules. However originally she was a Celtic goddess but the Roman soldiers in Celtic lands liked her so much they adopted her. / Slavery is abolished in the United States, with the passing of the 13th Amendment.

Dec. 19 Opalia ( Roman) A part of Saturnalia this day was given over to Ops the Goddess of Plenty. With all the Xmas whoop de do don't forget these!

Dec. 20 Festival of the God of Commerce (Japan)

Dec. 21 Winter Solstice / Yule.

And / or the end of the world? or we are engulfed by a wave of enlightenment? Or things continue same as it ever was.

They use to sell date nut bread in cans, I haven't seen that in years, but darn it was good.... for cake that came out of a can that is.

Dec. 22  Date Nut Bread Day. They use to sell date nut bread in cans, I haven't seen sold like that in years, but darn it was good.... for cake that came out of a can that is. But really, go to a bakery, That too is pretty darn good!

Dec. 23 Noche de Rábanos "Night of the Radishes" (Oaxaca, Mexico) While it lasts only a few hours a very popular festival that attracts thousands of people to the plaza. It consists of an exhibition of sculptures made from a type of large red radish which can weigh up to 3 kilos in weight, (over 6 pounds,) and 50 cm (over a foot and a half) in length, especially grown for this event and left in the ground for months after the normal harvests to let them attain their giant size and unusual shapes. / Larentalia (Roman) Last day of Saturnalia. / Festivus (made famous on an episode of Sinfield, but around before that and actually followed by a few people, more or less) A festivus for the rest of us

Dec. 24 Christmas Eve. But then it's pretty much (fill in the blank) Eve the day before any holiday but you don't see say National Fritters Day making a fuss about it. No doubt about it as holidays go Christmas is a bit to full of itself.

Dec. 25 Christmas. Not much to say as you almost never hear anything about this obscure holiday.... at least not much before the 20th of October when they start banging the sales drum. At one time Xmas was illegal in America and England, and I assume Canada & Australia as well perhaps, till it was brought back in part by the efforts of Charles Dickens. / Feast of Frau Holle (old Germanic) Frau Holle, a winter goddess, was believed to travel throughout the night blessing the good and punishing the wicked. / Day to eat your Christmas cake (Japan)

Dec. 26 Boxing Day (UK, Canada, `and surprisingly enough Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina & West Virginia) my butler Rugglesworth always finds it so amusing when I iron the paper for him on this day. / Wren Day (Ireland & the Isle of Man) also known as Wren´s day, Hunt the Wren Day or The Hunting of the Wrens (Irish: Lá an Dreoilín) consists of "hunting" a fake wren, and putting it on top of a decorated pole. Then mummers or strawboys celebrate the Wren or Wran by dressing up in masks, straw suits and colorful motley clothing and to parade through the towns and villages in remembrance of a festival that was celebrated by the Druids. / First Day of Kwanzaa. A made-up holiday that started in the 60's. But then in the long run aren´t they all?

                          Made up that is.

Dec. 27 Boar's Head Supper (Cambridge, England) / In 537 the Hagia Sophia is completed. / in 1831 Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard the HMS Beagle, and / in 1904 James Barrie's play Peter Pan premieres in London. Giving a name to a type of couple where in the Windys needs to stop enabling the Peters and force him to grow the &$%^ up.

Dec. 28 Card Game Day (U.S.) I'm thinking about designing one of those trading card games based on pointless holidays.

Dec. 29 Pepper Pot Day (U.S.) "I chose you Pepper Pot Day!" (see above)

December 30 Bicarbonate of Soda Day (U.S.) When you absolutely, positively can think of nothing else to dedicated a day to. However in the card game this day will be used to neutralize the effect of those who play the card above.

Dec. 31 Namahage (Japan). In the evening groups of Namahage men dressed as devils make door to door visits asking "Any good for nothing fellows here about?" The object is to give sluggards a chance to reform. / Siddhartha Buddha Day (Tibetan Buddhism) Day Tibetan Buddhists meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts. / World Peace Meditation. / New Year's Eve.

