December Celebrations

                The musing for December is inspired by Holiday Insights’ “Bizarre, Wacky and Unique Holidays.”  We offer some light-hearted relief for this busy month based on the “2013 Daily Holidays, Special, and Wacky Days.” Some of the holidays listed here are official and have historical context; many are food-related; some make no sense; and, of course, some observances in December are activities to prepare for Christmas.

History

Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock

                Among the serious observances is World Aids Day on December 1, which was first observed in 1988. On December 5, you can drink to Repeal Day and commemorate the end of Prohibition, when Mormon Utah ratified the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and gave the U.S. government the three-quarters majority of state support it needed to overturn Prohibition. The seventh of December is day that will “live in infamy”—the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Human Rights Day is recognized on December 10; it was on this day in 1948 that the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. December 21 is especially remembered in Massachusetts; on this day in 1620 the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. Other

December dates marking historical events or social concerns include National Roof over Your Head on December 3, to bring awareness to homelessness; International Civil Aviation Day (December 7) to promote civil aviation around the world; International Children’s Day (December 8) sponsored by UNICEF; and December 15 to mark the day in 1791 when the first ten amendments (The Bill of Rights) were added to the Constitution.

Food

                 Food is ever-present this month: there are sixteen days involving food. One may wonder why some of these days are celebrated in December; a little research found that some food items—for example, ice cream—have special days or even months throughout the year. Those food items most associated with Christmas are listed with the Christmas-related activities; below are non-Christmas kitchen activities. Bon Appetite!

                Dec. 1: Eat a Red Apple Day

                Dec. 2: National Fritters Day

                Dec. 7: National Cotton Candy Day

                Dec. 8: National Pastry Day

                Dec. 11: National Noodle Ring Day

                Dec. 12: National Ding-a-Ling Day

                Dec. 13: Ice Cream Day

                Dec. 14: National Bouillabaisse Day

                Dec. 15: National Lemon Cupcake Day

                Dec. 16: Chocolate-covered Anything Day

                Dec. 17: National Maple Syrup Day

                Dec. 18: Oatmeal Muffin Day

                Dec. 22: National Date Nut Bread Day

                Dec. 24: National Chocolate Day

                Dec. 25: National Pumpkin Pie Day

                Dec. 29: Pepper Pot Day

Fortunately, there is no “get on the scale” day! 

Holidays

                The special days associated with the Christmas Holiday can serve as a “to do” list for the holiday preparations. Santa’s List Day is on December 4—but you could preempt it with Black Friday (November 29) and Cyber Monday (December2)!  For those who venerate the real St.   Despite its name, Christmas Card Day is not to do this chore, but rather to recognize Sir Henry Cole of England, who created the first Christmas card in 1843. Poinsettia Day, on December 12, honors J.P. Poinsett, who was the first U.S. ambassador to Mexico; his perhaps most-noted contribution to foreign relations was to introduce the United States to a plant now called the poinsettia. 

St. Nicholas

Nichols, a patron saint of the Orthodox Church, the observance is on December 6. A good day to work on your Christmas letter is the seventh, Letter Writing Day, which is followed two days later by Christmas Card Day.

                If you follow the “to do” list, you will be very busy on December 18. On this day are two chores: baking cookies and roasting a suckling pig. We hope the next day you will have energy to “Look for an Evergreen.” And the activity the day after is to “Go Caroling.” Perhaps December 21, “Humbug Day,” will get an “amen” from you. December 24 may offer a little pick-up—you can lift a wassail cup to toast National Eggnog Day and ready yourself for Christmas Day. You are still not finished with holiday events, though! December 26 is Boxing Day and the day after is National Fruitcake Day. (Is that a re-gifting day?!)  With all your eating and celebrating during the past few weeks, welcome relief comes on December 30,

National Bicarbonate of Soda Day.

