Save the Rhino Day
Q: What animal has roamed the earth for over a million years, and has been hunted to near extinction?
A: You guessed it, the Rhinoceros.
Save the Rhino Day encourages us to be aware of, and support efforts to save the Rhinoceros from extinction.
The Rhinoceros is a fascinating creature. Native to Africa, this leftover from the age of Dinosaurs was hunted to near extinction. Hunters on safaris, killed Rhinos just for sport. Poachers hunted them for their horn. The horn has been used as medicine, and for making knife handles, carved statues, and other objects. Animal rights groups have helped to save this animal from extinction, and their numbers have rebounded somewhat.
Did you know? The horn of the Rhinoceros is composed of the same material as your fingernails.
You can enjoy Save the Rhino Day in a variety of ways. Watch documentaries on the Rhinoceros. Visit Rhinos at a zoo. Better still, go on a safari to see one! You can also donate to groups working towards preserving the Rhinoceros.
Take Your Daughter To Work Day
Acting on research that showed adolescent girls received less attention than boys, this day was initiated in 1993 by the Ms. Foundation for Women. The intention was to give girls additional direct attention and an insight into work world opportunities available to them. It was to serve the multiple purpose of increased self esteem for young girls as well as give them some ideas of the wealth of careers in the world. Thirdly, it allowed them more one-on-one time with mom or dad.
It quickly took off and became extremely popular. Girls would go off to work with mom or dad, or even an aunt or uncle. They would spend the day seeing just what their sponsors job involved. It was limited only by the practicality of allowing a youthful, non-employee in a particular job environment. It works well in office environments, but proves impractical in many blue collar jobs, or where safety can be an issue.
It ‘s popularity quickly sparked interest by the boys, who soon felt left out and were required to go to school for the day, while the girls “got the day off”. As a result, the day has turned into “Take Your Son or Daughter to Work Day” in many areas. While this takes away from the original intent to give more attention to adolescent girls, it has become a valuable and popular career day opportunity for girls and boys alike.
Something on a Stick Day
Something on a Stick Day celebrates things on a stick. Isn’t this just a neat day? We thought you’d agree.
So what comes on a stick? Practically anything. The first thing that comes to mind is popsicles and fudgecicles. Hotdogs are poplar on a stick at campfires. There’s also corndogs, and shrimp and many chinese treats. Cocktail wieners and cheese are picked and eaten on a stick(a toothpick).
You can also get just about anything on a stick when receiving food samples at a store or festival.
Celebrate this fun day by serving food for meals and snacks on a stick. The kids will love it. So will you!
National Joe Day
National Joe Day is a chance to change your name, if only for today.
Many people do not like their given name. They wish they could change it. A few actually do. On National Joe Day, it is perfectly okay to have everyone call your “Joe”. Why Joe, and not Bob or Mike or Radcliffe? Simply, because everyone likes the name Joe. If you are called Joe today, we know that you’re “Joe cool”!
This works well for the men out there. What about the ladies? We suggest you choose Josephine or Jody. – RIGHT!!!
Employee Appreciation Day
If the boss can get a Bosses Day, then it’s only fair and appropriate that you, the employee, gets a day in your honour. Employee Appreciation Day honours employees everywhere.
Celebrations today should be created and executed by your company. Recognitions vary widely, and may include a lunch, snack, cakes, or other munchies, and small recognition gifts. Don’t expect a day off. Chances are, it just won’t happen.
As we researched this day, we wondered if it was a coincidence that Employee’s Day and Bosses Day are six months apart…..hmmmmmm.
Candlemas
Candlemas is the last holiday of the Christmas season. Candlemas is a christian celebration, or festival, of the Feast of Purification of the Virgin Mary. It also celebrates the annual blessing of candles used by the church.
About the Feast of Purification:
According to Jewish customs, women were considered “unclean” after the birth of a child. The unclean period lasted 40 days after the birth of a son, and 60 days after the birth of a daughter. During this period, they were not allowed into the temple to worship. At the end of this time, the woman was brought to the temple and “purified” in a ceremony. After the birth of Christ, the Virgin Mary was purified on Candlemas or the Feast of Purification.
On Candlemas, candles used during the year are blessed. In christian churches, candles represent Jesus Christ as the light, the truth and the way.
Friday The 13th!
Beware superstitious friends: It’s Friday the 13th again! Here are some fun facts about the day you might not know:
Fear of the day is likely rooted in Christianity.
Jesus was crucified on a Friday and ever since the day has been associated with “general ill omen,” Michael Bailey, a history professor at Iowa State University who specializes in the origins of superstitions, told USA TODAY Network. Weddings in the Middle Ages, for instance, were not held on Fridays and it was not a day someone would start a journey, Bailey said.
Thirteen guests are believed to have attended the Last Supper, the night before Jesus was killed, according to Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College. And Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, is considered to have been the 13th guest, Vyse said.
The superstition’s origins are mysterious.
It’s unclear when Friday and number 13 became linked in the way we think of them today, according to Vyse and Bailey. There are no mentions of Friday the 13th before the 19th century.
Fear of the day itself has an official name.
It’s called paraskevidekatriaphobia. Not sure how to pronounce it? NPR offers this handy audio guide.
You’re not more likely to make a trip to the hospital.
A 2011 German study published in the World Journal of Surgery explored whether there is a link between Friday the 13th and an increase of blood loss and the frequency of emergency room visits on those days.
Researchers reviewed 3,281 days at a hospital facility that included 15 Friday the 13ths. They found no correlation.
“Our data indicate that such beliefs are myths far beyond reality,” the study concludes.
Chocolate Cake Day
Chocolate Cake Day is a a chocolate lovers delight, and a day to eat cake. Why, this a day to “bake your chocolate cake….and eat it, too!”
On this day, a white or yellow cake will not do. Nor, will part chocolate, part white suffice. It must be chocolate, all chocolate. You can make milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate fudge, or any other type of chocolate cake.
There are three objectives of Chocolate Cake Day: To bake a chocolate cake. To decorate a chocolate cake. And, to eat a chocolate cake. Of course, if you are too busy to bake or decorate a cake, then just eating a chocolate cake will certainly do!
Enjoy!
Houseplant Day
Today’s obscure holiday is Houseplant Day! The big holidays are over. The decorations have been put away for another year. The house looks a little plain, a little drab. In the greyishness of January, your eye catches something in the corner of the room. Why, it’s a houseplant! Funny, but with all of the holiday hubabuloo, you’ve all but forgotten your houseplants.
Today is THE day to get back to tending to, and loving your houseplants. And, it’s also a day to appreciate just how special and important they are. They are therapeutic, lifting your mood and outlook. They add warmth and a calming effect. If you are a gardner, they give you an opportunity to play in the dirt, until spring arrives in the far, distant future.
Growing houseplants is pretty easy. They need a little sunlight, water, occasional nutrients, and a little love..
Play God Day
Today is Play God Day. A day that encourages us to do something nice for someone. Pray for someone or with someone. Think about it, if you were God, what would you change in the world? Your life? Bring back? End? Do a good deed on this day so others can see God working in you.