subject: Celebrations - Famous, Obscure And Funny [print this page] The truly international celebrations are observed on the same day throughout the world. These include Christmas, New Year and Valentine's day. There are also some related festivities that, although observed in many places in the world, do not necessarily fall on the same day for each country. Among these are Mother's Day, Father's Day, Labor Day, National Heroes Day and Independence Day. For instance, Independence Day in the US falls on the fourth of July whereas in other countries, it may be on a different day.
And then again, each country has a set of holidays commemorating some significant and famous person and event in their history. Thus you have holidays to honor national heroes, saints, victories in battle and milestone events in the history of the country. Some countries conduct appropriate celebrations for national language day and national education day to commemorate the birth of the national language and education institutions in the country.
Some festivities, especially those connected with saints, have come to be observed globally. This is either because of the universal appeal of the saint or the fact that many people from the country where the festival started migrated to other placed in the world.
As an example, the festival of St. Patrick which originated in the area of Ireland and Scotland is currently being celebrated in countries as far apart as Japan and America. The reason for this is that migrants from Ireland and Scotland brought along with them and encouraged that practice in their new country. Valentine's Day, on the other hand, is universally accepted because of its appeal to all the people. The Roman martyr was reported to have signed his farewell letter to his beloved with 'Your Valentine,' a phrase that ends many a love note scribbled on a Valentine card.
There is also the less known Feast of the Holy Innocents which is also celebrated internationally in countries which were colonies of Spain. This festival commemorates the massacre of the male babies in Bethlehem. This act was ordered by King Herod in the hope that the Christ child would be one of the babies massacred.
Today, celebrations may not just commemorate famous people, events and achievements, they also serve to remind people about certain issues in life. We have days in which environmental awareness is promoted, anti-smoking celebrations, anti-alcohol and anti-drug festivities. Other festivities honor sectors of the community. These include Teacher's Day, Parent's Day and Children's Day.
Even pets and animals now have days set aside for honoring. Them. There are persons who hold festivals on Penguin Appreciation Day, Squirrel Awareness Day, Tree Conservation Day. There is even a National Disabled Pets Day and a National Cats Day.
Sometimes, festivals are dedicated to mythical beings like dragons. In parts of the world Dragon Appreciation Day is held. Some festivals seek to encourage or discourage certain practices; for instance, Speed Limit Day and Belly Laugh Day.
There are even festival days for showcasing inane answering messages, celebrating the fact that a person is single. A Mom and Dad Forgiveness Day has also been created by people as well as a National Courtesy Day and a National Bath Day. On second thought, these celebrations are not just one way of having fun but also an excellent way to remind and motivate people to do the right thing.