                Around the world in December are many different religious observances. Usually all of the eight days of Jewish holiday Hanukkah are observed in December; this year celebrations begin in   Another religious observance is on December 8, known as Bodhi Day, when the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, experienced enlightenment. From December 21-15 is Pancha Ganapati, a five-day Hindu festival in honor of Lord Ganesha.

November. Kwanzaa, which honors African heritage, family, community and culture, is a week-long celebration at the end of the month.

A common theme and symbol of many December religious celebrations is lights. This includes the many different celebrations of the winter solstice on December 21: the Zuni and Hopi Soyal ceremony; the Iranian festival of Yalda; and Saturnalis, the Roman solstice festival.  Even our list of “bazaar and unique” holidays appropriately lists on December 21 “National Flashlight Day” and “Look on the Bright Side Day.”  If none of the above observances is appropriate to your belief system, there is always Festivus on December 23. Festivus became popular after 1997 episode of “Seinfeld” which described it as an alternative to the consumerism and frenzy of the holidays. The day is marked with a “Festivus pole,” which is a plain aluminum pole. When celebrants gather, they air grievances, have feats of strength, and feast on meatloaf. “A Festivus for the rest of us,” as they say on the show.

              

Whatever your affiliation or lack thereof, by the time National Bicarbonate Day rolls around on December 30, and maybe a New Year’s resolution to go on a diet, too—you have made it through the month.  Do not to worry if your resolve weakens; January 17 is set aside as the day to “Ditch your New Year’s Resolution!”

Miscellaneous

                Here are a few holidays that did not fit in the above categories and might leave you scratching your head: Wear Brown Shoes Day on December 4, Take in the Ear Day on December 8, and Violin Day on December 13. A few celebrations seem to have been created by teachers and parents to keep children amused and calm: Mitten Tree Day (December 6); Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day (December 27); and Card Playing Day (December 28). 

We may have overlooked a few unique holidays, but what is certain that with all this activity and celebrating during the month, Bathtub Party Day should be observed much later in the month than on December 5. There should be at least two such party days.

Happy December!

One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago...

           

Lincoln Address Memorial at Gettysburg

            During 1863 the residents of Harrisonburg thrilled to the guerilla exploits of Captain John H. McNeill and his Rangers – a Confederate partisan unit that harassed Federal units.  Also, in July, the citizens of Harrisonburg were well aware of the great battle in Pennsylvania.  The Register on July tenth reported a “great, glorious, and overwhelming victory over Union forces” at Gettysburg.  Over the next week the truth became apparent as large numbers of wounded Confederates passed up the Valley, many breathing their last breathe in Harrisonburg.  On November 16, Court Day, a rumor late in the afternoon spread that the Yankees would be coming in about five hours.[i]  The rumor was false.  Uncertainty charge the atmosphere.

As American as Apple Pie

“As American as apple pie.” There’s a reason we’ve had this saying for so long; it’s because it’s true. Americans cannot hold claim to inventing pie in general, but we can take full tribute for the invention of sweet pies—fruit, custard, anything without meat. Back in Ancient Greece, where almost everything in our society started, they made spiced meat pies. These pies sometimes had figs in them for added flavor, but there is no record of anyone making a fruit pie. These meat pies made their way through Europe to England and then came over to America on the Mayflower. When the colonists became revolutionaries, they also became revolutionary bakers. Looking for a way to get food on the run, the revolutionaries made small, hand held fruit pies (McDonalds, anyone?).[1]

May is National Foster Care Month

Did you know May is National Foster Care Month? Recently Virginia Governor McDonnell issued a proclamation recognizing May, 2013 as Foster Care Month in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This was followed by a new initiative to encourage adoptions called “Virginia Adopts: Campaign for 1,000”. [1] To help share information about Foster Care a local organization that serves Harrisonburg foster and adoptive families shared a story from one of their Foster Parents with MRL.

Foster Parenting: A Parent’s Insight
“It makes it worth it to know you’ve been able to be a part of their healing.” 

