Fourth of July

                         In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States. Independence Day is the national day of the United States.
                 In 1775, people in New England began fighting the British for their independence. On July 2, 1776, the Congress secretly voted for independence from Great Britain. The Declaration of Independence was first published two days later on July 4, 1776. The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence was on July 8, 1776. Delegates began to sign the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776. In 1870, Independence Day was made an unpaid holiday for federal employees. In 1941, it became a paid holiday for them.
                 The first description of how Independence Day would be celebrated was in a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on July 3, 1776. He described "pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations" throughout the United States. However, the term "Independence Day" was not used until 1791.
                 Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, both signers of the Declaration of Independence and presidents of the United States, died on July 4, 1826 - exactly 50 years after the adoption of the declaration. It is also important to note that Native Americans lived in the country and each tribe had its own nation and government prior to the European settlers.

St. Patrick's Day

              Saint Patrick's Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, "the Day of the Festival of Patrick") is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It is named after Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland.

Things You Didn't Know
1.No doubt you'll be seeing the color green everywhere today in honor of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick. Here's a look at five things you didn't know about St. Patrick's Day

2.St. Patrick Was Not Irish -His birth name was actually Maewyn Succat -- it wasn't until he was in the Church that it was changed to Patricius, or Patrick. St. Patrick, the Apostle of Ireland, was born in Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, which is in Scotland. As a teenager, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and enslaved as a shepherd for several years. He attributed his ability to persevere to his faith in God.

3.Did St. Patrick Drive All the Snakes Out of Ireland?
Despite the popular lore, St. Patrick did not drive the snakes out of Ireland because the island did not have any to begin with. Icy water surrounds the Emerald Isle, which prevented snakes from migrating over.

4.Green may be the national color of Ireland, but the color most associated with St. Patrick is blue. The Order of St. Patrick was established in 1783 as the senior order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Ireland. The color associated with the honor needed to differentiate it from the Order of the Garter (dark blue) and the Order of the Thistle (green). So they went with blue.

5.The first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in the U.S. The Irish have been celebrating the feast of St. Patrick since the ninth century, but the first recorded parade anywhere was in Boston in 1737. The parade was not Catholic in nature, though, because the majority of Irish immigrants to the colonies were Protestant. Ireland did not have a parade of its own until 1931, in Dublin. Even today, 18 out of the 20 largest St. Patrick's Day parades are in the states -- New York's is the largest.

6.St. Patrick used a three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to pagan Irish, forever linking the shamrock with him and the Irish in the popular imagination. He would tie shamrocks to his robes, which is why the color green is worn.

Wishing you a rainbow
For sunlight after showers

Miles and miles of Irish smiles
For golden happy hours

Shamrocks at your doorway
For luck and laughter too,

And a host of friends that never ends
Each day your whole life through!

Happy Independence Day

             The Independence Day in India is celebrated every year on the 15th of August in honor of the birthday of the nation. On 15th August 1947, India achieved her independence from British rule and became a sovereign nation.

             On the eve of 15th August 1947, India tricolor (saffron, green and white) flag was first hoisted by Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, at the Red Fort of Delhi.

"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we will redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance.... We end today a period of ill fortune, and India discovers herself again." … Jawaharlal Nehru (Speech on Indian Independence Day, 15th August 1947)

The Indian National Pledge is commonly recited by Indians in unison at public events, during daily assemblies in many Indian schools, and during the Independence Day and Republic Day Observance Ceremonies. The words of the National Pledge goes like this:

General Pledge (in English)

India is my country. All Indians are my brothers and sisters.
I love my country. I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.
I shall always strive to be worthy of it.
I shall give my parents, teachers and all elders, respect, and treat everyone with courtesy.
To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.
In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness.

 It reminds me of school days. In our school every morning we used to first sing prayer,then the pledge and then Jana gana mana.

Raksha Bandhan

                   August 2 is Raksha Bandhan,the festival celebrates the bond between a brother and a sister.Raksha Bandhan is a popular festival in India, especially North India. The festival depicts the love of brothers and sisters. On this day sisters tie a thread called 'Rakhi' around her brother's wrist. She prays to God for the safety of her brother and to lead him to good path.The brother in return gives her sweets and blesses her with good wishes. The festival should not be celebrated as a formality but should be celebrated whole heartedly.