And then it's start of a year in which every Friday is a Friday the 13th.

                Good Luck!

November: Holidays & Days of Note

Nov. 1 All Saints Day. / Dia De Los Muertos (Mexico) The Day of the Dead / It was on this day that Claudius poisoned Hamlet's dad by pouring poison in his ear, starting a trend making November a particularly good month for conspiracies.

Nov. 2 Day of the Dead (Haiti) / National Deviled Egg Day (U.S.)

Nov. 3 Housewife's Day (U.S.) / Bunka no hi (Japan) Culture Day for promotion of culture and love for freedom and peace. / Sandwich Day (U.S.)

Nov. 4 Daylight Savings Time Ends / It was on this day 1871 that Alice went through the looking glass. / In 1954 Gojira premiers in Japan, an anti-atom bomb film in which the bomb is metaphorically represented by a 150 tall fire breathing monster. This message, along with over 20 minutes of content were removed and replaced with footage of Raymond Burr when it appeared in America in 1956 as Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

Nov. 5 Guy Fawkes Night (England)

Remember, remember, the 5th of November

The Gunpowder Treason and plot;

I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,

'Twas his intent.

To blow up the King and the Parliament.

Three score barrels of powder below.

Poor old England to overthrow.

By God's providence he was catch'd,

With a dark lantern and burning match

Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring

Holloa boys, Holloa boys,

God save the King!

Hip hip Hoorah!

Hip hip Hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed ol' Pope,

A farthing cheese to choke him.

A pint of beer to rinse it down,

A faggot of sticks to burn him.

Burn him in a tub of tar,'

Burn him like a blazing star.

Burn his body from his head,

Then we'll say: ol' Pope is dead

Nov. 6 Saxophone Day (U.S.) And the other musical instruments get their days when?

Nov. 7 Mayan Day of the Dead.

Nov. 8 Fuigo Matsuri (Shinto) Festival in honor of Hettsui no Kami Goddess of the kitchen range.

Nov. 9 Kristallnacht Night (1938) The night of the Nazi attacks on Jewish homes, synagogues, and shops in Germany started, which today has been turned into a night for meditating on the evil of all religion based hatred. / Quatuor Coronati (Freemason)

Nov. 10 Tree Festival (Tunisia) / Festival for the Goddesses of Reason, Liberty & Philosophy (Revolutionary France 1793) which some say never really happened but was disinformation spread by pro-royalists.

Nov. 11 Remembrance Day (Canada, England and others) The tradition is to observe a minute of silence at 11:00 am on this day to remember the dead of World War I. / Martinmas (Old Scotland) The feast of St. Martin. A day to "enjoy" a dish of haggis. To quote Mike Myers character in So I Married An Ax Murderer "I think most Scottish cuisine started out as a dare." But seriously, just where are the haggis frozen dinners in my local grocery? My guess would be right under the liver & onion dinners. / Halloween under the old calendar. / Fast for Balder thru the 17th (Old Anglo-Teutonic) Marking Hod (God of Darkness) unintentionally killing Balder (God of Light), and his true love Nanna (Goddess of Flowers) dying of a broken heart. The dead were honored.

Nov. 12 Veterans Day (U.S.)  / Tesuque Feast Day (Native American) / Lha Bab Duchen (Tibetan Buddhist) Day to celebrate the Buddha's descent from heaven after teaching the Dharma there. / The start of November under the old calendar.

Nov. 13 Festival of Jupiter (Ancient Rome)

Nov. 14 Children's Day (India) / Operating Room Nurse Day (U.S.) Which reminds me, do you know what the 5 levels of cleanliness are?

