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!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

January 29th - Leap Day


 Today's holiday highlights a special quality of 2012.  It's a leap year!

 Kris Kross will make ya...

Occurring every four years, Leap Day takes place on February 29th, thus giving the month an extra day. As I'm all sure that we learned in elementary, the purpose of having a leap day is to balance out our calendar.  The Gregorian calendar (which is based on the Sun and our rotation around it), was not exactly perfect.  That is, it did not line up exactly on a whole number of days.  Instead, there is a fraction of each day left over at the end of each year.  In order to keep the calendar from drifting away from the calculated date, an extra day is inserted.

So get out your seats and... 

The same is done with the Jewish calendar, as it is also based on our movements through space.  However, as they use the Moon as their basis of measurement, instead of the Sun, instead of adding an extra day, they add an extra month every 19 years.  This is also true of the Chinese calendar, as it is a lunisolar calender as well.

So to celebrate, I've been jumping around all day, obviously.  I leaped out of bed this morning, and I leaped when I got out of my car.  Today, let's make like House of Pain and jump around.  Or, better yet...

Might as well...
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