Festivals and special days

Festivals and special days

Postby Sebastian Vergara » Sun Nov 12, 2017 4:47 am

April Fool's day is celebrated every year on April 1 by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. The custom of setting aside a day for the playing of harmless pranks upon one's neighbor is recognized widely throughout the world.

Cinco de Mayo is an annual celebration held on May 5. The date is observed to commemorate the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza.

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served". Observed on 25 April each year.

Groundhog day is a traditional holiday originating in the United States that is celebrated on February 2. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then the spring season will arrive early, some time before the vernal equinox; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its den, and winter weather will persist for six more weeks.

Valentine's Day is an annual holiday celebrated on February 14. It originated as a Western Christian liturgical feast day honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, and is recognized as a significant cultural and commercial celebration in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.

Easter is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial after his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 Ac. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus, preceded by Lent (or Great Lent), a forty-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.

Las Posadas are popular festivals that are celebrated in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama during the nine days before Christmas, that is, from December 16 to 24. These festivals recall the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph from their departure from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where they seek a place to stay and await the birth of the baby Jesus.

Tet Nguyen Dan is the most important celebration in Vietnamese culture. The word is a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán, which is Sino-Vietnamese for "Feast of the First Morning of the First Day". Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese calendar, which usually has the date falling in January or February.
Sebastian Vergara
 

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