Tag: Greece

February 9th National Pizza Day

February holidays

There is little doubt that pizza is an American favorite, it’s a world favorite as well! It is said that the first pizza may have come from the Greeks under Alexander the Great as they cooked their bread of their shields while on the march adding spices and herbs to the bread to make in tasty. This may be true, or may not be, there does appear top be record of it but we do know that the first pizza was sold in Naples, Italy in 1738 leading to a market today that averages over 3 billion pizzas sold a year. That’s a lot of pizza!

How to celebrate – Have some pizza. Make your own pizza, Try a pizza topped with fruit!

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June 24th International Fairy Day

June Holidays

Depending on your language a fairy may be a fairy or a faery… doesn’t really matter since they are the same thing. Fairies have been with us for a long, long time. They were found abundantly in Greek Mythology and in Middle Ages Europe. A Fairy can be either good or bad, and I suppose some even mix the times they are good and the times they are bad. They are related to Dwarfs,elves,pixies and gnomes but then, aren’t we all!?! So if you believe in Fairies good for you, it’s a day to be happy but if you don’t you might want to be at least a tad concerned.

How to celebrate – Look around to see if you can find a Fairy. (They should be next to the Leprechauns) Read about Fairies in history. Dress up like a Fairy and grant wishes to all you see.

September 7th Neither Rain Nor Snow Day

September Holidays

So we all think the saying “Neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom of night, stays these couriers from the the swift completion of their appointed rounds” belongs to the post office. It says that on the New York Post office opened on September 7th, 1914 in New York City. Guess what, that has never been, now will ever be, the motto of the Post Office. It was in a book written about a Greek-Persian War sometime in 500-499 BC, “The Persian Wars” written by Herodotus. Can one say plagiarized!

How to celebrate – Support your local Post Office. Mail something today, even if it’s to yourself. Visit New York City.

August 24th National Waffle Day

March Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Waffles are generally made from flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla. They are thought to be a breakfast food, or a snack, but can be enjoyed any time of the day. I was a little surprised to find out that the first record of waffles being served was back in 1300’s Greece. International Waffle Day on March 25, was created in Sweden, it’s called Vaffeldagan Day there, but I guess in the US we had to have our own National Waffle Day so August 24th was proclaimed. Even if we “stole” the day, everyone knows of course the most famous waffles come from Belgium (well the story goes a bit differently, but that is for another day and time).

How to celebrate – Make some waffles. Try different kinds of waffles. Visit Sweden!

July 23rd Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony

July Holidays

Well, after a years delay it is time for the Olympic Games to begin in Tokyo. It’s was cancelled last year due to Covid-19 but will finally get started again and hopefully get back on schedule. The games close on August 8th. These will be the Games of the XXXII Olympiad (Seems like there should be more than that) Let the games begin!

How to celebrate – Tune your television in on the games. Go to Tokyo! Get in training and be ready for XXXIII Games in Paris.

March 25th International Waffle Day

March Holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

Waffles are generally made from flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla. They are thought to be a breakfast food, or a snack, but can be enjoyed any time of the day. I was a little surprised to find out that the first record of waffles being served was back in 1300’s Greece. International Waffle Day was created in Sweden, it’s called Vaffeldagan Day there. Of course the most famous waffles come from Belgium, almost halfway between Greece and Sweden.

How to celebrate – Make some waffles. Try different kinds of waffles. Visit Sweden!

June 7th National Frozen Yogurt Day

June Holidays

Yogurt has been around nearly as long as history has been recorded. Yogurt is the bacterial fermentation of milk, yum! Good thing we call it yogurt because I think a lot of us might not eat it otherwise! Though many enjoy it as is, others prefer to add fruit or flavoring to it for a better taste. I am among the latter. Someone got the great idea of freezing it and treating it as ice cream, great on these coming hot days of summer. The day was created by The Country’s Best Yogurt (TCBY) in 1993 on the first Sunday in June. It is a healthier choice, though maybe not as healthy as originally thought.

How to celebrate – Have some bacterial fermented milk on a stick! Add your favorite fruit to your yogurt. Make yogurt a part of your summer.

June 6th National Yo-Yo Day

June Holidays

The Yo-Yo has been a popular toys since BC Greece. Some think it was originally designed as a weapon but that is somewhat unlikely. China also claims having given the yo-yo to the world but evidence suggests it was a Greek invention. The yo-yo was made popular in the United States by Donald F. Duncan Sr in the early 1900’s. In fact we celebrate today on Duncan’s birthday, June 6th. So get out and “Walk the dog” or “Shoot the moon” showing off your yo-yo skills.

How to celebrate – Go buy a yo-yo. Start developing your skills with the yo-yo. Invent your own yo-yo tricks.

September 5th Cheese Pizza Day

September Holidays

Why mess with a good thing? Cheese pizza is great before you add any of the usual toppings – pepperoni, onions, black olives… you name it. When you were a kid you wouldn’t touch any of the rest of that stuff, it was cheese or nothing. As you get older you realize you can pick that stuff off but then what do you do with it? Actually, the original pizza probably didn’t have cheese on it either. Pizza didn’t originate in Italy either, it is probably a Greek soldier thing. They put spices and herbs on flat bread and let it bake in the sun. Maybe they had a little cheese, but probably not. However today it’s all about the cheese, the more the better.

How to celebrate – Have a cheese pizza! Experiment with different types of cheese. Try a white pizza.

April 9th National Unicorn Day

April Holidays

April 9th National Unicorn Day

Unicorns are probably the best known of all the mythical beasts of history.  They seem to first have appeared in Greek stories though it is thought, even then, that the Unicorn came from India. Children love the idea of Unicorns, and over the years they have been given bright colors and rainbows to enhance them to make them appeal to children even more. In legend, women were the only ones who could tame Unicorns. Unicorn Day was established in 2015.

How to celebrate – Try to remember all the stories you have heard or read that had unicorns in them. Get yourself a stuffed unicorn. Study mythology.