Did you know?

The Candy Cane has Religious Beginnings - Origin of the Candy Cane

2011-12-22T22:11:00.001-05:00

Candy Canes with their characteristic red swirled stripes of today

Back in the early 17th century in Cologne, Germany, a local church priest had a hard time with children sitting quietly during services on Christmas Eve. Growing frustrated, he came up with the idea of giving them candy to appease them during the ceremony. To make the candy more fitting for the holiday, the priest had the local candy maker put a bend at the end of the usual straight white sweet sticks of candy which made it resemble a shepherd's staff. This would correspond with the story of the shepherds who visited the baby Jesus after he was born.

Original candy canes where white until stripes and peppermint flavoring where added in the late 1800s.

This idea caught on and spread all over Europe over the ages and then, the world. In the late 1800s, peppermint flavoring was introduced as well as the concept of adding a red stripe which was quickly becoming a traditional color of Christmas which represented the blood that was shed by Jesus when he was crucified.

In the early 1900s, candy canes started to become mass produced.

In the early 1900s following the industrial revolution in America, candy canes as we know them, began to be mass produced. Today it is still customary for some organizations to hand candy canes out to young children at Christmas time.

Today, in addition to the traditional red and white striped canes, they available in a variety of colors and flavors

Thanksgiving was Celebrated by Native Americans Before the Pilgrims Ever Landed and Today There Exists an Un-Thanksgiving Day

2011-11-24T17:04:00.001-05:00

We all celebrate Thanksgiving in North America with turkey, gravy and all the trimmings. This Thanksgiving tradition dates back to the "first" official celebration at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. However, these European settlers did not necessarily start the tradition.

The Wampanoag tribe helped the Pilgrims survive their first years at Plymouth

After battling starvation and disease, the pilgrims who landed at Plymouth were doomed. However, the local natives, the Wampanoag tribe, helped them learn how to grow corn and live off of the land by fishing and harvesting the local bounty. After surviving the year, they decided to follow the custom of harvest celebrations in Europe combined with a fall harvest celebration that the Native Americans celebrated as well. The Wampanoag tribe joined the Pilgrim's in their harvest celebration which they called Thanksgiving. The celebration included turkey because they were birds that were plentiful in the northeastern part of America and they were easy to hunt. They also ate various types of seafood that they learned to harvest from the ocean.

The turkey became the unfortunate staple of Thanksgiving Day dinners in America simply because they were readily available in the days during the first Thanksgiving celebrations

The Thanksgiving fall feast was not a regular tradition however. Until the settlers were well established, regular Thanksgiving celebrations did not occur until the middle of the 17th century. When the United States was first formed in the 18th century, states developed legislation declaring Thanksgiving an annual celebration, however, they celebrated it on different dates. Followed almost a century later a Presidential declaration for the Nation by Abraham Lincoln made the final Thursday in November the national holiday of Thanksgiving. It was not until 1941 that legislation was put in place making Thanksgiving the 4th Thursday every November.

The first Thanksgiving celebration in Plymouth, Massachusetts

Thanksgiving began as a typical harvest festival and to give thanks for survival

Believe it or not, unknown to many, there exists an Un-Thanksgiving Day which is held on Alcatraz Island in California. Some refer to it as The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony. This is held by Native Americans and other indiginous tribes of the western hemisphere to celebrate their survival of the European overtaking of thier lands on this side of the world. Thousands attend each year and celebrations usually consist of song and dance.

Natives celebrate Un-Thanksgiving Day or The Indigenous Peoples Sunrise Ceremony on Alcatraz Island, California

Origin of Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T22:30:00.000-04:00

In 1862, on the 5th of May after the Mexican-American war, the Mexican army engaged in a battle with occupying French forces in the providence of Puebla in which they were outnumbered. However, against overwhelming odds, they won the battle. The victory helped the Mexican Army to gain confidence and to the citizens of Mexico, a sense of pride. To this day in the state of Puebla Mexico, the Battle of Puebla is commemorated with a celebration involving food, dancing, music, and drinking.

Artist's interpretation of the Battle of Puebla

Many believe that Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican independence, not so. Some also associate the making of sugar skulls with Cinco de Mayo, but these are actually used primarily in the Day of the Dead celebrations in Latin American countries which is held on November 2.

