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Sunday 27 March 2016

Easter (Pasch / Resurrection Sunday)


Icon of the Resurrection, with Christ, having kicked down the gates of Hades and pulling Adam and Eve out of the tombs. Christ is flanked by saints, and Satan, depicted as an old man, is bound and chained. (See Resurrection of Jesus in Christian art.)


Easter, also called Pasch or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD.

It is the culmination of the Passion of Christ, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance. The week before Easter is called Holy Week, and it contains the days of the Easter Triduum, including Maundy Thursday, commemorating the Maundy and Last Supper, as well as Good Friday, commemorating the crucifixion and death of Jesus. In western Christianity, Eastertide, the Easter Season, begins on Easter Sunday and lasts seven weeks, ending with the coming of the fiftieth day, Pentecost Sunday.

In Orthodoxy, the season of Pascha begins on Pascha and ends with the coming of the fortieth day, the Feast of the Ascension.

Easter and the holidays that are related to it are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars which follow only the cycle of the sun; rather, its date is determined on a lunisolar calendar similar to the Hebrew calendar.

The First Council of Nicaea (325) established two rules, independence of the Jewish calendar and worldwide uniformity, which were the only rules for Easter explicitly laid down by the council.

No details for the computation were specified; these were worked out in practice, a process that took centuries and generated a number of controversies.

It has come to be the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March, but calculations vary in East and West.


Here's wishing everone a beautiful Easter Sunday....

Ice

Monday 28 March 2016

Something On A Stick Day



Observed each year on March 28, National Something on a Stick Day is a food holiday that lets you use your creative talents. Once you get started, the possibilities are endless. Foods that comes on a stick are fun and easy to eat.

There isn’t much that can’t be put on a stick when talking about food.

Soup might be that one exception, though if it were flavorful frozen we might make an exception.

From cool summer treats like the Popsicle to frozen food staples like the corn dog, food on a stick is one of the world’s great inventions. Fresh fruit kabobs and skewers of grilled veggies and meat are both summer favorites.

Street fairs and food trucks have created a variety of recipes made to go on a stick that take us from breakfast to after party hunger with flavor combinations that sometimes make us wonder why we haven’t tried that before!

Whether it is fresh and healthyor breaded and deep fried, menu choices are broad and plentiful for National Something on a Stick Day.

And

Black Forest Cake Day



March 28th recognizes a food holiday known as National Black Forest Cake Day.

Black Forest cake is the English name for the German dessert Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte, meaning “Black Forest cherry torte”.

Most often, the Black Forest cake is made of several layers of chocolate cake with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. The cake is then decorated with whipped cream, maraschino cherries and chocolate shavings.

In some traditional recipes, sour cherries are used between the layers and a Kirschwasser (a clear liquor distilled from tart cherries) is added to the cake.

In the United States, alcohol is usually not used. However, in Germany the liqueur is a mandatory ingredient otherwise, the cake can not legally be sold under the Schwarzwalder Kirschtorte name.

The cake is named after the specialty liquor (Schwarzwalder Kirschwasser) of the region of the Black Forest (Schwarzwald) mountain range in southwesternGermany.

Tuesday 29 March 2016

Smoke and Mirrors Day



Wait a second, what the heck is National Smoke and Mirrors Day?

According to National Whatever Day, today’s “holiday” stems from the phrase “smoke and mirrors,” which is a more creative way of identifying and declaring deception.

It is celebrated annually on March 29, and is also alternately referred to as The Festival of Smoke and Mirrors Day.

In plain language, a University of Massachusetts student may use this phrase when saying something like, “I’m worried the essay questions on the biology midterm might be smoke and mirrors so the professor can trick us by weeding out the non-genius class members.”

Here, the expression smoke and mirrors would be correctly used to portray that an essay question for a biology exam must be implanted to deceive students.

Okay, we get the meaning. But where did the phrase smoke and mirrors originate from in the first place?

“This expression alludes to the performances of stage conjurers who use actual smoke and mirrors to deceive the audience,” according to The Phrase Finder. National Whatever Day further explained this, stating that magicians made “objects appear or disappear by extending or retracting mirrors amid a confusing burst of smoke.”

Over time, this act became symbolic for anything purposely fraudulent that fooled audiences or the public. The phrase was later being used to describe trickery within politics, starting somewhere in the mid 1970s.

According to The Phrase Finder, writer Jimmy Breslin was one of the first journalists to incorporate “smoke and mirrors” into writing as a metaphor for deceit within politics.

Wednesday 30 March 2016

National Doctors' Day"





National Doctors' Day is held every year on March 30th in the United States. It is a day to celebrate the contribution of physicians who serve our country by caring for its' citizens.