When asked, “Why did you become foster parents?” this is the response given by a family who has opened their home to over 10 children in the last three years. Has it always been easy? No. In fact, they shared stories of hardships, hard choices, and tears. But as the stories unraveled, they were also well seasoned with hugs, “I love yous,” healing, and happiness. 

Preservation Week

 

 

Did you know that Preservation Week was created in 2010 by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) to bring attention to the millions of times in various institutions that required immediate attention and care.    ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Digital Learning Day

February 6, 2013, is Digital Learning Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia. “This event is part of a national campaign designed to celebrate innovative teaching and highlight practices that make learning more personalized and engaging for students; explore how digital learning can provide all students with the opportunities they deserve; and build the skills students need to succeed in college, career, and life.”[1] Libraries promote each patron’s ability to participate in life-long learning. As life-long learners we are all students who can benefit from digital learning through digital literacy skills.

Crossword Puzzles

History

Written word games are probably as old as the first alphabet and stylus which allowed man to scratch a cryptic message in the dirt or sand or on stone. Word squares were found in the ruins of Pompeii (79AD).[1] In the 19th century, word games were included in children’s puzzle books.

Ramadan

Ramadan honors the night in 610 A.D. when the Koran descended into the soul of the Prophet Muhammad. The last ten days of Ramadan are particularly holy as they include Laylat al-Qadr, night of power, which is the night when the Angel Gabriel first spoke to Muhammad and revealed the Koran (Glasse 276). Muslims celebrate this occasion with fasting, which is an important part of their religion as it is one of the five pillars or key practices of Islam.

Daniel Boone: His Valley Connections

Did you know that Daniel Boone has connections to the Shenandoah Valley?

First of all, there was a brief period of time when Daniel Boone lived in the Shenandoah Valley. Around 1750 Daniel Boone’s father Squire Boone moved his family from Oley, Pennsylvania through the Shenandoah Valley to the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina.[1] They would have traveled west on the Allegheny Trail and south along the Virginia Road/Great Wagon Road (Interstate 81 now roughly follows the same route).[2] The Boone family stayed in the Linville Creek area for two years planting a crop there in 1750 and 1751 before moving on to their final destination.[3]

Florigraphy: The Language of Flowers

A few months ago I read Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s novel The Language of Flowers. I was entranced. Emotionally dark in many places, the light and grace of the floral communication kept me clinging to the story. All is not a “rose garden” in the end, but the novel scattered many seeds of thought. To express the book in florigraphy, I would carry a tussie-mussie, a word posy, of an outer ring of vetch, a ring of pansies, coriander sprinkled throughout, and a clematis in the center. To translate: clinging to the thoughts of hidden worth of mental beauty. Close enough—florigraphy, the study of flower meaning, is not an exact science, nor was it intended to describe a book.

April is National Poetry Month

The Academy of American Poets selected April as National Poetry Month in 1996 to broaden our understanding of and gain our attention to poetry, which for many seems to be fading from our literary culture. To celebrate poetry month, the Academy suggests carrying poems in your pockets, attending poetry readings, and promoting public support for poetry across the country, which is exactly what the Poet Laureate is supposed to do.

Spring Cleaning—Not an April Fools’ Tale

Yes, a history of spring cleaning exists.  Dating back about 3,000 years ago in Persia, spring cleaning began as a ritual of the Persian New Year which was usually March 21st, the first day of Spring.  The traditions and rituals continue today, but it is now known as the Iranian Norouz.  The practice of “Khooneh tekouni,” which means “shaking the house” is the first Spring Cleaning ritual. Everything that can be is taken outside and shaken and cleaned.  Inside, the floors and walls are all washed.  Fresh flowers are brought in for good fortune for the new year.

