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!

Monday, January 23, 2012

January 23rd - Chinese New Year



Today is the last of the three holidays that actually take place during the month of January 2012.  The Chinese New Year commemorates the start of the Chinese Calendar Year (as the Chinese calendar is based on the moon, rather than the sun, it does not follow the traditional Gregorian calendar), and is the most important and largest holiday in Chinese culture.  Each year is associated with a different animal that corresponds to a different symbol on the Zodiac.  This year, 2012, is the Year of the Dragon (my year, 1984, was the Year of the Rat…how’s that for being born under a bad sign?)

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, I passed out fortune cookies to all of my co-workers.  The usual “...in bed” comment made most of theirs better (“This weekend will bring you a surprise…in bed,” “A pleasant surprise is in store for you…in bed,”  “You will receive some high prize or award soon…in bed," "You are going to have a pleasant experience...in bed,").

The best fortune, in my opinion, was found by both of the Marys that work in my office.  It said that “Although it feels like a roller coaster now, life will calm down.”   That's comforting, especially as this is a crazy busy time of year for us in the office.  It's nice to know that the fortune telling Gods have a positive outlook on our lives.  The hurleyburleyness of our workaday lives might finally be coming to a smoother time.

However, I really enjoy roller coasters, so I guess that could be seen as a bad thing as well.  Damn you ambiguous fortune writers…

I will also be cooking a Chinese dinner tonight.  I thought about coping out and ordering in from a local place (Chu’s Express would have been my choice…sorry Chu).  But then I realized that I had been cooking everything else for this month, why stop now.

  
Last night's feast included: General Tso's Chicken, brown rice, potstickers (both chicken and pork), pork and shrimp egg rolls, and szechuan asparagus.  Yes, that's sake...I couldn't find any Chinese equivalent, big whoop.  It actually turned out pretty well...but I still should have gone to Chu's...
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