Archive for the ‘HOLIDAYS’ Category

Labor Day is a United States Holiday celebrating and honoring the tradition of the hard working American.

It is always observed on the first Monday of September.  (Sept 6th 2010)

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City and all 50 states honor Labor Day as a national holiday.  During this first Labor Day A street parade exhibiting "the strength and esprit corps of the trade and labor organizations" was followed by a festival for the workers and their families.

Many people consider Labor Day to be the symbolic “end of summer”  and Labor Day also marks the beginning of the NFL and college football season.

On this labor day, take a moment to reflect how the industriousness of the American working class spirit has helped to shape where we live.  From construction workers to forest workers, America would not be where it is without the sweat and hard work of these strong men and women.

Enjoy your day of rest.

WHATS HAPPENING IN DES MOINES ON LABOR DAY

THINGS TO DO IN DES MOINES FOR LABOR DAY

LABOR DAY EVENTS IN DES MOINES

June 14th is Flag Day.

What is Flag Day and Why Is It Important?

In 1885. a schoolteacher named Cigrand from Fredonia, Wi arranged for his students to observe June 14 as the United States’ “Flag Birthday”.  June 14th was the 108th anniversary of the official of The Stars and Stripes.

Eventually the State Board of Education of New York adopted Flag Day and in 1849 The Governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings.

The first general public school children’s celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.

Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established on May 30th, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson.  Later on August 3rd, 1949, President Harry Truman signed into Congress and act designating each June 14th to be National Flag Day.

Flag Day is a very special and patriotic day for Americans.  It is a day for us to show our respect and reverence for the Red White and Blue.  It is a day to learn about our flags history, participate in patriotic events and recognize and reaffirm our unity as a proud nation, indivisible with a glorious history and a prosperous future.

 

How to Properly Display Our Flag:

 There is a right way and a wrong way to display the flag.  The American flag should be held in the highest of regards. It represents our nation and the many people who gave their lives for our country and our flag. Here are the basics on displaying  the American flag:

• The flag is normally flown from sunrise to sunset.
• In the morning, raise the flag briskly. At sunset, lower it slowly. Always, raise and lower it ceremoniously.
• The flag should not be flown at night without a light on it.
• The flag should not be flown in the rain or inclement weather.
• After a tragedy or death, the flag is flown at half staff for 30 days. It’s  called "half staff" on land ,and "half mast" on a ship.
• When flown vertically on a pole, the stars and blue field , or "union", is at the top and at the end of the pole (away from your house).
• The American flag is always flown at the top of the pole. Your state flag and other flags fly below it.
• The union is always on top. When displayed in print, the stars and blue field are always on the left.
• Never let your flag touch the ground, never…period.
• Fold your flag when storing. Don’t just stuff it in a drawer or box.
• When your flag is old and has seen  better days, it is time to retire it. Old flags should be burned or buried. Please do not throw it in the trash.

 

Flag Day Resources:

www.nationalflagday.com

www.theholidayspot.com/flagday/

http://www.usflag.org/history.html

We hope you have a very safe and happy Fourth of July!
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Memorial Day Is Celebrated on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day”.

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our nation.

There are well over two dozen cities and towns in the United States that lay claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day and there is also evidence that points to organized women’s groups in the South which were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War.  Regardless of claims and beliefs, in May 1966, President Lyndon B Johnson officially declared Waterloo New York to be the birthplace of Memorial Day.  It is however difficult to conclusively prove the origins of Memorial Day

More likely, Memorial Day sprouted it’s roots in many towns, cities and communities as these organizations planned memorials to honor the many soldiers who gave their lives defending our mighty country, the United states Of America.

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed a national holiday on the 5th of May, 1868 by General John Logan.  The first official observance of Memorial Day was on the 30th of May 1868, when flowers were placed both on the graves of the Confederate soldiers and the Union at Arlington National Cemetery.

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
Moina Michael

Observance of Memorial Day in America has been diminishing over the years.
Many Americans have forgotten what the meaning of Memorial Day is, they have failed to pass the traditions down to their children, they have forgotten the patriotic feeling of pride and respect and honor for America and her armed service men and women.  The graves of our fallen soldiers at many cemeteries are now completely neglected and forgotten.

There are many resources available to re learn about Memorial Day and to assist you in teaching and training your children about the value and importance of honoring and remembering Memorial Day.  The "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence. 