Cinco de Mayo dancers in Washington D.C.

Over the years, the Cinco de Mayo celebration spread to other parts of the country and became a holiday celebrating national pride. Eventually the yearly fiesta spread across the border into the United States by Mexican immigrants and became widespread across the United States.

A typical Cinco do Mayo celebration

In 2007, the U. S. Congress declared Cinco de Mayo, which is the literal Spanish translation of "the 5th of May" a National holiday celebrating the heritage of Mexican-American citizens of the United States, giving the holiday a different meaning in the United States than in Mexico.

Many types of Mexican food are consumed on Cinco de Mayo

Lilies are Poisonous to Cats

2011-04-23T12:20:00.001-04:00

If you get an Easter lily as a gift or any other kind of lily for that matter and you have cats in your house, put the plant in a place where the cat cannot get to it. Most kinds of lilies including Easter lilies are deadly to cats, they cause kidney failure. We all know that cats like to chew on plans, so to be safe, hide the plants where your cats cannot access them!

Cats love plants. Making sure they exposed to non-lethal ones will keep them safe

If a cat eats any part of the plant or licks the pollen from the plant off of it's paws after touching it, the cat may begin to show signs of poisoning within 30 minutes. The symptoms include but are not limited to:

vomiting

lethargy

lack of appetite

Up to a day and a half to within 3 days of ingesting the plant, the cat can develop kidney failure. Orchids and violets are a safer alternative if you are offering a gift to someone who has cats.

Cats by nature like to play with and chew plants

The Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs were Around Long Before the holiday - Orgin of Easter

2011-04-23T11:18:00.006-04:00

Goddess of Spring

Back in ancient times, pagans worshiped the Goddess of Spring known by European peoples, mostly in Germania, as Ostara. To the Saxons on the British Isle, she was known as Eostre. After every winter the pagans would celebrate the rite of Spring through rituals and feasting and worship of Eostre. When the Roman Christians were creating the Roman calendar, they decided to make the holiday pagan friendly. They adaped the name Eostre and came up with Easter as the holday since it was close to the anniversary of Jesus' resurrection.

Artist rendition of Ostara, the Germanic Goddess of Spring

Artist rendition of Eostre the Saxon Goddess of Spring

Easter Bunny

In the pagan Spring time celebrations one of the symbols used to represent Spring was the rabbit. Known for it's high reproductive rate, it seemed logial that this was a symbol of fertility. In some parts of Europe, the March hare trived and was mostly a nocturnal animal. That is until the Spring during mating season when the March hare could be seen out in the daytime all of the time.

An ancient pagan stature featuring Eostre and a hare

When the male hares are rejected by their potential mates, they hop around erraticaly in frustration. This kind of gives a whole new twist to Peter Cottontale hopping down the bunny trail. Peter Cottontale came to life in 1949 in a tune written by song writer Jack Rollins with the music composed by Steve Nelson.

In later times, to make the festival more child friendly, people began hiding sweets in rabbit nest-like places for children. Hence, the association with candy in the modern day celebration of Easter. After the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, eggs became widely used along with the sweets.

Easter Eggs

The same meaning goes for the egg, being a true symbol of fertility as it holds life itself. These symbols were also used during pagan Spring rituals. When the Christians came along, the egg was adapted to be a symbol of the tomb that held Jesus Christ before His resurrection. It is said that after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mary Magdalene was invited to a banquet given by Caesar Tiberius. When she was introduced to him, she held an egg in her hand which was used as a symbol to represent Christ rising from the grave. As she she proclaimed to the Emperor "Christ has risen!", he replied that his rising was as likely as the egg she was holding turning red. Before Mary finished speaking, the egg turned red. This is believed to be the origin of the custom of coloring Easter eggs.

An artist's depiction of Mary Magdalene and the red egg

Why Easter is not on a fixed date

Sometimes Easter is in March, sometimes it is in the month of April. The ancient pagan Spring rituals were typically conducted during the first full moon after the Spring or vernal equinox. This date is March 21 or 20 by astronomical standards. The full moon cycle varies so the full moon falls on different dates each year. When the Christian Romans created the Roman calendar, they wanted the holiday to be pagan friendly and make it easier for them to accept, so it was decided that Easter would always fall on a Sunday. Therefore, they would use the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equiniox or March 21st. Easter will never occur before March 22 or later than April 25.

