It is difficult to find a person in this world who would not have heard or celebrated such holidays as New Year, Christmas, Easter… After all, they appear in the calendar in almost every point of the globe. But did you know that in addition to them, there are a whole lot of the most unusual and unusual festivals for us in the western hemisphere? Let’s find out about some of them and get to know someone else’s culture a little closer!
Groundhog Day
Yes, this holiday really exists – it’s not just a movie starring Bill Murray. This unusual holiday is celebrated in the USA on February 2. According to legend, on this day the groundhog can predict when spring will come. If the groundhog crawled out of the hole, saw his shadow and returned to the hole, it means that winter will last another six weeks. And if the groundhog did not see his shadow, it will be early spring. A similar custom existed in ancient Rome, but there a hedgehog acted as a weather forecaster. And he did not predict the approach of spring, but helped to make a meteorological forecast. The Romans woke up the hedgehog and by his behavior, namely by whether he saw his shadow or not, the weather forecast for the day was made. A similar sign existed in Germany, but there the approach of spring was already predicted by a badger. Until 1886, it was just a sign, until an article appeared in one newspaper about a groundhog and about the place where he better and more accurately predicts the approach of spring – the so-called “Turkey Hill” in Pennsylvania. The very next year, a crowd of people gathered at that place, wanting to know the forecast from the groundhog. Soon the Americans built a house for a groundhog on the Turkey Hill, and the groundhog was nicknamed Phil. Every year the celebration begins at night with fireworks and loud music. And at eight twenty-five, members of the “Phil’s Friends Club”, who, remarkably, are dressed in tuxedos and top hats, wake up the animal so that he can make his prediction. This is followed by a photo shoot and a tour to the city center, where the celebrations are taking place. Only at the end of the day Phil, like a real hard worker, returns home.
National Maple Syrup Day
Surely everyone has heard or seen at least once in their life about the obsession of Americans and Canadians with waffles and pancakes, abundantly watered with maple syrup. So, for them it is not only a natural sweetener, because December 17 is the National Day of maple Syrup all over America. For the first time, the work on collecting ingredients and the subsequent production of maple syrup began in North America. Until the 1930s, the United States was the leading producer of syrup, and despite the fact that now this title has rather passed to Canada, Vermont still produces the largest amount of maple syrup throughout America. You can celebrate the National Day of Maple Syrup by enjoying this delicious American invention: for example, by flavoring them with pancakes or toast.
Hot Dog Day
Yes, Americans are big food lovers, but you can’t blame them for that – and who would refuse a hot delicious hot dog? The sausage in the dough has long been endowed with the status of a national dish of the USA, and the Americans literally devoted a whole holiday to it, even though it was not invented by them at all. Hot Dog Day in America is celebrated in the summer, namely on July 18. The origin of this dish is as controversial as the origin of its name. There are many different versions. According to one version, it is believed that an illustrator in 1901 saw a sausage seller using a loaf cut in the middle instead of slices of bread. He placed a sausage in this incision and poured various sauces over it. And then that illustrator decided to sketch it and signed it as “hot dog”. Another famous version of the origin of this name: a sausage in its shape resembles a dachshund dog. And that’s why this dish is called “hot dog”. This holiday became official on July 18, 1957. Every year on July 18, hot dog speed eating competitions are held, crowds of people and many vans and tents selling hot dogs can be found on the streets. On this day, you can try a huge number of different versions of this dish: from a traditional hot dog to a seafood hot dog, or even with an apple. There is also a competition for its preparation, in which there are strict rules for participants. For example, you can only eat this dish with your hands, and the spices and oil left on your fingers cannot be washed off – they need to be licked.
Sweetest Day
The last “edible” holiday in our collection, left, as they say, for sweets, is Sweets Day, founded in 1922 by Herbert Kingston in Cleveland, Ohio. Kingston worked as a local pastry chef and wanted to make the lives of orphans, the elderly and people in hospitals a little brighter. He chose a Saturday in October to give out candy and other small gifts to hospitals, nursing homes and orphanages in the Cleveland area. Soon the idea of Kingston was picked up, and people set aside one day in October to give sweets to special people. Very quickly this idea became popular. For several years, the third Saturday in October has been called the sweetest day in the city of Cleveland. The name of the day was chosen, referring to the gifts of sweets and other sweets that were usually given on this day. Also on this day they give postcards and flowers. This holiday is good not only for lovers of sweets, but also for those people who want to make our world a little kinder.
Take Your Dog to Work Day
Let’s not forget about our younger brothers – on one of the Fridays at the end of June (as a rule, on the 23rd) there is a holiday that will undoubtedly delight all lovers of four–legged friends – with the fancy name of the Day “Take your dog to work”. Organized in 1999 by the association “International Animal Lovers” (Pet Sitters International), this holiday immediately won the hearts of citizens: for the first time the number of companies that took part was about 300 across America, and by 2006 it had grown to 52 thousand. “International Animal Lovers” are convinced that this event will help to show how great companions and companions dogs can be, and also convince people to get smaller brothers more often, especially from shelters: so, workers who do not have dogs yet will be able to observe close colleagues – happy owners of four-legged friends, and, maybe they will decide to buy a pet for themselves.
Author of the article: Varvara Kartushina