When is Memorial Day Calendar:
2009 May 25, 2010 May 31, 2011 May 30, 2012 May 28, 2013 May 27, 2014 May 26,

Resources:

http://www.remember.gov/MomentofRemembrance/tabid/54/Default.aspx

http://apps.facebook.com/honorthem/

http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/

http://www.annieshomepage.com/memorialday.html

http://www.nationalmemorialdayparade.com/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may30.html

http://www.loc.gov/vets//stories/

While many people might assume that Mother’s Day is a holiday invented by the fine folks at Hallmark, it’s not so.

The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece, honoring Rhea, the Mother of the Gods.

The Romans called their version of the event the Hilaria, and celebrated on the Ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele, the mother of the Gods.

Early Christians celebrated the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ.

  

The modern Mother’s Day is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, most commonly in May, though also in March, as a day to honor mothers and motherhood. In the UK and Ireland it follows the old traditions of “Mothering Sunday” The second Sunday in May is when we celebrate Mother’s Day in North America.

While many people might assume that Mother’s Day is a holiday invented by the fine folks at Hallmark, it’s not so. The earliest Mother’s Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece, honoring Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. The Romans called their version of the event the Hilaria, and celebrated on the Ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele, the mother of the Gods. Early Christians celebrated the festival on the fourth Sunday of Lent in honor of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Christ.

 

Some suggestions for your coupons: Use your imagination.  Print out and fill in as many coupons as you like.  You can even staple them together and give Mom a coupon booklet!  Just remember: if you give a coupon for a promise, make sure you’re willing to do what you’ve promised! How To Print Your Coupons: Click any of the small coupon images below then right click the image and select PRINT

Blank Mother’s Day Coupons

 

Mother’s Day Facts & History

Early Mother’s Days:
* ancient Greeks celebrated a holiday in honor of Rhea, the mother of the gods
* ancient Romans celebrated a holiday in honor of Cybele, a mother goddess, March 22-25 – the celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome
* in the British Isles and Celtic Europe, the goddess Brigid, and later her successor St. Brigid, were honored with a spring Mother’s Day, connected with the first milk of the ewes
* Mothering Sunday was celebrated in Britain beginning in the 17th century it was honored on the fourth Sunday in Lent
* it began as a day when apprentices and servants could return home for the day to visit their mothers they often brought a gift with them, often a "mothering cake" — a kind of fruitcake or fruit-filled pastry known as simnels.
*furmety, a sweetened boiled cereal dish, was often served at the family dinner during Mothering Sunday celebrations
*by the 19th century, the holiday had almost completely died out The earliest Mothers’ Day or Mothers’ Work Days (plural "mothers") was initiated in 1858 in West Virginia

Anna Reeves Jarvis, a local teacher and church member, wanted to work for improved sanitation in her town during the Civil War, she extended the purpose of Mothers’ Work Days to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides in the conflict after the Civil War, she worked to establish a reconciliation between people who had supported the two sides in the war Julia Ward Howe also tried to establish a Mother’s Day in America Howe became known as the author of the words to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," but was horrified by the carnage of the Civil War and the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, she tried to issue a manifesto for peace at international peace conferences in London and Paris (it was much like the later Mother’s Day Peace Proclamation)

in 1872, she began promoting the idea of a "Mother’s Day for Peace" to be celebrated on June 2, honoring peace, motherhood and womanhood in 1873, women in 18 cities in America held a Mother’s Day for Pace gathering Boston celebrated the Mother’s Day for Peace for at least 10 years the celebrations died out when Howe was no longer paying most of the cost for them, although some celebrations continued for 30 years

Howe turned her efforts to working for peace and women’s rights in other ways a stamp was issued in honor of Julia Ward Howe in 1988 — no mention of Mother’s Day, though Anna Jarvis, daughter of Anna Reeves Jarvis, who had moved from Grafton, West Virginia, to Philadelphia, in 1890, was the power behind the official establishment of Mother’s Day swore at her mother’s gravesite in 1905 to dedicate her life to her mother’s project, and establish a Mother’s Day to honor mothers, living and dead a persistent rumor is that Anna’s grief was intensified because she and her mother had quarreled and her mother died before they could reconcile

in 1907 she passed out 500 white carnations at her mother’s church, St. Andrew’s Methodist Episcopal Church in Grafton, West Virginia — one for each mother in the congregation

May 10, 1908: the first church — St. Andrew’s in Grafton, West Virginia — responded to her request for a Sunday service honoring mothers

1908: John Wanamaker, a Philadelphia merchant, joined the campaign for Mother’s Day

also in 1908: the first bill was presented in the U.S. Senate proposing establishment of Mother’s Day, by Nebraska Senator Elmer Burkett, at the request of the Young Men’s Christian Association. The proposal was killed by sending it back to committee, 33-14.