The first Doctor's Day observance was March 30, 1933 in Winder, Georgia. Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, decided to set aside a day to honor physicians.

This first observance included the mailing greeting cards and placing flowers on graves of deceased doctors.

On March 30, 1958, a Resolution Commemorating Doctors' Day was adopted by the United States House of Representatives. In 1990, legislation was introduced in the House and Senate to establish a national Doctor's Day.

Following overwhelming approval by the United States Senate and the House of Representatives, on October 30, 1990, President George Bush signed S.J. RES. #366 (which became Public Law 101-473) designating March 30th as "National Doctor's Day."

Thursday 31 March 2016

World Backup Day



DON'T BE AN APRIL FOOL. Be prepared. Back up your files on March 31st.

WHAT IS BACKUP?

A backup is a second copy of all your important files — for example, your family photos, home videos, documents and emails. Instead of storing it all in one place (like your computer), you keep another copy of everything somewhere safe.

BUT WHY SHOULD I BACKUP?

Losing your files is way more common than you’d think. Ever lost your phone, camera or tablet? That counts. Your stuff could have been saved with a backup. One small accident or failure could destroy all the important stuff you care about.

30% of people have never backed up

113 phones lost or stolen every minute

29% of disasters are caused by accident

1 in 10 computers infected with viruses each month





AND

Eiffel Tower Day



On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.

In 1889, to honor of the centenary of the French Revolution, the French government planned an international exposition and announced a design competition for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris.

Out of more than 100 designs submitted, the Centennial Committee chose Eiffel’s plan of an open-lattice wrought-iron tower that would reach almost 1,000 feet above Paris and be the world’s tallest man-made structure.

Eiffel, a noted bridge builder, was a master of metal construction and designed the framework of the Statue of Liberty that had recently been erected in New York Harbor.

Eiffel’s tower was greeted with skepticism from critics who argued that it would be structurally unsound, and indignation from others who thought it would be an eyesore in the heart of Paris.

Unperturbed, Eiffel completed his great tower under budget in just two years. Only one worker lost his life during construction, which at the time was a remarkably low casualty number for a project of that magnitude. The light, airy structure was by all accounts a technological wonder and within a few decades came to be regarded as an architectural masterpiece.

The Eiffel Tower is 984 feet tall and consists of an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns that unite to form a single vertical tower. Platforms, each with an observation deck, are at three levels. Elevators ascend the piers on a curve, and Eiffel contracted the Otis Elevator Company of the United States to design the tower’s famous glass-cage elevators.

The elevators were not completed by March 31, 1889, however, so Gustave Eiffel ascended the tower’s stairs with a few hardy companions and raised an enormous French tricolor on the structure’s flagpole. Fireworks were then set off from the second platform. Eiffel and his party descended, and the architect addressed the guests and about 200 workers.

In early May, the Paris International Exposition opened, and the tower served as the entrance gateway to the giant fair.

The Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930.

Incredibly, the Eiffel Tower was almost demolished when the International Exposition’s 20-year lease on the land expired in 1909, but its value as an antenna for radio transmission saved it.

It remains largely unchanged today and is one of the world’s premier tourist attractions.

Friday 01 April 2016

April Fools Day



April Fools' Day, sometimes called All Fools' Day, is one of the most light-hearted days of the year. Its origins are uncertain. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons, while others believe it stems from the adoption of a new calendar.

AND

Fun Day



Everyone needs a little unstructured fun in their day, and Fun Day is perfect for having time dedicated to exactly that. In today’s high speed world with its constant pressure to go farther, get more done, be more productive, and climb in our career, having a little fun often goes by the wayside. The stress of this lifestyle has been shown to have a constant and growing negative effect on the overall health of people.

Fun Day is a reminder to break the stressful line of day to day living, and to go out and have some Fun! Having Fun is a proven way to make sure you have the opportunity to have more fun later, more often. Stress has negative effects on your immune system, making it easier to get sick, and making you stay sick longer.

By going out and having Fun, you can reduce your stress level, and help bolster your immune system.

For you workaholics out there, this means by slowing down and having fun, you’ll also have more days to work in by making sure you have less sick days, and who couldn’t use that?

Knowing that first impressions can’t be redone, Fun Day also reminds us that stress has a dramatic effect on our appearance. Skin becomes more sallow, acne outbreaks more frequent, and it becomes harder and harder to get rid of those bags under your eyes if you’re stressed all the time. After all, high stress levels lead to not sleeping as deeply or as long, with insomnia being a major side-effect of having stress, and nothing makes someone look and feel better than a good night’s rest!

