What is "The Holiday Month"?

The Holiday Month is an attempt to celebrate a calendar years worth of holidays during the month of January, 2012.

When the holiday takes place on a specific day (i.e. St. Patrick's Day always takes place on March 17th), then it will be celebrated on January 17th. When a holiday takes place on a rotating day (i.e. Thanksgiving takes place on the fourth Thursday of November), then it will be celebrated on the corresponding day in January.

Concessions had to be made for holidays corresponding with religious calendars . These holidays, such as Easter and Purim, will be celebrated on the dates that they are taking place in 2012. Mardi Gras, the celebration that marks the beginning of the season of Lent, is being celebrated on the Tuesday before Easter, as this would then represent the beginning and end of that religious celebration.

The holidays celebrated during this month are in NO WAY all of the holidays celebrated throughout the year. Every effort was made to create a list that would cover major religious beliefs, as well as fun and interesting holidays that everyone might not celebrate.

Happy Holidays!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

January 12th - Lincoln's Birthday


 What Abraham Lincoln sounds like in my nightmares...

Today’s the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, our nation’s 16th President.  Born on February 12th, 1809 in Hodgenville, Kentucky, Honest Abe led the United States through the Civil War, helped preserve and expand the Union, and famously ended the practice of slavery.  One of our most historically significant Presidents (my favorite is still Millard Fillmore, what a name!), Lincoln was assassinated while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre.  But besides that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the show?

Abe Lincoln hard at work

Following his death, a Buffalo druggist (meaning a druggist from Buffalo, NY, not a druggist that only dealt with the large animals that roam near playing deer and antelope) named Julius Francis made it his life's mission to have Lincoln's Birthday celebrated as a national holiday.  While he didn't see this goal come to fruition, his charge did take hold in many states, and today, Lincoln's Birthday is celebrated all over the country.

My last visit to Lincoln's Memorial, 2005...I should probably go back and check on Abe.

Today, I celebrated by making Lincoln’s traditional stove-pipe hat and beard out of construction paper, crepe paper streamers, and crinkle paper.  The result looks like a demented third grader did it, which is fitting, as my art skills never really passed beyond that.


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1 comment:

  1. RachJanuary 15, 2012 at 9:14 PM

    I always thought "Millard Fillmore" sounded like a character on The Simpsons!

    Loving this, btw...

    ReplyDelete

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