5. Guy clean.

4. Girl clean.

3. Mom clean.

2. Operating room clean  &

1. Grandmother clean.

Nov. 15 Shichigosan '7 - 5 - 3' (Japan) Children's festival. / National Teddy Bear Day (U.S.) I've read that more people are killed each year by teddy bears (button eyes stuck in throats, allergic reactions to materials) than by real bears. Of course real bears don't kill a lot of people. / It was on this date in 1966 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia that two young couples reported to Mason County sheriff's department that they have had a curious encounter with a something or other that would come to be called the Moth-Man.

Nov. 16 Icelandic Language Day or Dagur íslenskrar tungu (Iceland) / International Day for Tolerance (International) 

Nov. 17 Queen Elizabeth's Day (England) Not the current one Elizabeth I that is... back long in the long ago It had been usual to observe the anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth with rejoicings; and hence  'Queen Elizabeth's Day;' but after the great fire, these rejoicings were converted into a “satirical saturnalia of the most turbulent kind.”

Nov. 18 Occult Day (U.S.). Look as I might the meaning for this day

remains......

wait for it.......

............................ occult.

Nov. 19 Pencil Day. The modern pencil first appears in 1895 / Pop Tarts are one year away from being 50 years old as of today, at first they were called "Country Squares.”

Nov. 20 Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Buddha Day (Tibetan Buddhist) Day to meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts.

Nov. 21 World Hello Day (mostly world wide) The objective of World Hello Day is to promote world peace. The theme of this day is "Greet ten people for peace". It is really easy to participate in World Hello Day. Simply, say hello to the people today. And, voice your concern for world peace. / Repentance Day (Germany)

Nov. 22  Thanksgiving Day (U.S.) And for breakfast that first Thanksgiving the Pilgrims served boiled eel, explaining the popularity of Thanksgiving D I N E R.

Also

Remember, remember, the 22 of November,

The Daly Plaza Treason and plot;

I know of no reason why the Daly Plaza Treason Should ever be forgot.

But I'll tell you this right now about that shot

It will be long forgotten before we know the real reason.

/ Noumenia (Ancient Greek) Festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses.

Nov. 23 Kinro kansha no hi 'Labor Thanksgiving Day' (Japan) A national holiday for honoring labor. / National Cashew Day (U.S.)

Nov. 24 Feast of the Burning Lamps (Egypt)

Nov. 25 Feast of Oya (Yoruba / Santeria) Feast of Oya, Orisha of Wind, Storm, and Sudden Change. / Feast of Aphrodite and Eros (Ancient Greek) Day to honor love and passion. / National Parfait Day (U.S.) "I don't know nobody who don't like a parfait, I think it's the perfect food!" Donkey from Shrek.

Nov. 26 Festival of Lights (Tibetan)

Nov. 27 Pie in the Face Day (U.S.)

Nov. 28 Day of the New Dance (Tibetan) / Bodhisattva White Tara Day. (Tantric Buddhist) Time for meditation on White Tara, who guides the dead to Buddha Amitabha's Pure Land, where all will find salvation.

Nov. 29 Square Dance Day (U.S.) People still do that?

Nov. 30 Stay at Home Because You're Well Day (.U.S.) Sure, whatever.....

And don't forget National Teddy Bear Day on the 15th

July: Holidays & Days of Note

July 1. Canada Day (Canada) Which is a logical enough place to have such  a day, however there is a Canada themed day later this month that takes place elsewhere. / Build a Scarecrow Day (U.S.) / it was on this day that the Unification Church had its first public mass wedding. 2, 075 couples, most of whom were meeting each other for the first time.

July 2. Visitation of the Virgin Mary Day (Catholic)

                       What are the Dog Days of Summer?

July 3. Dog Days of summer begin as the Dog Star Sirius rises from behind the Sun, perhaps it’s these hot days being one of the main reasons perhaps why there are so few holidays, or holidays with any meat on them, and so many revolutions in July. See the 4th, 14th (twice,) & 31st. / Green Corn Dance (Cherokee) given in thanksgiving for the maize harvest; honoring maize Goddess Selu.