Lilies

White lilies are a widely used symbol of Easter. How are they connected to the holiday? It is said that in the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus, white lilies where growing there. After Jesus was crucified, it was told that by some miracle white lilies began to grow on the ground around the spot where Jesus' blood and sweat fell during his crucifixion. To this day the Easter lily is used to celebrate the holiday.

Before 1941, when World War II broke out, Easter lilies where not available in the United States and were imported from Japan. The flower bulbs where then brought into the country and are still only grown in a few states.

The Easter lily has become a popular symbol of Easter

The Origin of St. Patrick's Day

2011-03-16T23:54:00.004-04:00

Maewyn Succat was born in Britain back in the 4th century in the year 387. He was born in Dumbarton, Scotland which was then under Roman control. When he was sixteen years old, he was captured by raiders and taken to Ireland and sold into slavery. Being raised by a father who was a church deacon, he would pray for guidance. He claimed that one day God answered him and told him to escape and go to the coastline where there, he found a ship. He was able to board and returned to home to Britain. Having become a true believer in God, he studied under the church in France and became a priest, then a bishop. It was then he took the name of Patrick.

He returned to Ireland around 432, only this time to teach the word of God as a bishop to the church. One of his most famous teaching methods to the pagans was that of using a shamrock to represent the trinity. Each of the three leaves of the shamrock representing The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. Through his teachings, Christianity became widespread across Ireland.

The Irish Clover or "Shamrock" was used by then, Bishop Patrick to teach the Holy Trinity to the pagan Irish

St. Patrick passed away on March 17, 461. He was followed by many more evangelists to the island of Ireland, but he became a legend and was considered the primary man responsible for Christianity's existence in that country. As the celebration of his life on March 17 gained more popularity, it became widespread across all of Ireland. Celebrations began around the 17th century when Irish Christians would hold a feast in honor of Patrick. After Patrick was made a Patron Saint of Ireland, it became a national holiday and in the 1600's it was officially added to the Catholic Church calendar as a holy day of obligation.

St. Patrick was originally named Maewyn Succat and was born in what is now Scotland

Over the years, St. Patrick's Day became more of a celebration of Irish ancestry and pride. The phrase "Erin Go Braugh" which is commonly used on St. Patrick's Day, is loosely translated as "Ireland Forever". Green was not always the color associated with St. Patrick's Day. Early on, blue was used in celebrations. With the association of the shamrock with St. Patrick's teachings, eventually the color green and the shamrock symbol itself became mostly used in the celebrations.

Related Posts:

The Origin of Valentine's Day
The Origin and History of Halloween
Christmas, The 12 Days of Christmas, and Santa Claus
The Origin of Thanksgiving

The Origin of Christmas, "The twelve days of Christmas", and Santa Claus

2010-12-25T10:07:00.003-05:00

Where did Christmas originate?

Traditionally, Christmas is known to be the celebration of the birth of Christ. There are some that debate whether the date of Christ's birth was actually known and that the date corresponds more closely with celebrations of the ancient Roman's Winter solstice or other winter festivals. For Christians, Christmas is usually a minor celebration day and is the start of Christmastide. Christmastide or sometimes referred to as "The twelve days of Christmas", begins on Christmas day and and ends on January 6 or Epiphany. This is sometimes a larger celebration or feast which comemorates the Magi visiting baby Jesus in the manger. Many people in modern times and mostly non-Christians, mistakenly believe that "The twelve days of Christmas" refers to the twelve days before Christmas.

A representation of Epiphany

Origins of the word Christmas

The word Christmas comes from the Middle English word Christemasse, meaning Christ's mass. It is sometimes abbreviated Xmas and this is not a random choice. The word Christe in Christemasse is derived from the Greek language. The first letter of Christ according to Greek language is chi or the letter X. This led to the abbreviation Xmas. The French have always referred to Christmas as Noël, which made it's way into some early English songs such as "The First Nowell" meaning The First Christmas. This made it's way to America as "The First Noel" and many refer to Christmas as Noel.