          The festival is held on Shravan Purnima, or the full moon day of the month of Shravan. When a brother arrives at his sister's house (presuming she is married), she greets him by performing an aarti for him and applying a tika on his forehead by using kumkum. The puja thali she holds in her hand consists of roli, tilak, rakhi thread, a small heap of rice grains and sweets. As she ties the rakhi on her brother's wrist, she recites:

      "Suraj shakhan chhodian, mooli chhodia beej, behen ne rakhi bandhi /bhai tu chir jug jee"

(Meaning: The sun radiates its sunlight, the radish spreads its seeds, I tie the rakhi to you O brother and wish that may you live long.)

The mantras recited during rakhi may differ from place to place but the theme is the same.

                 There are some who trace the tradition to Alexander the Great, who invaded India in 326 BC. His wife Roxana apparently sent a sacred thread to Puru, asking him not to harm her husband in battle. In accordance with tradition, Puru, a Katoch king, gave full respect to the thead, or rakhi. On the battlefield, when he was about to deliver a final blow to Alexander, he allegedly looked at the rakhi on his own wrist and restrained himself.

                      There is another legend associated with rakhi. Apparently, in the 16th century, Queen Karnavati, the widowed queen of Chittor, sent a rakhi to Mughal emperor Humayun when she required his help.

                         The symbolism of a simple thread to drive home a message was not lost on famous Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who apparently composed a poem called ''Rakhi'' in 1905 and marched through Calcutta with freedom fighters like Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Aurobindo Ghosh, tying rakhis on people's hands with a prayer for keeping Bengal unified.

Happy Memorial Day

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. -Joseph Campbell

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a federal holiday observed annually in the United States on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War.  By the 20th century Memorial Day had been extended to honor all Americans who have died in all wars. Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, while Labor Day marks its end.
Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries.
By the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as people visited the graves of their deceased relatives in church cemeteries, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family gatherings, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.

Annual Decoration Days for particular cemeteries are held on a Sunday in late spring or early summer in some rural areas of the American South, notably in the mountains. In cases involving a family graveyard where remote ancestors as well as those who were deceased more recently are buried, this may take on the character of an extended family reunion to which some people travel hundreds of miles. People gather on the designated day and put flowers on graves and renew contacts with kinfolk and others. There often is a religious service and a "dinner on the ground," the traditional term for a potluck meal in which people used to spread the dishes out on sheets or tablecloths on the grass. It is believed that this practice began before the American Civil War and thus may reflect the real origin of the "memorial day" idea.

Solar eclipse 2012

The first solar eclipse of the 21st century to affect the continental United States will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2012 and will cover a narrow path from Asia to the western U.S. (a partial eclipse can be seen in a wider area across western North America).

If you're in the path – which includes parts of Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas – of this solar eclipse, get ready for a spectacular celestial show. But don't look up in the sky without proper eye protection – you could damage your eyesight.

Sunday's eclipse is not a total eclipse but an annular eclipse, meaning the moon will not block the whole sun. That's because, according to NASA, the moon is as far away from the earth as it can get this weekend – thus smaller in the sky. For a total eclipse, the moon needs to be closer to the earth, and larger in the sky. The interesting thing about an annular eclipse, and this one in particular, is the ring of light it creates around the edge of the moon.

Here's how NASA explains Sunday's solar eclipse:

During an annular eclipse the moon does not block the entirety of the sun, but leaves a bright ring of light visible at the edges. For the May eclipse, the moon will be at the furthest distance from Earth that it ever achieves – meaning that it will block the smallest possible portion of the sun, and leave the largest possible bright ring around the outside.

Hope you had an awesome Mother's Day !

               I hope that everyone had a lovely Mother's Day . Sorry I have not posted lately I have been busy with some work.

I would like to write something about Mother's day .

          The founder of Mother’s Day, Anna Marie Jarvis, became unhappy with the holiday she established 104 years ago to honor her own mother, Ann Jarvis, following her death on May 5, 1905.