July 4. Independence Day (U.S.) / Filipino-American Friendship Day / Tom Sawyer  Fence-Painting Day (from the novel) / Varmakeldustevna (Faroe Islands) Norwegian boating festival..... I think. Anyway has something to do with them just being glad its summer and they aren't frozen any longer. / Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony (Apache Nation) Coming of age ceremony for Apache girls, it can be held at any time, and traditionally goes for 4 day, however  there are public ceremonies which outsiders may attend, which involve several girls that occur on the Fort Apache reservation and the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico and other places starting on the 4th.

July 5. Tynwald (Isle of Man) I found something about this, but, while a hoot for them I'm sure, didn't do anything for me, so I'm leaving the explanation out. / X Day (Church of the SubGenius)

July 6. Khao Phansa Day (Thailand) the so-called Buddhist Lent. / Ludi Apollinares (Ancient Rome) starting in 208 B.C.E. games in honor of Apollo start. / Happy birthday Delhi Lama also the birthday of George W. Bush jr. can you say that? Ironic? Sure I knew you could.

July 7. Tanabata: Star Festival & Weaver's Festival (Japan) Said to be a Chinese tradition with altered with beliefs peculiar to Japan. Celebrates the meeting, once a year, of two lovers. Kengyu (the star Altair) and Shakujo (Vega) who are separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the year. / Festival of the Giants. (Douai, France) / Fiesta de San Formin (Spain.) / Rath Yatra (Puri, India. Hindu) Also known as the Chariot Festival, in mid-summer Lord Jagannath with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra go on vacation traveling on grand chariots. This is also the etymological origin of the English word "Juggernaut".

July 8. Annual Soapy Smith Wake in the Gold Rush Cemetery (Alaska) for  Jefferson Randolph ("Soapy") Smith II (1860 - July 8, 1898) a con artist, gangster the number one "sure-thing" bunko man of the old west who had a major hand in starting organized criminal operations from Colorado to Alaska from 1879 to 1898. There you go, name 3 other countries that have a festival for a gangster. / Video Games Day (U.S.)

July 9. Caprotinia (Ancient Rome) feast for Juno Caprotina, only women  could assist in the sacrifices offered at this feast. / Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í.) / National Sugar Cookie Day (U.S.)

July 10. Lady Godiva Day. (England) / Silence Day (followers of Meher Baba) / Septinu Bralu Diena (Ancient Latvia.) / Gandalf is imprisoned in Orthanc. (The Fellowship of the Ring.)

July 11. National Cheer Up the Lonely Day. (U.S.) ahh. / World Population Day (UN) / National Dance Day (Zimbabwe) / Bonfire Night (Northern Ireland)

July 12. National Pecan Pie Day (U.S.)

July 13 Feast of Kálimát (Bahá'í) - First day of the seventh month of the Bahá'í calendar. / Obon, also known as Ullambana Festival or Ancestor Day (Mahayana Buddhist) festival to honor the dead  goes until the 16th / Festival of the 3 Cows (Spain)

July 14 Bastille Day (France) / Revolution Day (Iraq) / It was on this  date in 1988 that the first of the current crop of crop circles appeared, it had been happening for years, just not in the news, later two Englishmen said they were doing them all. Any explanation in a storm.

July 15 Ice Cream Day. Lincoln made Thanksgiving official,  Woodrow Wilson did the same for Mother's Day, in 1984 Ronald Reagan made the 3rd Sunday in July officially Ice Cream Day, or as was said then

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim The 3rd Sunday of each year Ice Cream Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities." I jive you not, so far it hasn't made the splash the other two have. / Respect Canada Day (U.S.) See told you. (July first) / St. Swithin's Day / International Men's Day. (Brazil) / National Tapioca Pudding Day (U.S.) And yet still no tapioca ice cream!

July 16 Feast day for Saint Elvira (Catholic) as well as 22 other saints, translations and the like, I only bring up St. Elvira because I use to watch her show with the old horror movies when it was on TV.

