The Republic of the Congo has two historical holidays in addition to its independence day: the assassination of President Marien Ngouabi on March 18, 1977, and the beginning of the civil war on June 5, 1997, which restored President Denis Sassou-Nguesso to power. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The organization originally known as the Camp Fire Girls was founded on March 17, 1910, around the same time that the Boy Scout movement was getting its start in Great Britain. Now it is coeducational and is known as Camp Fire. The organization stresses self-reliance, and membership is divided into five age levels, from Sparks (pre-school) to Horizon (grades 9-12). Interaction with adults is also emphasized as a way of learning about career choices, hobbies, and other interests. Camp Fire’s founding is observed by members as part of Camp Fire Boys and Girls Birthday Week. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
St. Urho, whose name in Finnish means “hero,” is credited with banishing a plague of grasshoppers that was threatening Finland’s grape arbors. His legend in the US was popularized in the 1950s. After being celebrated as a “joke holiday” for several years in the Menahga-Sebeka area, the idea spread to other states with large Finnish populations. The actual celebrations include wearing St. Urho’s official colors—Nile Green and Royal Purple—drinking grape juice, and chanting St. Urho’s famous words, “Grasshopper, grasshopper, go away,” in Finnish. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1809-1876), Liberia‘s first and seventh president, led the movement for an independent Liberia, established in 1848. This day (also known as J. J. Roberts Day) is also an occasion to pay homage to Liberia’s historical role as Africa’s oldest republic. In many respects, Roberts’s birthday stands apart from other holidays that recognize Liberian notables because he was a member of the established Americo-Liberian elite, a group historically criticized for wielding control over the country’s indigenous population for more than a century. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Billed “The World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up,” this is one of several rattlesnake round-ups in Texas; some 30,000 spectators come to watch the goings-on. It is sponsored by the Sweetwater Jaycees, who stress the focus on safety and the benefits of the round-up. The weekend events include snake-handling demonstrations and the awarding of prizes for the biggest snake. There are also a parade, rattlesnake dances with country bands, a Miss Snake Charmer Queen contest, and a rattlesnake meat-eating contest. More than 4,000 pounds of rattlesnake meat are served each year. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Kasuga Shrine in Nara is one of the most beautiful and ancient in Japan. Every year on March 13, a festival is held there with elaborate ceremonies and performances that recall the shrine’s heyday. The hiki-uma horse ceremony, where a sacred horse is led in procession through the streets, and the elegant Yamato-mai dance performed by Shinto women are reminiscent of the culture and customs of the Nara and Heian Eras. Construction of the Kasuga Shrine was started during the Nara period (710-784) and was completed in the first years of the Heian period (794-1185). Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This observance marks the anniversary of the founding of the American Girl Scouts by Juliette Gordon Low (1860-1927) in Savannah, Georgia, in 1912. The day is the focal point of Girl Scout Week, which begins on the Sunday before March 12 and is observed by Girl Scout troops nationwide in various ways—with community service projects, anniversary parties, and plays. The 80th anniversary in 1992 was celebrated with various events, including the kick-off of a national service project on the environment. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Lithuania had been independent for only 12 years when the Soviets occupied the country in 1940. The people voted for self-rule in February 1990, and the new democratically elected parliament declared independence from the USSR on March 11, 1990. Restoration of Statehood Day is an official holiday in Lithuania. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Winter Carnival is a week of festivities in Fairbanks, Alaska, highlighted by sled dog races. The carnival opens with the two-day Limited North American Sled Dog Race, and concludes, on the last two days, with the Open North American Sled Dog Race. Other events include dances, a parka parade, a campstove chili contest, a native potlatch, snow- and ice-sculpting contests, snowshoe races and softball, musical and dramatic presentations, and a trade fair. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The “Forty Martyrs of Sebaste” were Roman soldiers quartered in Armenia in 320 CE; they are greatly revered in the Eastern Orthodox Church. In Greece, special foods are prepared, such as cake with 40 layers of pastry and stew with 40 herbs. In Romania, little cakes called sfintisori (“little mints”) are baked and given to and received from every passerby. Coliva is also traditional. Farm tools are readied for work, and hearth ashes are spread around the cottage to keep the serpent from entering. (Each home is said to have a serpent protecting it). Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary