SUNDAY FUNDAY - September 29, 2020
CALENDARS
Rosh Hashanah 2021 will begin in the evening of
Monday, September 6
Chinese New Year - the year of the OX
Friday, February 12, 2021
Islamic New Year 2021 in the United States will begin in the evening of
Monday, August 9
Mayan New Year
July 26 each year marks the start of a new year
Liturgical New Year (Advent) Last Sunday in November (or first Sunday in December ) - depends on Christmas.
And, the procrastinator’s calendar. The year 2015 will start about April 3rd this year (maybe)!!!
Most of the world follows the Gregorian Calendar:
“The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a minor modification of the Julian calendar, reducing the average year from 365.25 days to 365.2425 days, thus correcting for the drift against the solar year that the inaccuracy had caused during the intervening centuries. (Wikipedia)
“To get the calendar back in sync with astronomical events like the vernal equinox or the winter solstice, a number of days were dropped. 0 days were dropped when switching to the Gregorian Calendar. However, the later the switch occurred, the more days had to be omitted. This created short months with only 18 days and odd dates like February 30 during the year of the changeover.
In North America, the month of September 1752 was exceptionally short, skipping 11 days.”
So, over some 15 centuries having an extra leap here and there - needed some adjustment!! I’m not sure how the people in 1752 that had birthdays in those skipped days celebrated their special days.
And, an interesting calendar-related item - remember Y2K? I had worked for Citibank for several summers and all of our dates (lots of dates - last payment date, next payment day, date cardholder got a Citi credit card. And all of those dates were stored in five characters YYDDD - like 20320 - for the 320th day of year 20. If the last payment was 20150, simple subtraction gives you 170 - so your payment is 170 days late (and … we could charge a very nice late payment with interest!!!)
Hey when computing started in the 1960s (with that amazing, flexible, wonderful programming language called COBOL - right Lorri May), nobody was thinking about January 1, 2000.
A friend asked me the other day if it was such a big deal. My answer “YES” - it was a huge deal - but we (computer programmings/analysts) worked hard, a lot of overtime and it seemed like nothing to the outside world.
******
DECEMBER.
For those of us who have lived in northern areas, December was cold, dark, maybe snowy. But, it was made lighter by Christmas lights. Some communities had a lot of lights. Yes, Georgetown, Texas has Christmas lights around “The most beautiful town square in Texas”. Johnson City has a great display around the Rural Cooperative there. Note - Lyndon Johnson grew up around Johnson City and I think the rural coop benefitted from his generosity. Some city parks have displays for cars to drive through (frequently with a charge that goes to some charity). Sometime in December (check your listings) some TV channels will have the best Christmas lights 2020 (and maybe repeats of previous years) I’m thinking HGTV - but I could be wrong.
And, on December 21, 2020, at 7:30 a.m. - Central Time - Winter officially starts. It is the ‘shortest day of the year’ (actually, there are still 24 hours in that day) - but in terms of sunlight in the northern hemisphere, it is the day with the least sunlight. This is why we don’t live in Alaska in December and why it is a great place to visit in June and July!!
I have friends (Jewish) who (at least in the past) hosted a Winter Solstice party. It is a time of challenge for non-Christian friends. Do they give presents to their kids for Christmas - celebrating the non-religious aspects (Santa Claus, reindeer, North Pole, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, the Grinch, and the other aspects)?
Some say “Happy Holidays”. I’m not sure “Merry Christmas” if it will offend somebody. We are all different and if I say “Merry Christmas” and you are not Christian oriented, then take it as a friendly greeting for the season. If I say “Merry Christmas” and you are a Christian, then you can take it as a statement for celebrating the birth of Jesus. (I don’t want to offend anybody, and yet, I do have my own deep-seated values).
******
December has many special days for many people (not just Christmas).
“The Jewish Festival of Rededication, also called the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration that falls each year on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev, which generally falls in December in the Gregorian calendar. (In 2020, Hanukkah is December 10 through December 18.) Hanukkah, also referred to as Chanukah, celebrates the rededication of the second Jewish temple in Jerusalem.”
You probably have seen the dreidel. Dreidel is Yiddish for "spinning top." A dreidel is a pointed, four-sided top that can be made to spin on its pointed base.
Dreidel Game: I learned that as you spin the dreidel there are four outcomes:
-. Land on “nun” (נ) and nothing happens.
-. Land on “gimmel” (ג) and you get to take the whole pot.
-. Land on “hay” (ה) and you take half of the pot.
-. Land on “shin” (ש) and you must give a predetermined amount back into the kitty.