July 17 Constitution Day (Korea) Commemorates the adoption of the Republic of Korea Constitution in 1948. / Rivera Day (Puerto Rico) / Cow  Appreciation Day ( U.S.) / Yama-boko Junk (Kyoto, Japan) day of the big parade that caps off the almost month long Gion Matsuri festival.

July 18. Ramadan starts / On this day in, 64 A.D., a fire breaks out in Rome, spreading rapidly throughout the market area in the center of the city. When the flames finally died out more than a week later, nearly two-thirds of Rome had been destroyed.

July 19. Flitch Day. Long ago on this day bacon was given to any married couple that could prove they had lived in harmony and fidelity for one full year, very few were able to "take home the bacon." I wonder how the 2,075 couples from the 1st did in 83?

July 20. Binding of the Wreaths (Lithuania) / Moon Day. anniversary of the voyage of Apollo-11 landing the first men on the moon. / International chess day / De del Amigo (Argentina & Brazil) Friendship Day, except in Brazil they call it by the Portuguese words for Friendship Day. / Umi No Hi "Ocean Day" (Japan) A recently introduced national holiday to celebrate the ocean. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 187. / Peace and Freedom Day (Northern Cyprus)

July 21 Racial Harmony Day (Singapore) Started because of race riots between Chinese and Malay citizens in 1965. / Founding Day (Scientology) For the incorporation in 1955 of the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington DC, and the opening of the first Academy of Scientology.

July 22.  Parents Day (U.S.) A little known legal holiday set on the forth Sunday  in July, white it sounds innocuous enough, the holiday was championed and pushed through congress by the "friends" of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon who insisted the day was only intended to honor hard-working parents, Moon's long-range goal however is that all religions are to merge under a theocratic state headed by Moon himself and his wife, the "True Parents. " or if barring them due to death his last son still in his good graces.  / Panathenaea (Ancient Greek) Festival of Goddess Athena as daughter of Wisdom (Goddess Metis) and font of reason, it goes until the 28^th.  / Rat Catcher’s Day (Medieval England) A once noble profession that I would not care to have. / Mary Magdalene's Day.

July 23. Sun Festival (Mayan) Honoring Sun God Ahau Kin; celebrated with devotional offerings of food, song, prayer, and a ritual procession that symbolically travels to the four quarters of the universe. / Neptunalia (Ancient Rome) held in honor of Neptune. / Ancient Egyptian New Year’s / Celebration of the birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie (Rastafari movement.) Whom I understand is making resurgence in his home nation after years of suppression.

July 24. Pioneer Day (Mormon) / Amelia Earhart Day (U.S.) / Simon Bolivar’s Day (Ecuador) / National Tequila Day (U.S.)

July 25. Inca festival in honor of the thunder god Ilyap'a / Furinalia (Ancient Rome) have I mentioned before that the Romans were festival throwing sons of guns? / Eve of Revolution Day (Cuba)

July 26 Day of the National Rebellion (Cuba) or Revolution Day too I guess, because it would be kind of a cheat to have Revolution Day Eve and then NOT have a Revolution day, goes till the 27th / Vijay Divas (India) for the end of the Kargil War.

July 27. Sleepyhead Day (Finland) Traditionally on this day, the last person in the house to wake up is woken up using water, either by being thrown into a lake or the sea, or by having water thrown on them/ Iglesia Ni Cristo Foundation Day (Philippines) / Memorial Day for War Martyrs. (Vietnam) / José Celso Barbosa Day. (Puerto Rico) / Septinu Guletaju Diena (Ancient Latvia) Does modern Latvia have any festivals?

July 28. Hurricane Supplication Day (Virgin Islands)

July 29. Pardon of the Birds (France) / Olsok Day (Norway) / In 1588 the invincible Spanish Armada is defeated by the British Naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard & Sir Francis Drake with the aid of a whelping big storm, which according to legend Drake helped rise with the aid of a coven of Witches the night before the battle.