1909: Mother’s Day services were held in 46 states plus Canada and Mexico Anna Jarvis gave up her job — sometimes reported as a teaching job, sometimes as a job clerking in an insurance office — to work full-time writing letters to politicians, clergy members, business leaders, women’s clubs and anyone else she thought might have some influence

Anna Jarvis was able to enlist the World’s Sunday School Association in the lobbying campaign, a key success factor in convincing legislators in states and in the U.S. Congress to support the holiday

1912: West Virginia became the first state to adopt an official Mother’s Day

1914: the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, and President Woodrow Wilson signed it, establishing Mother’s Day, emphasizing women’s role in the family (not as activists in the public arena, as Howe’s Mother’s Day had been) Texas Senators Cotton Tom Heflin and Morris Shepard introduced the joint resolution adopted in 1914. Both were ardent prohibitionists.

Anna Jarvis became increasingly concerned over the commercialization of Mother’s Day: "I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit." She opposed the selling of flowers (see below) and also the use of greeting cards: "a poor excuse for the letter you are too lazy to write."

1923: Anna Jarvis filed suit against New York Governor Al Smith, over a Mother’s Day celebration; when a court threw the suit out, she began a public protest and was arrested for disturbing the peace

1931: Anna Jarvis criticized Eleanor Roosevelt for her work with a Mother’s Day committee that was not Jarvis’ committee Anna Jarvis never had children of her own. She died in 1948, blind and penniless, and was buried next to her mother in a cemetery in the Philadelphia area. International Mother’s Days today

Mother’s Day in Britain — or Mothering Sunday — came to be celebrated again after World War II, when American servicemen brought the custom and commercial enterprises used it as an occasion for sales, etc. the second Sunday in May is Mother’s Day not only in the United States, but also in other countries including Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia and Belgium. By the end of Anna Jarvis’ life, Mother’s Day was celebrated in more than 40 countries. in Spain, Mother’s Day is December 8, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so that not only mothers in one’s family are honored, but also Mary, mother of Jesus. in France, Mother’s Day is on the last Sunday of May. A special cake resembling a bouquet of flowers is presented to mothers at a family dinner.

the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Women’s Action for Nuclear Disarmament, the League of Women Voters and other organizations still organize protests on Mother’s Day: The Million Mom March, protests at nuclear weapons sites, etc.

Carnations, Anna Jarvis and Mother’s Day:

Anna Jarvis used carnations at the first Mother’s Day celebration, because carnations were her mother’s favorite flower wearing a white carnation is to honor a deceased mother, wearing a pink carnation is to honor a living mother Anna Jarvis and the florist industry ended up disagreeing over the selling of flowers for Mother’s Day as the industry publication, Florists’ Review, put it, "This was a holiday that could be exploited." in one press release criticizing the floral industry, Anna Jarvis wrote "What will you do to route charlatans, bandits, pirates, racketeers, kidnappers and other termites that would undermine with their greed one of the finest, noblest and truest movements and celebrations?"

when, in the 1930s, the U.S. Postal Service announced a Mother’s Day stamp with the image of Whistler’s Mother and a vase of white carnations, Anna Jarvis responded by campaigning against the stamp. She persuaded President Roosevelt to remove the words, Mother’s Day, but not the white carnations Jarvis disrupted a meeting of the American War Mothers in the 1930s, protesting their sale of white carnations for Mother’s Day, and was removed by the police

in the words, again, of the Florists’ Review, "Miss Jarvis was completely squelched." Mother’s Day remains, in the United States, one of the best sales days for florists

Anna Jarvis was confined to a nursing home at the end of her life, penniless. Her nursing home bills were paid, unbeknownst to her, by the Florist’s Exchange

the International Mother’s Day Shrine: this church in Grafton, West Virginia, was the site of the first unofficial Mother’s Day celebration as created by Anna Jarvis, May 10, 1907