Origin of Christmas Decorations

Actually starting prior to the onset of Chistianity, the use of evergreens was used by the Pagans to celebrate the winter solstace by bringing them inside to represent the living green world through the dead of winter. The practice was then adapted by Christians and expanded to include other available green plants such as ivy which many believe that the heart shaped leaves represented Jesus' arrival. The thorns of the Holly plant was seen to represent Jesus' crown of thorns worn at his crucifixion and the red berries represented his blood that was spilled. Holly was also believed to offer protection from witches and pagans. The evergreens eventually expanded and the use of actual evergreen trees were first used in Germany and became the first Christmas trees. The poinsetta plant and it's red flowers were imported from Mexico and used as a decoration to represent Christmas as well.

The holly plant as used in Christmas decor originally representing the crown of thorns worn and the blood spilled by Jesus

Poinsettas were imported from Mexico and used as Christmas decor starting in the 19th century

Early Christmas trees were decorated with candles

Modern day Christmas tree and decorations

The use of mistletoe has origins starting prior to the onset of Chistianity as well. It it believed to be part of an ancient Scandinavian custom. It was used to represent fertility and good luck. A spring of mistletoe was to be hung at some point in the home to bring luck and fertility to the house hold. Contrary to what many may believe in the modern era, at the onset of Christianity, the mistletoe was hung all year round and a new mistletoe hung on Christmas Eve. The custom of kissing someone when meeting under the mistletoe was true then, however, after the kiss a berry was to be plucked from the sprig of mistletoe. When all of the berries are gone, the kisses run out until a new mistletoe is hung the following year.

Origin of Santa Claus

The legendary Santa Claus actually was a real person, the bishop of Myra, Saint Nicolas. He lived in what is now modern day Turkey in the 4th century and was noted for his generosity towards children. The name Saint Nicolas was derived from the dutch name Sinterklaas. Which evolved into the modern day Santa Claus in the United States. Saint Nicolas was honored for his kindess with a celbration in his honor on December 6, or Saint Nicolas day of which feasts were held and gifts were exchanged to represent his kindness. The Protestants during the Reformation, moved the gift giving day to Christmas and references made to Saint Nicolas became Christ Child or Christkindl which eventually evolved into Kris Kringle. Thus, the Christian tradition of Christmastide and the celebration of Saint Nicolas became one.

A portrayal of Saint Nicolas or Sinterklaas who many believe was THE Santa Clause

Early depiction of Kris Kringle

The image of Santa in his red and white fur lined suit and hat with his eight reindeer began in the United States. The name Sancte Claus was derived from the dutch Sinterklaas and replaced the English Kris Kringle due to the willingness of the post-Revolution colonists to obscure English tradition with something else. Cartoonist Thomas Nast had German origins and created what would become the modern image of Santa Clause in 1863. With the onset of commercialisation in the early 1900's , Nast's image of Santa Clause would be adapted by all and is what we know as Santa Claus today.

The image of the modern day Santa Claus

The Origin of Valentine's Day

The Origin and History of Halloween

The Origin of St. Patrick's Day

The Origin of Thanksgiving

The origin of the phrase "gung ho"

2010-07-24T10:14:00.000-04:00

US Marine Evans Carlson learned the term during the Boxer Rebellion in China. The Chinese term "Gong he" which is a shortened version of "Chung-Guo Gung-Yeh Ho-Tso She" was thought to mean "work together". It was in reality, the name of the Chinese Industrial Cooperative Association.

Carlson introduced the term and concept to Marines in training when he returned to the United States in 1942 to encourage team work. The term spread through the US Marine Corps, but was not really widely popular across the US until Randolph Scott starred in the 1943 movie "Gung Ho". It is now widley used in the English language to refer to someone with a great deal of enthusiasm or eagerness.

Why is June popular for weddings?

2010-07-19T21:15:00.001-04:00

In ancient times Romans married during the month of June to honor Juno the Goddess of Marriage.
Also,if a baby was conceived at the time of marriage, it would not be born until after the harvest.

Tradition of wedding rings and engagement rings were started by June marketing campaigns by jewelry companies.

