• May

    June 27: World Arak Day

    World Arak Day was founded by Terra Sancta Trading Company in 2023. The goal is to establish and promote the culture and history of Arak, an aniseed flavored spirit from the Levant. This day is for the people of the Levant, regionally and worldwide, to celebrate their heritage. On June 28, 1919, the Covenant of the League of Nations was signed as a part of the Treaty of Versailles. This broke the Ottoman Empire into European colonial territories under the mandate system. The division transformed the political history of the region and also the alcohol culture of the resulting territories. June 27th was chosen because Arak is viewed as a…

  • May

    May 12: Garland Day

    May 12th is Garland Day. It’s been celebrated since the early 19th century in Dorset, a fishing village in Abbotsbury, England, to bring in the May by gathering flowers and blossoming boughs. Though other villages used to celebrate this day, only Dorset kept up the tradition. Children make large floral garlands supported by wooden or wire frames. One of wild flowers and one of garden flowers. They carry the garlands through the village, going door to door collecting money. This day marked the beginning of fishing season. As such, originally only fisherman’s children took part. After World War I, it was expanded to include all children. And at one time,…

  • World No Tobacco Day
    May

    May 31: World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)

    Created in 1987 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. Other goals include drawing attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use, its negative health effects, including non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Each year has a theme, which becomes the central component of the year’s tobacco-related agenda. Themes Included: 2001: Second-hand smoke kills 2003: Tobacco free film, tobacco free fashion 2007: Smoke free inside 2013: Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship 2020: Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use Ash trays with fresh flowers are a symbol of…

  • Mint Julep Day
    May

    May 30: Mint Julep Day

    May 30 is Mint Julep Day. The mint julep is a mixed alcoholic cocktail made with bourbon, sugar, water, crushed or shaved ice, and fresh mint. They are associated with the Kentucky Derby, a two-day horse racing event held the first weekend of May. The mint julep originated in the southern United States. The term “julep” is generally defined as a sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine. And indeed, the earliest recipes appeared in 1784 as prescription for “sickness at the stomach.” Though now mint juleps are made with bourbon, the 1862 edition of Bar-Tenders Guide: How to Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion included five…

  • World Digestive Health Day
    May

    May 29: World Digestive Health Day

    World Digestive Health Day was created by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) to bring awareness to digestive disorders and increase general public awareness of prevention and therapy of the disorders. The day initiates a yearlong, worldwide, public health campaign through more than 110 WGO Member Societies. The date was chosen as it corresponds to the creation of the WGO on May 29, 1958. Each year focuses on a different disorder: 2006: Helicobacter pylori infection 2009: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) 2010: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) 2011: Enteric Infections: 2020: Gut Microbiome Official Site: WorldGastroenterology.org/wgo-foundation/wdhd ⇴ image purchased from vecteezy

  • Menstrual Hygiene Day
    May

    May 28: Menstrual Hygiene Day

    Menstrual Hygiene Day (MHD) was created in 2013 by the German non-profit WASH United. MHD wants to break taboos surrounding menstruation and to raise awareness of the importance of good menstrual hygiene. The goal is to ensure that women and adolescent girls have access to, and use, clean materials, that they have privacy to change, access to soap and water, and access to a place to dispose of menstrual waste. –In low-income countries, choices of menstrual hygiene materials are often limited. Education is equally important. In a study by All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health found that 32.5% of girls had no knowledge of menstruation before their first…

  • National Italian Beef Day
    May

    May 27: National Italian Beef Day

    National Italian Beef Day was created in 2017 by Buona, a large restaurant chain based in Illinois. Italian beef is a sandwich that originated in Chicago and dates back to at least the 1930s. It’s made with thin slices of seasoned roast beef that is wet-roasted in “gravy” (au jus) and served on a sub roll. The bread is often dipped into that gravy while consuming it. The sandwich is topped off with giardiniera (pickled vegetables) or sweet Italian chili peppers. Most places offer a “combo” by adding grilled Italian sausage. Some offer a cheesy variation, usually provolone or mozzarella. The Italian Beef is cousin to the French Dip. Both…

  • World Dracula Day
    May

    May 26: World Dracula Day

    World Dracula Day commemorates the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on May 26, 1897. This Gothic horror novel introduced Count Dracula and Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The story tells of Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England in order to find new blood and spread the vampire curse. Though received well enough by Victorian readers, Stoker did not make much money from it. In 1922, F. W. Murnau’s unauthorized adaptation of the story was released in theaters under the title Nosferatu. Stoker’s widow sued, which renewed interest in the novel. Widow Stoker licensed the story to playwright Hamilton Deane. In 1924, this stage adaptation toured England for several years.…

  • National Tap Dance Day
    May

    May 25: National Tap Dance Day

    National Tap Dance Day was declared in 1989 by US President George H.W. Bush to celebrate tap dance as an American art form. The proclamation stated that the “tap dancing is a manifestation of the cultural heritage of our Nation, reflecting the fusion of African and European cultures into an exemplification of the American spirit…tap dancing has had an historic and continuing influence on other genres of ​American art, including music, vaudeville, Broadway musical theater, and film, as well as other dance forms…” Tap dance is characterized by using the sounds of tap shoes striking the floor as a form of percussion. The sound is made by shoes that have…

  • International Tiara Day
    May

    May 24: International Tiara Day

    International Tiara Day was originally held in 2005 in conjunction with Barbara Bellissimo’s Seasons of Success. Then in 2008, Lynanne White of American Rose Bridal in Poulsbo, Washington, along with some of her employees brought it back (with Bellissimo’s approval). It’s a day when everyone can wear a tiara and feel like royalty. The date coincidentally coincided with the birthday of Queen Victoria, so they kept it. A tiara is a jeweled, ornamental crown worn during formal occasions. According to Geoffrey Munn, a British jewelry specialist, the word ‘tiara’ is Persian in origin. It denoted the high-peaked head-dresses of Persian kings, which were encircled by bands of purple and white…

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