            Mother's Day took place for the first time in 1908. It was celebrated at Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia, where Jarvis’s mother had been teaching Sunday school.

              Jarvis came to see her holiday become too impersonal and commercial. She deplored the use of printed greeting cards, preferring a personal letter of thanks honoring mothers. She was quoted as saying she wished she had never started the day, because it became so out of control. Jarvis was arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace while protesting against the commercialization of Mother's Day.  

                    Mother's Day became a recognized holiday in the United States on May 8, 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday. Since then it has become the biggest holiday for long-distance telephone calls as people step back from their busy lives and reach out to their mothers.

                 Today, Mother’s Day is the third highest day of sales for greeting cards each year, behind only Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

“God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.” - Jewish Proverb

Vishu Specials

Happy Vishu

Vishu marks the beginning of Malayalam New Year, the beginning of hope and new life.Vishu is the astrological new year of Kerala. Vishu conveys the message of auspiciousness and prosperity. Vishukkani or the viewing of the auspicious objects is an important ritual associated with Vishu.
                 we celebrate the harvest festival, Vishu today.I woke up this morning around 4 am.Headed toward the living room with my eyes closed and there it was – the Vishu kani lit with lamps shining so bright everything so bright and colorful.. This propitious 'seeing ceremony' is a harbinger of health, happiness, peace and prosperity and set the tone for the year ahead. Of course ,then I received my "Vishukkaineettom". Crackers are not allowed here. But we can use them in some temples.
          It is the custom for people to wake up at dawn on Vishu and to go to the puja room with their eyes closed so that the first thing that they see in the new year is the Vishukkani.  People also celebrate by wearing new clothes, lighting firecrackers and feasting.                         
                  For me it’s a festival of nostalgic memories  and they are invariably associated with my childhood. Those memories are as golden as the 'Kani Konna flower'.

Happy Vishu! Let this be a delightful year, filled with delightful things in each of its days.

Easter

         Easter, which celebrates Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead, is Christianity's most important holiday. It has been called a moveable feast because it doesn't fall on a set date every year, as most holidays do.

    Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal or Spring Equinox on March 21st. This can be any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. It is the most sacred of all the Christian holidays or celebrations.

       Christ's return (or rising) from death is called the Resurrection. According to the scriptures, Christ's tomb was empty three days after His death, which is commemorated on Good Friday. His followers saw Him and talked to Him after this. Christians therefore believe that they have the hope of a new life (an everlasting life in Heaven) after their earthly death.

       People celebrate Easter according to their beliefs and their religious denominations.Easter customs vary across the Christian world, but decorating Easter eggs is a common motif. In the Western world, customs such as egg hunting and the Easter Bunny extend from the domain of church, and often have a secular character.

May your Easter be blessed with health, longevity, love and a lot of happiness..

                 Happy Easter

Holy Saturday

Holy Saturday , sometimes known as Easter Eve or Black Saturday, is the day after Good Friday. It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter. It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body laid in the tomb.

Good Friday

Good Friday is observed on the Friday before Easter Sunday. It is celebrated traditionally as the day on which Jesus was crucified.This is an important event in Christianity, as it represents the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus' life. The crucifixion was the culmination of a number of events in Holy Week, including: the triumphal return of Jesus to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday; the washing of the disciples' feet by Jesus; and the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday.

Good Friday is a day of mourning and quiet prayer for many Christians. The candles are often extinguished and statues, paintings and crosses may be draped in black, purple or gray cloth.

Good Friday is not an official holiday in United States.

Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries, is the Christian feast or holy day falling on the Thursday before Easter that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels. It is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.

Holy Wednesday

           Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of the Holy Week, the week before Easter. It is followed by Maundy Thursday.It is sometimes known as "Spy Wednesday",as a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot, indicating that it is the day that Judas Iscariot first conspired with the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus for thirty silver coins :(.

Palm Sunday

                   Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. It is the beginning of Holy Week. It celebrates Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. Great crowds of people thronged the streets waving palm branches to welcome Him. The people shouted "Hosanna" and laid their cloaks and palm branches from the nearby trees in His path.