Queen Victoria started the tradition of a white wedding dress when she married Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

Curling stones only come from one place in the world

2010-02-20T13:10:00.002-05:00

The Olympic sport of curling involves teams sliding large granite stones along a court made of ice. The object is to get your team's stone as close to the center of the target which is called "home". Originally in the 1500's when the sport was first known to be played, people used river rocks which are irregularly shaped and pretty much left the game to chance. It was played outdoors on the frozen river itself. Later, curling stones where developed into a uniform shape, size, and weight. Modern curling stones are made of "blue hone granite". It only comes from one place in the world and it is where the sport originated from. A tiny uninhabited island off the coast of Scotland named Aisla Craig.

Origin of Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:19:00.002-05:00

Although there have been several Valentines over the ages, the Valentine linked to love dates back to the Roman Empire. Emperor Claudius II forbid young men to be married because he did not think married men made good soldiers in his army. However a Roman Priest named Valentine was against this law and secretly performed marriages for the Roman soldiers who wished to be married. Claudius found out about this and had him arrested and thrown in jail. It is alleged that he performed a miracle while in
jail by healing the blind daughter of the jailer. On the eve of his execution, Valentine wrote a note to the jailer's daughter who he was in love with, signed "From your Valentine".

Pictorial of St. Valentine

The Roman Catholics celebrated Saint Valentine by feasting on February 14th, the anniversary of when he was buried. This feast is still observed in Malta where it is believed relics of the saint are
located.

During the late middle ages, Saint Valentine's Day became associated with romantic love. Over time images such as hearts, cupids, etc. became associated with "Valentines Day". To this day "Valentines" are exchanged between companions who are intimately related.

You can tell if a person is really a man or woman from their hands

2010-01-03T21:48:00.001-05:00

Research has shown that in most cases a woman's index fingers are longer than her ring finger. While most men have a longer ring finger than index finger. So if you are in question about the gender of a particular person, look at their hands. This is one physical feature that cosmetic surgeons are less willing to attempt to alter in a person.

Note the longer ring finger in this photo of a man's hands. It is longer than the index finger.

I've been in debates with folks about the gender of Lady Gaga. Is she really a man? According to the photo below, she is all woman baby...

Lady GaGa in her famous hand over her left eye pose in "Just Dance". Note the index finger is longer than her ring finger.

Did you know that owls are not the smartest birds?

2010-01-02T20:54:00.000-05:00

You have heard plenty of times through your childhood that the "wise old owl" is the most intelligent bird in the world. Wrong! Ornithologists believe that parrots, jays, and crows rank among the smartest of all birds. Owls are not up there on the list.

Did you also know that almost all of the owls used in the Harry Potter films are REAL owls! Each owl was trained to do a specific shot in each move just like people actors...

Arlington National Cemetery was the former estate of General Robert E. Lee

2009-11-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

At the start of the Civil War in the United States, both the Union and Confederate States wanted Robert E. Lee to command forces on their side. Being a resident of Virginia, Lee chose to support the Confederate States. He owned a plantation just south of Washington named Arlington. During the war, the Union confiscated the property and used it to house wounded troops. At the end of the war, Lee never returned to his home as the Union started burying fallen soldiers on it's grounds right out in the open to serve as a reminder to Lee of the damage he had done during the war. Later, the Federal Government compensated Lee's family for the property. Today it is known as Arlington National Cemetery. A place of honor for fallen soldiers who have served it's country. Robert E. Lee was arguably one of the best battlefield commanders in United States history.

The Pre-Civil War home of Robert E. Lee, Arlington

Arlington National Cemetery Today

During and after the Civil War, a corner of the property became a temporary home for freed slaves from the south. They lived in crudely constructed shacks and tents. It became known as Freedman's Village. There are no remains of the village today. The exact location is unknown, but it was near the Marine Corp Memorial. Some of the Freedman's Village residents are buried there.

The Origin and History of Halloween

2009-10-30T22:06:00.007-04:00

The Halloween holiday actually started back in ancient Celtic times as a pagan festival. A celebration known as Samhain celebrated the beginning of the dark side of the year. It was believed that the border between this world and the spirit world was very thin at this time of year which allowed the spirits to cross over from the other side. People began wearing costumes and masks to ward off the some of the evil spirits that crossed over. It became a celebration where food and drink were consumed and games were played. A form of the game of bobbing for apples survives to this day. Ancient peoples also used to put out all of the lights in their homes on this night hoping that the spirits would pass over them.