Fun also gives you a major boost to your mood, every time you smile or laugh you get a boost of endorphins. Endorphins are one of those chemicals the body releases that makes you feel confident and satisfied with life in general.

While you can get a similar effect by eating chocolate, just getting out and having a good time will boost your emotional state without increasing your waistline with it!

Fun also helps create bonds between people in a social environment, nothing brings people and loved ones together like having a good time.

There is little in our lives that isn’t improved by having fun with a group, whether as part of a BBQ, a night out at the movies, or just getting together and kicking around a ball.

If you find your life lacking in Fun, make it a priority to go out and participate things you enjoy that aren’t all centered on work.

We all want to live longer, and who can blame us?

Well, if you’re looking for a great way to extend your life and improve your health, guess what’s a proven way to do that? Get out and have some fun, and try to keep your mind in a positive attitude. Doing so can add an additional 8 years to your life, just by making sure you keep your mind off of stressful things and getting out to have a little Fun now and then!

A life without Fun is one hardly worth living, so use Fun Day to get out and have a fantastic time. Get together with friends, get yourself to the movies or out on the Golf Course. All of these will lead to a longer, happier life for you and those you bring with you.

Fun Day may only come once a year, but don’t let it be the only day of the year you have fun on!

Saturday 02 April 2016

World Autism Day





On Dec. 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring April 2 World Autism Day.

You mayask yourself, what merits this particular disability its very own day? Simply put, autism or (ASD) will be diagnosed in 1 out of every 68 children in the United States (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls).

There are currently more than 3 million people living in this country who fall somewhere on the autism spectrum, according to a 2014 study in JAMA Pediatrics.

The diagnosis of autism or ASD is more prevalent than diabetes, cancer and AIDs combined.

Autism does not discriminate and is reported to occur in all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups.

Autism can present itself with a myriad of symptoms and ranges from mild to severe.

Perhaps one of the biggest problems facing people with autism is their inability to communicate effectively. Sadly enough, regardless of the advancements made in recent years, there is no cure for ASD, only treatment.

Sunday 03 April 2016

Find A Rainbow Day



Perhaps one of the more interesting and yet lesser-known holidays is an event that is known as Find a Rainbow Day. As you may have already guessed, this celebration occurs during the month of April each year (after all, the early spring is known for its fair share of these beautifully stunning phenomena).

Of course, finding a rainbow is not as easy as it sounds and if you are lucky enough to find yourself outside just after a rainstorm in early April, you may just be able to catch a quick glimpse and even take a snapshot of one of these wonderful natural events.

While the exact origins of this day remain rather obscure, there are many who enjoy cooking colourful foods on this day; treats such as jello and cookies being some of the most common items.

So, it appears that there are indeed times when a bit of rain is not necessarily a bad thing!

Monday 04 April 2016

National Tell a Lie Day



Tell a Lie Day..... if you ever need to tell a lie, today is the day to do so.

Why someone would create a day to encourage a person to lie is hard to comprehend. Be that as it may, today is the day to tell lies, big and small.

Tomorrow, we can all get back to the virtue of "honesty is the best policy".

If you find today a bit discomforting, you can look forward to National Honesty Day later in the month.

Important Note:
If you choose not to participate in this day, we will look up to you!


Origin of "Tell a Lie Day":

Our research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day. We believe that the creator of this day will be the only person who answers "no" to the following question.... "Did you create Tell a Lie Day?"

In keeping with the spirit of this day, everyone's answer will be a lie. Therefore, everyone will say "Yes", except the creator .



And

Vitamin C Day



Load up on citrus fruit, berries and green vegetable for Vitamin C Day; boost your immune system, fight off that cold and feel great!

Tuesday 05 April 2016

Bell Bottoms Day



Maybe a big fashion trend, but sailors discovered them first - because they were so practical. Bell-bottom pants were easy to roll up and keep dry when swabbing the deck on the ships. They were also fast and easy to pull off if you fell overboard and needed to swim. Who would have guessed these pants would become such a craze in the 60's and be the hot item for men, women and kids.

And

National Dandelion Day!



Our research did not find the creator, or the origin of this day. We did however find that this holiday has been celebrated for years. There is plenty of documentation to support that National Dandelion Day" does indeed exist.

We are wondering if this holiday was created by a flower organization- but, our research couldn't find the creator- This holiday is referred to as a "National" day. However, we did not find any congressional records or presidential proclamations for this day. Even though we didn't, this is still a holiday that is publicized to celebrate.

So have fun with it and celebrate it!