today’s holiday: Festa di San Nicola

Festa di San Nicola

The Festa di San Nicola (Festival of St. Nicholas) is celebrated in Italy on the anniversary of the transfer of the saint’s relics by a group of 11th-century sailors from Bari. Thousands of pilgrims come to the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari, Puglia, to worship at the saint’s tomb and to ask for his help. There is a procession on this day in which a group of Barese sailors take the saint’s image down to the water, where it is placed on a flower-decked boat and taken out to sea. At night the statue is returned to its place of honor on the altar of San Nicola’s crypt. More… Discuss

WORD: Materfamilias

materfamilias 

Definition:	(noun) A female head of a family or tribe.
Synonyms:	matriarch
Usage:	As materfamilias, my grandmother calls the shots on holidays like Thanksgiving, and no one dares question her. Discuss.

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TODAY’S HOLIDAY: EARTH DAY

Earth Day

The first Earth Day was observed on April 22, 1970, to draw public attention to the need for cleaning up the Earth’s air and water and for conserving our natural resources. Earth Day is now observed regularly throughout the United States and in many other countries. Typical ways of celebrating Earth Day includeplanting trees, picking up roadside trash, and conducting various programs for recycling and conservation. Schoolchildren may be asked to use only recyclable containers for their snacks and lunches, and families often try to give up wasteful habits. More… Discuss

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TODAY’S HOLIDAY: SUMINURI MATSURI

Suminuri Matsuri

Suminuri Matsuri is a New Year tradition observed for more than half a millennium in a district of Matsunoyama, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. People adorn their homes and streets for Oshogatsu (New Year’s Day) with decorations made of paper, tree branches and bamboo. After the holiday, they take down the decorations and burn them, keeping the ashes for the Suminuri Festival. People take the ashes outside and mix them with snow, then rub the concoction on each other’s faces for luckin the new year. More… Discuss

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