Today is...

[IceWizard]

Saturday 8 Oct 2016

World Octopus Day



As the name suggests, World Octopus Day celebrates one of the most distinctive creatures living on the planet today; the octopus.

Octopuses are worthy of appreciation for a number of reasons. First of all, they are one of earth’s great survivors. Indeed, despite their relatively short life span, octopus fossils date back more than 300 million years, meaning that they pre-date even dinosaurs.

They are also highly intelligent, with around 500 million neurons located in their brains and arms, allowing them to bypass their insticts, learn lessons and solve problems.

In addition, they are visually stunning, coming in various different colours and shapes, while the Giant Pacific Octopus is able to grow to weigh more than 600 pounds!

So how should you celebrate World Octopus Day?

How about a trip to a sea life centre?

Alternatively, put aside a small section of your day to simply learn more about these fascinating creatures.



And



Pierogi Day



Anyone who has ever visited Poland, had a Polish friend or acquaintance, or even known someone whose grandmother was Polish has heard of pierogi.

Pierogi are one of the most famous Polish dishes to ever exist, and virtually everyone worldwide treats the word as a synonym of Polish cuisine as a whole. And rightfully so—traditional pierogi are both delicious and filling, and there are many different kind to choose from, so everyone can find the pierogi that suit their tastes.

From simple, potato and cheese-stuffed pierogi to pierogi stuffed with rare wild mushrooms or salmon, to sweet and tangy plum pierogi, this dish offers something to all. This is why pierogi are more than deserving of their own little holiday, the perfect day for you to enjoy the many varied flavors this dish has to offer.

The History of Pierogi Day

Pierogi have been around since the days of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a dualistic European state that existed from the 16th to the 18th centuries. It is important to remember that in those times, an enormous amount of work needed to be done physically in fields, forests, etc., and there were no machines to do it like there are today.

Because of this, high-calorie foods such as carbohydrate-rich pierogi were very popular. Relatively cheap and easy to make, pierogi quickly became one of the most popular dishes of the Polish-Lithuanian Commomnwealth.