Story of palm Sunday 
    The morning after the supper at Bethany, Jesus called two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the next village, and at a place where two roads cross, and there you will find an ass tied, and a colt with it. Loose them, and bring them to me. And if anyone says to you, 'Why do you do this?' say 'The Lord has need of them,' and they will let them go."
They went to the place, and found the ass and the colt, and were loosing them, when the owner said, "What are you doing, untying the ass?" And they said, as Jesus had told them to say, "The Lord has need of it!"
     Then the owner gave them the ass and the colt for the use of Jesus. They brought them to Jesus, on the Mount of Olives, and they laid some of their own clothes on the colt for a cushion, and set Jesus upon it. Then all the disciples and a very great multitude threw their garments upon the ground for Jesus to ride upon. Others cut down branches from the trees and laid them on the ground.
                       And as Jesus rode over the mountain toward Jerusalem many walked before him waving branches of palm-trees. And they all cried together, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord! Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"
     These things they said because they believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Anointed King, and they hoped that he would now set up his throne in Jerusalem. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd, who did not believe in Jesus, said to him, "Master, stop your disciples!" But Jesus said, "I tell you, that if these should be still, the very stones would cry out!"
                And when he came into Jerusalem with all this multitude, all the city was filled with wonder. They said, "Who is this?" And the multitude answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth in Galilee!"
                  And Jesus went into the temple, and looked around it; but he did not stay, because the hour was late. He went again to Bethany, and there stayed at night with his friends.
        These things took place on Sunday, the first day of the week; and that Sunday in the year is called Palm Sunday, because of the palm branches which the people carried before Jesus. 

Palm Sunday is marked by the distribution of palm leaves to the assembled worshipers.

April Fool's Day

Ah..Today April Fool's day .Its origins are uncertain.Traditionally, in some countries such as Canada, New Zealand, UK, Australia, Cyprus, and South Africa, the jokes only last until noon, and someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".

    Elsewhere, such as in France, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Ireland, and the U.S., the jokes last all day.

       Its the day you get to play nasty pranks and practical jokes on people.Today the special license is given to the playing of practical jokes.Today, make a promise to yourself to play at least one April Fool's joke. After all, the ability to laugh at one's self is a sure sign that you're not really a fool, regardless of what day or month it is. Get yourself in the laughing mood :)Today is the day to Propose a girl. If she accepts, that's your luck otherwise just tell her its April Fool. :)

    
A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke-and that the joke is oneself.  ~Clifton Paul Fadiman


Isn't it appropriate that the month of the tax begins with April Fool's Day and ends with cries of "May Day!" ~ Author Unknown

Holy Week

            The Holy week is the last week of Lent. It begins with the observance of Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The name, Palm Sunday originated from Jesus's entry in Jerusalem. The crowd laid carpets of palms on the street for Him. The Last Supper is commemorated on Holy Thursday of special week (often called Maundy Thursday) and Friday is the anniversary of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Lenten season and Holy week end with Easter Sunday.

Holy Lent

            

Lent is the forty days special season prior to Easter Sunday. Sundays are not counted because it is the Lord's Day and should be celebrated and therefore no fasting. Lent is a period of fasting or doing without certain foods, praying and repentance. This is to serve as a reminder of the forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness.

       

Presidents' Day

         President's Day is officially designated as Washington's Birthday.Until 1971, both February 12 and February 22 were observed as federal public holidays to honor the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and George Washington (February 22).
                On January 1, 1971 President Richard Nixon proclaimed one single federal public holiday, the Presidents' Day,to be observed on the 3rd Monday of February, honoring all past presidents of the United States of America.

GEORGE WASHINGTON (February 22, 1732 - December 14, 1799)-
               Early in his life George Washington became an experienced surveyor.He fought in the French and Indian War.After the war he returned to Mount Vernon in 1758, married Martha Dandridge in 1759, and became a planter. That same year he became involved in politics when he was elected representative to the Virginia House of Burgesses. He was a representative until 1774 when he became a delegate to the Continental Congress. In May of 1775 George Washington was appointed Commander of the American army during the Revolution.He was the first President, (1789- 1797) governing the 13 states.

* Images from Google