Uniform Monday Holiday Act

In 1880 the United States Congress declared February 22nd, George Washington’s birthday, a federal holiday for all government employees working in the District of Columbia. In 1885 that federal holiday was expanded to include those working in government offices in the entire United States. [1] Public Law 90-363, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, was signed into law on June 28, 1968 and took effect on January 1, 1971. [2] This act is responsible for moving the federal holiday celebration of George Washington’s birthday from February 22nd to what we commonly refer to as Presidents’ Day. Presidents’ Day is now celebrated on the third Monday in February, which will never be the 22nd of February as it can only fall on February 15th - 21st. [3]

Happy Birthday, Mr. Dewey!

Image from flickr.com member Eigappleton Some rights reserved

Born on Dec. 10th, 1851 in Adams Center, Jefferson County, New York, Melville Dewey is best known as the inventor of the Dewey Decimal Classification System that bears his name and is used in libraries world wide. Often dubbed the Father of Modern Librarianship, Dewey developed much more than a filing system.

In 1872, as a sophomore at Amherst College, he invented the Dewey Decimal Classification System which was the beginning of many contributions to the field of Library Science. In 1876 he co-founded the American Library Association. In 1887 he established the first professional library school in the United States at Colombia University. He also co-founded and edited Library Journal which is still the major library publication today. Fortunately for the Journal, his passion for simplifying spelling did not catch on with the masses. He did found the Spelling Reform Association in 1886 and changed the spelling of his name from Melville to Melvil.

Labor Day, An American Celebration

The Library will be closed on Labor Day, as should all work places. Other countries have an International Workers Day, but Labor Day is a United States federal holiday.  It became a federal holiday in 1894 because of the deaths of workers by the U.S. Military and the U.S. Marshals sent by President Grover Cleveland to end the Pullman Strike. 

Fearing more violence, President Cleveland made peace with the labor movement his top political priority. (It was an election year!)  Legislation making Labor Day a national holiday swept through Congress unanimously and was signed into law within six days of the end of the strike.  All U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the US made it a statutory holiday. (1)

How to celebrate Labor Day was actually laid out in the original proposal for the holiday:  a parade to show “the strength and espirit de corps of the trade and labor organizations,” followed by a party for workers and their families. (2)  In 1898, Samuel Gompers, head of the American Federation of Labor, called it "the day for which the toilers in past centuries looked forward, when their rights and their wrongs would be discussed...that the workers of our day may not only lay down their tools of labor for a holiday, but upon which they may touch shoulders in marching phalanx and feel the stronger for it."

This Labor Day, as we fire up the grills or take a final summer vacation, remember those who struggled for your right to a day off--and enjoy your holiday!

Cheryl Metz, Reference Librarian

1)      Origins of Labor Day.  pbs.org

2)      The History of Labor Day. US Department of Labor.

Dog Days of Summer

On the morning of the first rising when the sea boiled, the Wine turns sour, Dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid; causing to man among other diseases, burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies*

In the northern hemisphere, depending on the latitude, the “dog days” are between early July and early September and are characterized by stagnation and inactivity. From ancient times people looked at the sky, connected the dots between the stars, and imagined pictures. Constellations (star pictures) in the European culture included bears, a bull, and dogs. The dogs were called Canis Major and Canis Minor. The brightest star in the big dog is Sirius, which rises at sunrise (helical rising). It was the ancient way of calculating the dates of Canicular Days to which many civilizations attach significance.

Ancient Egyptians named the Sirius star that appeared before the flooding of the Nile after their god Osirus. Greeks and Romans both used the term “dog days.” The Romans sacrificed a brown dog to appease the rage of Sirius. Virgil’s Aeneid associated Sirus with infesting the sky with pestilent heat. The Christian feast day of St. Roch, the patron saint of dogs, is August 16. The 1552 Anglican Book of Common Prayer called the period between July 6 and August 17 the “Dog Daies” and the lectionary of the 1611 King James Bible had the days in its calendar of readings. The readings were dropped in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, but by then the references to the “dogs days” made it to the new world. The Old Farmers’ Almanac dated the dog days between July 3 and August 11, which are the days of year with lowest level of rainfall and coincide with the rising of Sirius.