July 30. Metageitnion Noumenia (Ancient Greek) Festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses.

July 31. Hari Pahlawan (Malaysia) Warrior's day. / La Hae Hawai'i (Hawaii) State Flag Day, while I'm sure the other 49 states also have state flag days, Hawaii is the only one to give it a funky name so they get noted. / Upswing of the Revolution. (Republic of the Congo.) / Happy Birthday Harry Potter.

June: Holidays & Days of Note

June 1. Children's Day (China, Laos.) / Navy Day (Mexico) / Festival of

Carna (Roman) / National Day Against Homophobia (Canada) / National Doughnut Day (U.S.) always held on the first Friday in June. / It was 45 years ago today that the Beatles released Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, meaning I guess that it was 65 years ago today that he taught the band to play leaving the question will we still love them when they're past 64?/ also Happy birthday Oscar the Grouch

June 2. Rice Harvest Festival (Malaysia) / Juno Regina's Day (Ancient

Rome) / Queen's Birthday (New Zealand) / Shapatu of Ishtar (Babylonian) / Mother Shipton Day matron saint of working women. / In 1924 Congress granted citizenship to all Indians on this day, however it was not until 1993 that their religions practices were no longer illegal. / St. Elmo's Day. (Catholic) They've made that little red gremlin a saint now? It was bad enough when they gave almost the whole of Sesame Street other to him! / As of today radio is 118 years old.

June 3. Memorial Day for Broken Dolls (Japan) Buddhist observance when broken dolls are enshrined by a priest. / Festival for Bellona (Ancient Rome) Bellona minor Roman war goddess. / Second Festival of Pax (Ancient Rome) A festival for a goddess of war and a goddess of peace both on the say day… oh those daffy ancient Roman!

June 4. Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 memorial day. / On this day in 1070, in a cave just outside the town of Roquefort France, the first example of the cheese we know today as Roquefort was discovered, who made the blend? Why was it abandoned in the cave? Unknown, now THERE is an idea for a conspiracy! / Ford made his first operational car on this day 117 years ago.

                                               World Environment Day

June 5. World Environment Day (U.N.) This year's theme “Green Economy: Does it include you?” / National Gingerbread Day (U.S.) / First flight by balloon by the Montgolfier brothers, 1783

June 6. Teacher's Day (U.S.) Yeah... You folks in the holiday naming biz

DO know that most schools are out for the summer in the U.S. now don't you? / Queensland day (Australia) / Anniversary of D-Day. / Crossroads of Artemis (Ancient Greek) / First drive-in movie theater ever opens In New Jersey in 1933, The first film shown was the Adolphe Menjou film Wives Beware.

June 7. Unionsopplosningen (Norway) / first day of Vestalia (Ancient

Rome) held in honor of Vesta. / National Chocolate Ice Cream Day (U.S.) So what's with all the chocolate themed days this month? / National Moth Night (U.K.) night for Britain to celebrate moths and moth recording. / Vatican City becomes nation in 1929.

June 8 Milad-un-Nabi (Islam) Mohammed dies or ascends into heaven in 632. / World Ocean Day. / Lindisfarne Day (Odinist)

June 9. Trooping the Colour (United Kingdom) Military celebration of the monarch's official birthday held in London on the second Saturday of June. / Sigurdsblot (Norse) festival honoring Sigurd (Sigifrith or

Siegfreid),the great hero who killed the dragon Fafnir and won back the treasure of the Rhine. / Queen's Birthday (Australia, except for Western Australia) Huh? / Donald Duck's Birthday, 78 years young, not bad for someone with such rage management problems.

June 10. On this date in New Haven, Connecticut in 1682, the first

tornado was reported in America, many years before the first freight train so I have no idea what they said it sounded like. / National Yo Yo Day (U.S.) Do they even make those anymore, or do they just have a "yo-yo app" for cell phones now?

