12-27 Ashura
December 27th, 2009
Islamic Ashura:
(excerpted from http://blog.utmb.edu/pastoralcare/2009/12/december-27-ashura/)
Ashura commemorates the martyrdom of Husain (Prophet Muhammad’s grandson) in AH 61 (680 CE). Shi’ite Muslims (who call the festival Muharram) celebrate for ten days from the first of Muharram. Ashura is also associated with the safe landing of Noah’s ARk on Mount Ararat.
(excerpted from http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/holidays/ashura.htm)
Ashura is one of the major holidays of Islam. It is usually celebrated on the 10th day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic Calendar. In fact, the word ashura means “ten.” (In 2008, it takes place on Januuary 19th in the Western Calendar.)
Ashura is a time of fasting and of inner thoughts. The prophet Muhammad promised the Jews of Medina who fasted on this day in remembrance of deliverance from Egypt’s Pharaoh that he would fast two days to honor this event. He died before he could fulfill his promise, however. To this day, Muslims keep the remembrance of Ashura by fasting and meditation. The main fast on Ashura is usually preceded or followed by another day of fasting, to honor the wishes of Muhammad.
Ashura is also a source of joy. Muslims also believe that it was the day on which Noah’s ark ran aground and that the prophet Abraham was born. It is also, Muslims believe, the day that the Kaaba, the most sacred building in the most sacred mosque, was built. Other events that tradition holds happened on this day include the protection of other prophets in danger by Allah and the creation of the world itself.
Visit the Zoo Day:
(excerpted from ( http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/documents/VisittheZooDay.pdf)
Everybody loves a trip to the zoo! It’s perfect for the wholefamily—any age, boy or girl. The animals never cease to entertain, and there aren’t any TVs or video games todistract your youngsters. So why not take advantage of these national treasures and celebrate Visit the Zoo Day on December 27 as a family?
The first zoo dates back to 1500 BC in ancient Egypt! The tradition was passed down, all the way to the 1400s
AD, when Columbus discovered “The New World.” A new world meant new creatures, and his discoveries
renewed interest in zoos all across Europe. Today, there are over 2,800 zoos in the world, and over 6 million
people visit them each year! So what if it’s too cold to go out to the zoo? Well, why not stay in with a good
book about the zoo?
Make Cut Out Snowflake Day:
(excerpted from http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/snowflakeday.htm)
Make Cut Out Snowflake Day is here and now. Here’s a day to show your crafty skills, as you make paper snowflakes. Making cut out snowflakes is a great project for kids. However, you don’t have to be a kid, to have fun making paper snowflakes. It’s a skill that is practiced by many people.
They say no two snowflakes are alike. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that there are seemingly countless different snowflake designs. Templates abound, from fast and easy patterns, to intricate time consuming designs to challenge the most practiced “snowflaker”.
National Fruitcake Day:
(excerpted from http://holidayinsights.com/other/fruitcakeday.htm)
National Fruitcake Day celebrates the rock hard, fruit filled holiday cake. While fruitcake was popular in the 40′s and 50′s, we are not sure if anyone has ever eaten this weighty, gooey, sugar laden cake.
Scientists have been unable to penetrate deeply into a fruitcake, and therefore, have failed to uncover its exact composition. Its density has also hampered their ability to use carbon dating to identify the age of a fruitcake. Unconfirmed rumors suggest that some fruitcake are hundreds of years old.
It is very appropriate for National Fruitcake Day to be celebrated shortly after Christmas. Once the holidays are over, it’s time to get rid of your fruitcake. Giving a fruitcake is a Christmas tradition for many. It is also believed that recipients will re-wrap the fruitcake and give it to someone else. Who knows how many years, or decades, a fruitcake has been passed along? Ultimately, the trick is to make sure you give away the fruitcake before the holiday season is through. Otherwise, you get the joy of storing it, until the next fruitcake-giving season.
(1932) Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_City_Music_Hall)
The Music Hall opened to the public on December 27, 1932 with a lavish stage show featuring Ray Bolger and Martha Graham. The opening was meant to be a return to high-class variety entertainment. The new format was not a success. The program was very long and individual acts were lost in the cavernous hall. On January 11, 1933, the Music Hall converted to the then familiar format of a feature film with a spectacular stage show which Rothafel had perfected at the Roxy Theatre. The first film was shown on the giant screen was Frank Capra’s The Bitter Tea of General Yen starring Barbara Stanwyck and the Music Hall became the premiere showcase for films from the RKO-Radio Studio. The film plus stage spectacle format continued at the Music Hall until 1979 with four complete performances presented every day.
Celebrity Birthdays:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Pasteur)
Louis Pasteur (pronounced: [pastøʁ] December 27, 1822 – September 28, 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist born in Dole. He is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of disease. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease. He was best known to the general public for inventing a method to stop milk and wine from causing sickness, a process that came to be called pasteurization. He is regarded as one of the three main founders of microbiology, together with Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch. Pasteur also made many discoveries in the field of chemistry, most notably the molecular basis for the asymmetry of certain crystals. His body lies beneath the Institute Pasteur in Paris in a spectacular vault covered in depictions of his accomplishments in Byzantine mosaics.
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich)
Marlene Dietrich (German pronunciation: [maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç]; 27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992) was a German-born American actress and singer.
Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Dietrich became a US citizen in 1939; during World War II, she was a high-profile frontline entertainer. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer.
January 13th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Thank’s 4 This Great Article! I’ve found My Free Credit Report is a quality site to check my credit report
January 13th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
Thanks 4 The Good Post!! Foreclosure Lists
January 14th, 2010 at 2:43 am
My girlfriends and I have been getting this great new dieting product at this website, Has anybody tried it so I can add some feedback. It’s at Acai Berry Diet. Please let us know what you think. thx!
February 4th, 2010 at 2:27 am
Very informative post, it answered some of my questions.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:37 am
Your flexibility on this matter creates freedom for thinking out loud and enables everyone to share their opinion.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:16 am
Man, I can’t believe I didn’t know about this blog! I’m working my way through the archives starting from the beginning. Just wanted to say keep up the good work!
April 8th, 2010 at 5:02 am
You are a gem.
May 5th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Interesting article. Were did you got all the information from…
May 10th, 2010 at 10:57 am
I passed this on to my friends. Thanks for always putting the truth out there. 5 stars.
June 25th, 2010 at 4:39 am
I have attempted to leave a response here and every time I try it refreshes the comment or provides an error. Can the writer possibly check into why it keeps messing up?