“Dog Days” have found a place in literature and other media. These references include: John Webster’s 1623 play the Duchess of Malfi; John Brady’s 1813/15 Clavis Calendaria; Richard Harding Davis’ 1903 The Bar Sinister, the main character of which is a dog; Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol referred to Scrooge as having “iced his office in dog days; and didn’t thaw it one degree at Christmas;” and Jeff Kinney’s 2009 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days. This time of year has been a theme of several movies including the Sidney Lumet’s award winning Dog Day Afternoon, starring Al Pacino and John Cazale, was based on P.F. Kluge article “ The Boys in the Bank” about a Brooklyn bank robbery in August 1972.

Natalie Babbitt, the author of the children’s book Tuck Everlasting, described the first weeks of August as “strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they as sure to be sorry for after.” A local librarian knows this to be true when years ago a grandfather forbid swimming or fishing in ponds or lakes in August because of infections found in the water. It was hot, so she and friends went to the river anyway. Grandfather found out and all of the disobeying crew received a whipping.

• J. Brady. Clavis Calendaria. Vol. 89. Nichols, Son, and Bentley. 1813.
• Natalie Babbitt. Tuck Everlasting. Farrar, Straus, Giroux. 2nd 2000.

Sources:

http://wilstar.com

www.Wikipedia.org.

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu

Virgil’s Aeneid, Part18 ,astyanges weblog

Independence Day

Dressed in layers of ruffled-neck shirts, vests, and cut-away coats and legs in silk stockings, in the heat of the summer of 1776, fifty-six men representing thirteen American colonies sat in Philadelphia behind closed doors debating the nature of their relationship with Great Britain. On the day British soldiers landed on Staten Island, July 2, this assembly of men voted to “dissolve the connection with Great Britain,” and thus committed treason.*

Levying of war against “our lord and king in his realm” was a treasonable offense in 1776. Conviction required two witnesses. Among the penalty options, if convicted, included quartering, cutting off of the head, and hanging. Until this step the American patriots only disagreed with Parliament, not with King George III. Thus, Benjamin Franklin who supposedly quipped “We must all hang together, or most assuredly we hang separately,” the act was not without serious consequences.

On the other hand, John Adams writing to his wife, Abigail, said that the July 2^nd declaration “will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival….It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this times forward forever more.”

On a pleasant, cool day, July 4th, without much fanfare the Continental Congress again meeting behind closed doors voted on the wording of “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America." This document, mainly written by Thomas Jefferson, set forth the reasons that impelled the colonies to separate. The case for this action was that the equality of men gave them certain unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Twenty-seven abuses of these rights by Great Britain were enumerated. Among the abuses specified were the “quartering of large bodies of armed troops” and “imposing taxes without consent.” John Hancock signed the document.

The first authorized printing of the Declaration of Independence appeared in Philadelphia on July 6. As the document reached the colonies there was ringing of bells and bonfires and other celebrations. While the Congress was now charting the course for a new country and its war with Great Britain, the delegates signed the document on August 6.

The 1776 celebrations of independence, which was not unlike the previous celebrations for the King’s birthday, now included the mock funeral for King George III. In 1781, Massachusetts became the first state to make July 4 an official holiday. After the second defeat of Great Britain in the War of 1812, patriotic celebrations on July 4th spread across the country. Thereafter, ground breaking events such as the opening of the Erie Canal and of the B&O Railroad were planned to coincide with this celebration. Not surprising, African-Americans did not/could not participate in the celebrations even though many of their leaders encouraged supporting the ideals of the Declaration. In 1870, Congress made the date a federal holiday. John Adams’ prediction of the celebratory activities came true. The most common symbol of the holiday is the American flag and the anthem it inspired.

In Harrisonburg, July 4, 2011, a ten-year tradition of celebration will include a parade, food booths, family-fun activities, and, of course, fireworks. The celebration begins at noon in front of the Court House with the reading of the Declaration of Independence and ends with nighttime fireworks.