The name Halloween was adapted from the Old English term "All Hallows Even" meaning the eve of "All Saints Day" which is the day after Halloween. Starting around 1800, folks used to honor the dead or fallen by placing a candle in the window. They also carved faces of fallen warriors out of a turnip believing that the dead would still speak. As the Scottish and Irish immigrants moved to America, they discovered that the pumpkin was much easier to carve faces into than turnips and they were big enough to put candles inside, the jack-o-lantern was born.

Halloween was more of an adult holiday until activities involving children came along to make it entertaining for them like dressing up in costume. The celebrations began moving into then neighborhoods in the form of trick-or-treating. As "mischief" night became more an more popular with violence and trickery, some folks began attempting to temper down the celebration. In1920 Anoka, Minnesota had the very first Halloween parade and is known today as the "Halloween Capital of the World".

Modern association of monsters, vampires, werewolves, etc. all came from modern movies, books, and stories to build the image of Halloween as it is known today.

References:
Wikipedia - Halloween
"Haunted History of Halloween" - The History Channel

Related Articles:

Christmas, The 12 Days of Christmas, and Santa Claus
The Origin of Valentine's Day
The Origin of St. Patrick's Day
The Easter Bunny and Easter Eggs were Around Long Before the holiday - Orgin of Easter
The Origin of Thanksgiving

There is a place in the world where there are no native snakes

2009-10-26T22:11:00.001-04:00

Don't like snakes? Move to Ireland. Ireland is the only land mass in the entire world except for Antarctica that does not have snakes. It is a mystery why almost every place on earth has some form of native snake except this island.

How the dollar sign originated.

2009-10-23T19:40:00.000-04:00

Back in colonial days one of the first dollar coins ever minted was the "pillar" dollar. It was named so because on the left and right side of the coin was a pillar. Around the pillar was wrapped a scroll. As this coin became widely used in transactions folks began recording the dollars exchanged in the transaction by writing down two vertical lines indicating the pillar, then they would draw a wavy line over the two lines to represent the scroll. Thus, over time this became known as the dollar sign.

The Pillar Dollar

Modern Dollar Sign

Mask in the Movie "Halloween"

2009-10-18T00:14:00.000-04:00

...the mask in the move halloween was a cheap mask bought in a store. It was a low budget movie, so they bought a William Shatner mask and painted it white.

"Beam me up Scotty!" ..oh wait, wrong movie.

Inspiration for "The Shining"

2009-10-18T00:07:00.000-04:00

...the Stanley Hotel, a resort in Estes Park, Colorado that inspired the book "The Shining", was not the actual hotel in the movie which is what most shows on TV lead you to believe? It was filmed on multiple locations: a London sound stage and Timberline Lodge, located in Mt. Hood, Oregon.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon

Monkeys Practice Prostitution

2009-10-17T23:44:00.000-04:00

...monkeys Practice Prostitution? Not a joke. Check out more details by looking for the story in my Intelligent Animals blog.

The HOLLYWOOD Sign

2009-10-17T23:40:00.002-04:00

...that an actress once committed suicide by jumping off of the letter H? Her name was Peg Entwistle.

An actress once committed suicide by jumping off of he letter "H" of the Hollywood sign in California

She starred in the film Thirteen Women in 1932 co-starring Myrna Loy and Irene Dunne. However, Entwistle's performance was overlooked and she did not get a contract renew with the studio. Depressed she climbed up to top of the what was then the HOLLYWOODLAND sign and leaped off.

Although there are some who say it was the last "D" in the sign that she jumped from. The "LAND" was removed in 1949 as well as the lights. It was decided that it should be renamed to match the name of the area where it was located.

The sign in Hollywood used to read HOLLYWOODLAND

The sign deteriorated to the point where it deteriorated half of the first O was missing and the entire third O was gone. A community effort led by Alice Cooper in 1978 restored the sign to it's full glory. Cooper donated the missing letter O!

The HOLLYWOOD sign in it's worse state before being restored in 1978