                                                            FORTUNA


June 11. Feast of Fortuna (Ancient Rome) Day for the Goddess of fortune, chance and luck. / King Kamehameha I Day (Hawaiian) It was said that he was so strong he could brake open a coconut using one hand. / Davis Day (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada) held in remembrance of William Davis

June 12. Araw ng Kalayaan (Philippines) Independence Day / Russia Day (Russian Federation) Independence Day / Dia dos Namorados (Brazil) Lover's Day; similar to St. Valentine's day / World Day Against Child Labor (International)

June 13. Feast of Epona goddess of horses (Celtic) / Athena's Day (Greek) / Quinquatrus Minusculae (Ancient Roman) Day for Minerva. / The space probe Pioneer 10 has been outside the solar system for 18 years now, and yet still not a full light year out.

June 14. Birthday of the Muses (Ancient Greek) / Poson (Sri Lanka) Day

to celebrate the introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in 256 B.C.E. /
Flag Day (U.S.) / It was on this day in 1954 that Dwight Eisenhower
signed an order adding "Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. The
Theory being that all those Commies hiding under all those beds in the
50's would melt away in fear on hearing this.

June 15. Feast of Saint Germaine Cousin (Roman Catholic) Patron of

shepherdesses & victims of child abuse. Would somebody kindly poke him and tell him to stop slacking off? No, no, just about the latter part,
as far as I know things have been going just dandy for shepherdesses
lately.

June 16. Night of the Teardrop (Ancient Egypt) Festival where

Priestesses of Isis were said to control the weather by braiding and
releasing their hair. For related item see Grimm's fairy tale The Goose
Girl. / Bloom's Day (Dublin) You know from the novel Ulysses by James
Joyce that you haven't read, or if you have read it didn't get all the
way though, or if you did read the whole thing didn't get it. /
National Fudge Day (U.S.) I guess this puts America about neck and neck with the ancient Romans and their seeming endless list of festivals, I bet if they had had chocolate there would have been a goddess for it, and this could have very well have been the day for Fudgata, works for me.

June 17. Father's Day (U.S., Canada, Brittany, Ireland, Northern Ireland) Stated in 1910 in Spokane, Washington. While Mother's Day has been adopted by a lot of other countries, it seems far fewer have taken up Father's Day. What, other countries' dads don't need socks and loud ties? / Marriage of Orpheus and Eurydike (Ancient Greek) / Watergate Day (U.S) / Eat Your Vegetables Day (U.S.)

June 18. In 1885 the Statute of Liberty arrived in New York aboard the

Isere. / It was on this day in 1978 that we got the first appearance of
Garfield the Cat in the comics section, 34 years old, which in cat years
would make him, gets out calculator and does some figuring, ….. Dead.

June 19. Juneteeth (U.S.) The oldest known celebration of the end of

slavery in America. Today Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. / World Sauntering Day. I wouldn't now how to "saunter" if you paid me.

June 20. Summer Solstice / Bald Eagle Day. (U.S.) / Kuan-Yin becomes a Bodhisattva (Chinese) / World Refuge Day. / Ice Cream Soda Day (U.S.) Call these invisible holidays pointless if you want to, this one I can get behind.

June 21. Alban Hefin (Druidic) / Day of the Green Man (Northern Europe) / Day on which many Slavic people celebrated the marriage of the Sun God Dazbog & Moon Goddess Myesyats. / National Aboriginal Day (Canada) / All Hera's Day (Ancient Rome) / Ishtar's Day (Old Babylon) / Astarte's Day (Canaanite) / Aphrodite's Day (Greek) / Yemaya's Day (Brazilian) /Aine's Day (Irish) / National Go Skateboarding Day (U.S.) To be followed I assume by National Go to the ER Day. / Vinegar Day (U.S) Vinegar, really? Vinegar. Why? / Litha (Wiccan)

                                                                   Litha

June 22. National Chocolate Éclair Day (U.S.) Roses and chocolate? It's like the day the spirits of Valentine's day take the day off. / Anti-fascist Struggle Say (Croatia) / Stupid Guy Thing Day (U.S.) A day for women to make a list of stupid guy things and pass it on to other women to share. How sexist, just thinking about this is going to put a crimp in my attempt to hang-glide from the highest mountain in my state with a skateboard tied to my shoes so I can ditch the glider close to the ground and land on a highway to see if I can get it over 60 miles an hour, it's perfectly safe… there's hardly any traffic on Sunday.

