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Avoid the blahs with these February celebrations

Have you got the January blahs? A bit of post-holiday let down? Don’t be glum, because February offers plenty of reasons to celebrate. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect.

Black History Month

February is African American History Month or Black History Month. Oddly, this is observed at a completely different time of the year (October) in the UK. There will be events for this annual celebration throughout the month.

National Freedom Day – Feb 1

National Freedom Day commemorates the signing of a resolution for the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. This amendment ended slavery and became law in December 1865. This is not a public holiday, but many Americans observe the day and a wreath is usually laid at the Liberty Bell. Other celebrations of this event include Juneteenth and Emancipation Day.

Valentine’s Day – Feb 14

Also not a holiday, but widely observed, is Valentine’s Day, taking place on a Tuesday this year. It was originally named after some Christian martyrs and is a boon for card makers everywhere (not to mention flower shops and candy stores). Here are some fun facts about Valentine’s Day.

President’s Day – Feb 20

Now observed on the 3rd Monday in February, this holiday originally honored George Washington’s birthday. It now also honors Abraham Lincoln (also born in February) and other presidents.

Mardi Gras – Feb 21

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), the day before Ash Wednesday, is a big celebration just before Lent starts – and a great excuse for a party. One of the biggest of these is in New Orleans, which we mentioned in Carnival Celebrations around the World. We’ll look at it in more detail nearer the time.

Leap Day – Feb 29

It only comes around every four years and this is the year for Leap Day. There are several traditions associated with this day and we’ll be looking at those in more detail closer to the time.

Photo: SanFranAnnie

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It may not be a federal holiday, but there will still be a lot of people celebrating Chinese New Year on January 23 as the Year of the Rabbit comes to an end and the Year of the Dragon begins. Known as Pinyin (the Spring Festival) in China, it’s the country’s most important traditional holiday. It’s also called the Lunar New Year, as the Chinese follow a lunar calendar. Everywhere where there’s a large Chinese population, there are celebrations, so if you want to see what it’s all about, check out your nearest Chinatown.

Chinese New Year Traditions

Traditions surrounding this celebration include cleaning the house to get rid of bad luck and make room for good luck which will come with the new year. There’s lots of red decoration and much talk of wealth, happiness and long life. There’s feasting and fireworks. On the day itself, children wish their parents a happy new year and get money in red paper envelopes. This is the time to forget past troubles and wish happiness and peace to everyone. Celebrations can last for a couple of weeks, traditionally ending with the Lantern Festival.

Interesting facts about the Chinese New Year

• Red is worn because the color was once thought to banish evil spirits.
• most people wear new clothes as a symbol of a new start and of prosperity
• the floral decorations used during the period have symbolize what people hope will happen during the year. For example the plum blossom means luck and the narcissus means prosperity.
• Sydney, Australia claims to have the largest Chinese New Year celebrations outside China. In North America, there are significant celebrations in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver.
• Some people believe that the Chinese calendar has been in use since the second millenium BC, but no one can agree on exactly when it started, so the coming year might be Chinese year 4709, but then again it might not.

Where to Celebrate the Chinese New Year in the US

I’m not going to attempt to list all the Chinese New Year celebrations nationwide, but here are some to consider when making travel plans:

• the Golden Dragon Parade in Los Angeles, now in its 113th year
• the Chinese New Year Festival and Parade in San Francisco
• the New York Chinese New Year celebrations

As for me, I’ll be looking forward to next year’s celebrations since I was born in the Year of the Snake.

Image: Chinese New Year parade, Vancouver, BC, 2007 The Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club

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If you didn’t take any trips during the festive season, then perhaps it’s time for you to consider a January getaway. It’s not too late to plan a trip to coincide with Martin Luther King Jr, Day.

Facts about Martin Luther King Jr Day

Did you know:

• that although the holiday was signed into law in 1983, it was only in 2000 that all 50 states observed it?
• that Martin Luther King is one of only three people in the US to be honored by a national holiday? The other two are, of course, George Washington and Christopher Columbus.
• that in Arizona and New Hampshire the words ‘Civil Rights Day’ form part of the official name of the holiday.
• that Martin Luther King Jr Day is also celebrated in Hiroshima and Toronto.

Observing Martin Luther King Jr Day

One of the most important ways to celebrate the day is to join in with the Martin Luther King Day of Service, signed into federal law in 1994. It’s a chance to volunteer and make a difference. The Martin Luther King Day of Service website has resources to help you find a project to join or plan your own.

One of the best places to celebrate the day is in his birthplace, Atlanta. This year, there’s an impressive list of activities including a Civil Rights Film Festival, remembrance services, Day of Service activities, and general celebrations. The King Center also has a program of events which started on Saturday 7th and runs till the holiday itself.

What will you be doing for the holiday?

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It’s almost time for Valentine’s Day. Instead of telling you about romantic getaways, I thought I’d root out some interesting facts about this celebration.

• Valentine’s Day is actually St. Valentine’s Day and it’s named after a couple of Christian martyrs back in the early days of Christianity – Valentine of Rome and Valentine of Terni. However, the holiday was taken out of the Roman calendar of saints in 1969.
• Next to Christmas, Valentine’s Day is the biggest card sending occasion there is, with around a billion cards sent each year. Who gets most of the cards? Have a guess before you read the next fact.

Read more »

Soultravelers3′s response to my recent post on Memorial Day got me to thinking about something that travelers often experience – celebrating holidays that are important to them while in a country where people don’t even know they exist. Or, even if it’s a common holiday, creating that sense of home that makes the holiday special for you.

Christmas Abroad

Many moons ago, I was spending Christmas in Barcelona, far removed from my usual haunts, with a bunch of people who weren’t going home for the holidays – a couple of Australians, a Canadian girl and me. Rather than stay in France and mope, we’d decided to do something different and head to Spain to experience the holiday there. We bought some small gifts (we were poor students), a couple bottles of wine, some chocolates, a mini Christmas tree and some tinsel to decorate our room.  Before we settled in for the holiday, we walked around the city, which was blanketed in white (my first white Christmas) and absorbed the beauty and the atmosphere. Then we went back and talked about how we celebrated the holiday in our own homes. It didn’t make us less homesick, but it felt good to share. Read more »