Socyberty » national holidays http://socyberty.com Sat, 18 Feb 2012 21:24:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Happy Canada Day http://socyberty.com/holidays/happy-canada-day/ http://socyberty.com/holidays/happy-canada-day/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:32:13 +0000 Karen Gross http://socyberty.com/holidays/happy-canada-day/  

Yes – our home and native land is turning 142 years old this year. How will you be celebrating?

My family and I will be braving the onslaught of the first national airborne league of mosquitoes (Canada’s military budget is a little tight) to watch the fireworks display. We live just half a block from a river that glides lazily through our small city, and the fireworks are set off from the bridge. The effect of fireworks in the sky reflecting off the calm waters is spectacular!

Image by Loimere via Flickr

I’ve got steaks marinating for the BBQ, and I think I can rustle up some potato salad for a great Canadian summer feast to share with the in-laws who are expected to arrive sometime soon.

Image via Wikipedia

To all of my confused American friends, yes, our national holiday is July 1, not July 4. Do we have a July 4 here in Canada? Of course we do. We just don’t celebrate anything on July 4. (Unless it is someone’s birthday or anniversary or something on July 4, then you should go ahead and celebrate no matter what country you live in!)

So Happy Canada Day, and I hope those of you in other countries have a great national celebration on your day. How about writing a Triond article about your national holiday? It would be great to hear what customs and traditions you have.

]]> http://socyberty.com/holidays/happy-canada-day/feed/ 14 10 Bizarre Holidays http://socyberty.com/holidays/10-bizarre-holidays/ http://socyberty.com/holidays/10-bizarre-holidays/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:35:29 +0000 Marovan Poleppi http://socyberty.com/holidays/10-bizarre-holidays/

  • January 16th: National Do Nothing Day

    On National Do Nothing Day, everyone is free to… well, do absolutely nothing. Although a great number of people would consider it sheer laziness, psychologists claim it can be actually be healthy, for one day. National Do Nothing Day was introduced in 1973 by the American reporter Harold Pullman Coffin, what’s in a name.

  • February 20th: International Pipe-Smoking Day

    Almost all countries have a national no-smoking-day. The international World No Tobacco Day is celebrated the 31st of March. Less commonly known, and also a bit recalcitrant, is the International Pipe-Smoking Day on the 20th of February, when pipe-smokers from around the world take a breather and celebrate the noble art of pipe-smoking.

  • March 1st: National Beer Day

    If you happen to be somewhere around the North Atlantic Ocean on March 1st, make sure you visit Iceland. National Beer Day celebrates a 75 year long prohibition of beer which ended on March 1st, 1989. To make up for lost time, all Icelanders take part in highly festive celebrations which, off course, include drinking mass quantities of beer. March 2nd is commonly called National Hangover Day.

  • March 20th: Interstellar Alien Abduction Day

    Members of the alien abduction community “celebrate” Alien Abduction Day annually on the 20th of March. There is no need for panic on this day. It is said the aliens will stay away, until the day becomes a national holiday.

  • April 29th: International Dance Day

    Every year, since 1982, April 29th marks International Dance Day, created by UNESCO. The date commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), the creator of modern ballet. Every year a message form a well-known dance personality is circulated throughout the world. Sounds nice, but how about we all go Dancing in the Street?

  • May 2nd: Nessie Day

    The Loch Ness Monster Fan Club has written to the United Nations in New York with a proposal that May 2 should become “Nessie Day”. The date was chosen because it was on May 2, 1933, that the first Loch Ness Monster story was reported in the press, beginning what has become a major industry. The Fan Club says that the purpose of Nessie having her own day would be to highlight that some mysteries still have no answers, despite decades of research.

  • June 6th: (Inter) National Day of Slayer

    Fans of the Californian speed metal band Slayer founded the National Day of Slayer Task Force to promote the (Inter) National Day of Slayer on June the 6th, 2006, 6/6/6. The day was a success and made international headlines, and so the celebration is repeated each year on June the 6th. The Taskforce invites people to listen to Slayer at full blast in their car, at home and in public places.

  • June 21st: International End of the World Day

    According to uncyclopedia, a nice parody on wikipedia, June 21st is the International End of the World Day. While the exact year that the world will end is unclear, most people just take it to heart and celebrate the event each year just in case.

  • Last Friday of July: System Administrator Appreciation Day

    System Administrators don’t get a lot of respect for 364 days a year. Yet, they keep this very site and so many others maintained. Some public acknowledgement on the last Friday of July, SysAdminDay, would be nice. Only, make sure no computer crashes during the celebration…

  • September 19th: International Talk Like a Pirate Day

    Got Pirattitude? Then talk like a pirate on September 19th. The International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday since 1995. On this day, you are advised to say “Ahoy, me haarrty!” instead of “Hello”. The initiative is quite successful. A great number of websites like this one offer lists of pirate phrases.

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