June 23. In Ireland & England it was once thought that on the 23rd or

`St. John´s Day Eve´, the souls of everyone left their bodies while

they slept and found the place where they would die (can you say that? Morbid? Sure, I knew you could). Now doesn´t that make for a perfectly creepy sounding holiday? What will you dream about?

June 24. St. John's Day. Use to be a big deal, as big or even bigger

than Christmas in some places, day for lighting bonfires for St. John

the oldest of the saints' days in the Greek and Latin calendars.

/ Feast of the Sun (Aztec) / It was on the 24th in 1717 that the Masons

went public in London. / This is the day on which Shakespeare's

Mid-Summer's Night Dream took place, it is also the date that people

thought Fairies were most likely to be active. / Festival of Mati-Syra-Zemlya & Zemlya's Night (Slavic Lands).

                                         
                                             Mati-Syra-Zemlya

                       Also

The 24th is the Day King Edward III founded the Order of the Garter in 1348, which some believe was secretly tied to the pre-Christian Pagan beliefs of Europe.

By tradition this is the day the Pied Piper lead 130 children out of the

town of Hamlin and into a mountain.

It was on this day in 1694 that the Utopian community known as Woman of the Wilderness (which was all male) made up of Primitive Christians, alchemists, & mystics landed in what would come to be known as Germantown, Pennsylvania.

It was on this day in 1701 that the above community said they were

visited by a glowing white sphere while burning their St. J Day fires.

This is also the day in 1947 that Kenneth Arnold claimed he sighted a

number of crescent shaped objects "flying with a motion like saucers
skipping over a lake.

June 25. In 1876 the day that George Armstrong Custer died for your sins as he and the 7th Cavalry where are out. / National Catfish Day (U.S.) Day for the best eating of the bottom feeding fish, it's better if you don't think about that part. / The day in 1962 that the Supreme Court ruled school sponsored prayer to be unconstitutional. / Native American Independence Day

                             Native American Indepndence Day

June 26. National Chocolate Pudding Day (U.S.) / International Day in

Support of Torture Victims / Beautician's Day (U.S.)

June 27. Day of the 7 Sleepers (Catholic, however there is also an

Islamic version) know as Siebenschläfertag in Germany. / National
HIV Testing Day (U.S.) / Mixed Race Day (Brazil) Day that honors
all those who possess multiracial or multi-ethnic origins. / Helen Keller Day (Alabama) / Iroquois Green Corn Festival (Native American) / Joseph & Hyrum Smith killed by mob in 1844, leading to Brigham Young being put in charge of the Mormons.

June 28. Raggedy Ann doll introduced to the world on this day in 1917 / Paul Bunyan Day. (U.S.) Whom it turns out was not a real figure from folklore, but was made up by two advertising men hired by a company that sold lumber to create a friendlier image, making him no more an authentic figure of folklore than say Ronald McDonald.

June 29. St. Peter & St. Paul Day (Catholic) With those two together

who are you going to borrow money from to pay the other? / Special

Recreation Day for the Disabled Day (U.S.) / Runic New Year

/ Feast of Ogun (Santeria)

June 30. Burning of the Three Firs (France) / On this day in 1908 a

massive explosion took place in Tunguska, Siberia. More powerful

than a hydrogen bomb, no definitive explanation had been given for

it, theories have ranged from a comet or soft meteor, to it being

a tiny chunk of anti-matter, to a crashed spacecraft.

If April is the cruelest month then June must be the strangest.