Some play with special candy coins and some with real coins.
***
Another aspect is the candles. During Hanukkah, on each of the eight nights, a candle is lit in a special menorah.
*****
Kwanzaa, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is an African American and pan-African seven-day cultural holiday that celebrates family and community. During the holiday, families celebrate with feasts, music, and dance, and end the holiday with a day dedicated to reflection and recommitment to the seven principles.
The seven principles are:
The seven principles of Kwanzaa are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
And, if you have thought, I’m not really familiar with Kwanzaa, you are correct. “Professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Maulana Karenga, created Kwanzaa in 1966 in the midst of the Black Freedom Movement”
Christmas Eve is (of course), the night (eve) before Christmas. The concepts come from Luke chapter 2:
“Now in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all. Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary. While they were there, she gave birth to Jesus.” (edited)
Now it was a night event. There had been the Star that the Wisemen followed; and shepherds “ keeping watch over their flock at night”. Many of the Christmas hymns talk about the night - Silent Night, O Holy Night, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and more. Thus, many Christian churches have Christmas Eve services and even midnight worship experiences. A traditional Catholic (and others) experience is “Midnight Mass”.
Christmas seems to have morphed into a ‘one size fits all’ - as there is the religious aspect of Christmas - the birth of Jesus; but also the secular aspect of Santa Claus and gift-giving.
Growing up in Eastern Iowa, where (my assumption) was everyone was Christian, Christmas was THE big deal. In school, we sang Christmas songs - both religious and secular. I remember almost everybody saying “Merry Christmas” and rarely “Season’s Greetings” or “Happy Holidays”.
After the Christmas break, when school started again, we wore our new clothes to school and eagerly chatted about what we got for Christmas to our friends.
I loved to sing (my voice is not good anymore), but the Christmas Hymns, Carols, Secular Songs were part of my experience. I learned (from my Dad), the lyrics were “Rudolph with your nose so red, won’t you pull my little sleigh” (and, of course, I tried to teach those lyrics to my grandchildren). I did know that “White Christmas” wasn’t about our family. I did feel sorry that there wasn’t a “Little Tuba Boy” in addition to the “Little Drummer Boy”. (And, I bet the babe in the manager was happy that bagpipes were not invented yet!!)
OTHER DECEMBER DAYS
For those Seinfeld lovers, you have Festivus.
“Festivus is on December 23 and it’s perfect for those who don’t have a traditional holiday to celebrate. Although it sounds paradoxical, its purpose makes a lot of sense. Not everyone has a major holiday to celebrate like Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa and they can feel left out. This holiday gives many people a non-denominational and non-commercial holiday to call their own. Festivus is for everybody!
Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, people take the time to kick off the holiday season by giving back to their community. Whether it be donating money to a charitable cause or volunteering, Giving Tuesday is a day set to benefit the community.
******
THANKSGIVING FUN
Q: Why did the farmer run a steamroller over his potato field on Thanksgiving Day?
A: He wanted to raise mashed potatoes.
Q: What do you call a running turkey?
A: Fast food!
Q: Why did the turkey cross the road?
A: It was Thanksgiving Day, and he wanted people to think he was a chicken!
Q: What animal has the worst eating habits?
A: The turkey, because it gobbles everything up!
Q: What is a turkey’s favorite dessert?
A: Peach gobbler!
Q: Why do turkeys eat so little?
A: Because they are always stuffed.
Q: What part of the turkey does a percussionist love the most?
A: The drumsticks.
Q: What do you get when you cross a turkey with a centipede?
A: Drumsticks for everyone on Thanksgiving Day!
THANKSGIVING LOGIC PROBLEM:
There are four cousins sitting together at the kid’s table. They are Larry, Nick, Phil, and Tom. There are four foods: Ham, Mashed Potatoes, Pumpkin Pie, and Turkey. The four boys are all different ages: 8, 9, 10 or 11 years old.
Clues:
Larry is looking forward to eating turkey
The boy who likes pumpkin pie is one year younger than Phil.
Tom is younger than the boy who loves turkey
The boy who likes ham is two years older than Phil
Find out which food they like and are expected to eat!!
(Good Luck)
*****
My friends, I hope this blog has been fun (after all it is Sunday Funday).
Enjoy your last two days of November 2020 - and we KNOW (believe) that 2021 will be a better year as COVID-19 vaccines get rolled out, and LOVE WILL WIN!!!
****
Peace upon all of you!!
LOVE WINS!!
HUGS!!!
Karen
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting Karens2019.blogspot.com. I will review your message!!!