*The New York Delegation abstained on this vote.  Several delegates who opposed separation absented themselves during the voting so their colony would vote in favor of the action.

Sources:

David McCullough.     John Adams.  Simon and Schuster.  2001.

                                   1776.  Simon and Schuster.  2005.

http://www.history.com/

http://www.umich.edu/

http://www.memory.loc.gov/

http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.downtownharrisonburg.org/

Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. The word solstice derives from the Latin “sol” for sun and “stice” which means to stop. Summer Solstice occurs at the mid-point of summer, or mid-summer (May 1^st – Aug. 1^st).

A major celestial event, summer solstice has been celebrated for millenniums. Stonehenge was built around 3100 BC and reflects the summer solstice from its center. The Druids termed the day, “the wedding of heaven and earth,” which is the reason weddings are still so popular in June. A June wedding is supposed to be a lucky wedding. The ancient Chinese used the day to celebrate the earth, femininity, yin, and the Chinese Goddess of Light, “Li.” Native Americans celebrate the connection of the heavens and the earth with dance and fasting.

After the spread of Christianity, in Sweden the day became known as St. John’s Day, June 24th, to honor St. John the Baptist instead of the pagan gods.

Needless to say, the day should be celebrated with flowers, especially white elder blossoms and any yellow flowers, plus feasting, bon fires, dancing, sun rise gatherings, the drinking of mead and other forms of merriment.

Don’t forget to leave an offering for the faeries!

Father's Day

On December 6, 1907, the town of Monongah, West Virginia, was devastated by a mine explosion that killed 362 men and boys[1] thus leaving behind 250 widows and more than 1,000 grieving children. This event prompted Mrs. Grace Golden Clayton to implore her pastor to dedicate a Sunday church service to honor and remember all fathers. On July 5, 1908, the Reverend Robert Thomas Webb of Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in Fairmont, West Virginia held the first Father’s Day observance in the United States. Mrs. Clayton and the people of Fairmont are not credited with the founding of Father’s Day as they never followed through with a proclamation establishing the annual observance of the day.[2]

While listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909 Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, conceived the idea of a similar celebration to honor fathers. She specifically wanted to honor her own father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who raised six children on his own. The Spokane Ministerial Association and the local Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) supported Dodd and her efforts to establish a day to celebrate fathers. On June 19, 1910 Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington.

Throughout the years various United States Presidents offered their support for a Father’s day celebration. In 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring the third Sunday of June as Father’s Day. A permanent national observance of Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June was established by President Richard Nixon in 1972.

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[1] United States Department of Labor. Mining Disasters – an Exhibition. http://www.msha.gov/DISASTER/MONONGAH/MONON1.asp

[2] Meighen, D. D., Reverend. Father’s Day. http://www.firstfathersday.us/index_02.htm

Mother's Day

Did you know...Mothers have been thanked throughout history, but it wasn’t until 1914 that President Wilson made it an official national holiday in the United States. The Greeks first celebrated Rhea, the Goddess of Motherhood in a spring festival. The ancient Romans made their tribute to Cybele, the “Great Mother of Gods." Next, the Christians began celebrating the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ.
In 1858 a woman named Anna Jarvis organized “Mother’s Work Day” or “Mothering Day” in the state of West Virginia to bring attention to the poor living conditions of her Appalachian neighbors. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe wrote and delivered the Mother’s Day Proclamation at the London Women’s Peace Conference. Howe believed women have a social responsibility to influence society towards peace. In 1872, the term “Mother’s Day for Peace” was first used and became the precursor for the present Mother’s Day. Anna Jarvis died in 1905 and her daughter, also named Anna, continued her work. After a memorial to her mother in 1907, she began lobbying business men and politicians for a national day honoring mothers. With the help of businessman John Wannamaker, her campaign was successful. Take a look at the proclamation from President Wilson. It reads rather plain and simple, but it is a day we never forget.

Happy Mother’s day, Moms.

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