Thanksgiving day. Thanks ! Why?

 

Everything started in 1620 when some English pilgrims left their country on a ship called "The Mayflower" because of religious reasons. They landed near Pymouth Rock, in America, 65 days after and started to build their houses there.

During the first winter many people died because of lack of food, but when Spring came the tribe of native American indians living there helped the pilgrims learn how to hunt better and plant crops like corn. The harvest was very good and the pilgrims invited their native american friends to a feast to show how thankful they were. 

In 1863 Thanksgiving became a national holiday and nowadays families gather on the fourth thursday of November around the table and enjoy a traditional dinner of roast turkey with cranberries, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie to be thankful for their family and friends.

 WHY DOES THE USA CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE  DAY ON THE 4TH OF JULY?

The 2nd of July 245 years ago representatives from 13 North American colonies of the kingdom of Great Britain voted to break their bonds with the mother country and its crown.However, it was two days after it, the 4th of July, when the Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson,was signed and their decision was announced to the whole world, forming the United States of America.

From that day in 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence with fireworks, parades and barbecues.

Valentine’s Day

The first Valentine’s Day was in the year 496!!!!!

The origin of St Valentine is unclear.

It is said that Emperor Claudius II thought that married men were not good soldiers as they didn’t want to join the army because of their attachment to their families, so he banned marriage. Valentine, a priest, considered this decrete unfair and he defeated the emperor performing marriages in secret.

Valentine was discovered and condemned to death. When in jail, he left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “from your Valentine “.That was around 270 AD.

Others believe that the origin of St. Valentine has to do with the replacement of a pagan festival.

Romans used to celebrate the feast of Lupercalia in mid-February. Men killed a goat and a dog and whipped women with the hides  of the animals in order to make women fertile. Wild, isn’t it? Men and women were matched by lottery during the festival or longer if the match was  right ! It was a pagan festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture,and to Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

Pope Gelasius I replaced this celebration with St.Valentine’s day in 496 AD ,as it was wanted to Christianise this festival; later this day was eventually associated with love .

"Black Friday", Black?? Why?

In the 1950s overworked police officers in Philadelphia coined the term "Black Friday" as they had to work a lot the day after Thanksgiving.The city was hosting an important football match the following Saturday and the streets were congested.As a result, police officers were not allowed to take the day off and they referred to that day as "Black Friday".

Later "Black Friday" was also used to describe a stock market catastrophe that took place in 1869 when the price of gold plummeted, causing the market to collapse.

Nowadays the term has gained popularity and everybody sees it as the kick off of the Christmas shopping season, a day full of special deals and heavy discounts. It is black because it involves moving from "the red" ( a loss) to "the black" ( a profit) as records were kept by hand using red or black ink.

If you can not get what you want, you can always try online shopping.....on Cyber Monday!!!!

What should I read next? A book to read.

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME  by Mark  Haddon

It is a murder mystery novel narrated by Christopher Boone, a fifteen year old mathematician who has Asperger's syndrome. Its tittle quotes Sherlock Holmes, Christopher's favourite fiction character, in a short story called "Silver Blaze".

While he is investigating the murder of his neighbour's dog, he tells us things about his own life, his family, his love to maths; his uncommon vision of the world makes you put into his shoes.  His investigation leads him into some events he can't understand and this fact puts his tidy world upside down.

This is a quick reading story with an easy plot, but not at all boring; a cute story about being different that I would recommend to you!

☘️🇮🇪Why do Irish celebrate St Patrick's day if St. Patrick was not Irish? ☘️🇮🇪

St.Patrick of Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints. He was born in Roman Britain, but as a child he was captured by Irish pirates and taken  to Ireland as a slave. He escaped and returned to his family. After becoming a cleric, he returned to convert the pagan Ireland into Christianity. ☘️🇮🇪
He often used shamrocks to explain the Holy Trinity, this , together with the greeness of the landscapes of Ireland has made green the national colour. He died on 17 March 461. ☘️🇮🇪
Traditionally this has been a religious feast day, which has evolved in a variety of festivals celebrating Irish culture; parades, typical food as corned beef and cabbage and to drink....why not a pint of Guinness or any other Irish stout? ☘️🇮🇪

International women´s day (IWD) is celebrated in many countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their social, economic, cultural and political achievements. It is a call for gender parity.

 IWD first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the twentieth century in North America and around Europe. It all started in 1909 in the USA on 28 February to remember the 1908 garment worker´s strike in New York, when women protested against working conditions.

Next year, in 1910, there was a meeting in Copenhagen when a women´s day was established to support women´s rights and universal suffrage for women, but it wasn´t till 1975 when the UN began celebrating International Women´s Day on 8th March.

Since then, each year International Women´s Day sees thousand of events held by different organizations.I leave you a link of the speech of Emma Watson in the UN about gender equality, it´s worth watching it!Enjoy it!

https://youtu.be/263Fz3W8fQM