Other Holiday Activities and Crafts

Here are some other popular holidays that are celebrated widely.  We are still working on collecting activities, crafts and other ideas for them, please feel free to reach out to us with such ideas.

Autumn Equinox
AUTUMN EQUINOX: The first day of the Season of Autumn – and the beginning of a long period of darkness at the Pole.
In the northern hemisphere: SEPTEMBER 22 (the Sun crosses the Equator moving southward).
In the southern hemisphere: MARCH 20 (the Sun crosses the Equator moving northward).

April Fool’s Day
The first day of April which is celebrated by playing practical joke.

Armed Forces Day
Several nations of the world hold an annual Armed Forces Day to recognize, venerate, and honor their military forces. It is similar to the Veterans Day of the United States or the Remembrance Day in many other nations. In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. The day was created in 1949, and was a result of the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Days, but observance of these days, especially within each particular service, continues to this day.

Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as many other members of the Commonwealth of Nations. It is based on the tradition of giving gifts to the less fortunate members of society.  It is usually celebrated on 26 December, the day after Christmas Day;[1][2], but its associated public holiday can be moved to the next weekday if 26 December is a Saturday or Sunday. The movement of Boxing Day varies between countries.

Winter Solstice
The first day of the Season of Winter. On this day (DECEMBER 22 in the northern hemisphere*) the Sun is farthest south and the length of time between Sunrise and Sunset is the shortest of the year.  In the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged. Summer: December 22. Winter: June 21.

Spring Equinox
The first day of the Season of Spring – and the beginning of a long period of sunlight at the Pole. In the northern hemisphere: MARCH 20 (the Sun crosses the Equator moving northward). In the southern hemisphere: SEPTEMBER 22 (the Sun crosses the Equator moving southward).

Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day (the event it commemorates). It is a day to commemorate the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and of civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War. It is observed on 11 November to recall the end of World War I on that date in 1918.

Patriot Day
In the United States, Patriot Day occurs on September 11 of each year, designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the September 11, 2001, attacks. Most Americans refer to the day as “Nine-Eleven (9/11),” “September 11th,” “Nine-one-one,” or some variation thereof.

Ash Wednesday
This is the first day of Lent, 6½ weeks before Easter. This day is a special fast day, especially in the Roman Catholic Church, leading to the fast days of Lent. The name comes from the practice of burning Palm crosses kept from the previous Easter and using the ash to mark a cross on the forehead to symbolize repentance.

Daylight Savings Time Begins
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907 by the English builder William Willett. Many countries have used it since then; details vary by location and change occasionally.

The practice is controversial. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Extra afternoon daylight reduces traffic fatalities; its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns greatly differ and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited and contradictory. DST’s clock shifts can serve as fire safety reminders, but they complicate timekeeping and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, and heavy equipment. Many computer-based systems can adjust their clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST rules change.

Election Day
Election Day in the United States is the day set by law for the selection of public officials by popular ballot. For federal offices, it occurs on the Tuesday following the first Monday of November (the Tuesday after the Monday, between Sunday and Thursday, between the days of November 2 and November 8, inclusively). Presidential elections are held every four years. Elections to the House of Representatives and the Senate are held every two years. Many state and local government offices are also elected on Election Day as a matter of convenience and cost saving. However, a handful of states hold elections for state offices during odd numbered, off years; this varies according to state and local laws.

Lincoln’s Birthday
February 12th of Every Year

Parents’ Day
In 1994 President Bill Clinton signed into law the resolution unanimously adopted by the U. S. Congress establishing the fourth Sunday of every July as Parents’ Day, a perennial day of commemoration similar to Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. According to the Congressional Resolution, Parents’ Day is established for “recognizing, uplifting, and supporting the role of parents in the rearing of children.”

Provider Appreciation Day
Provider Appreciation Day is a special day to recognize child care providers, teachers and other educators of young children everywhere. Started in 1996 by a group of volunteers in New Jersey, Provider Appreciation Day is appropriately celebrated each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day. The founding organizers saw the need to recognize the tireless efforts of providers who care for children of working parents.

Today’s child care professionals are the world’s unsung heroes. This profession is one of the most underpaid occupations in the country; yet research shows that early childhood is the most critical developmental period in a child’s life. It takes a special person to work in this field and the contribution these individuals make to the quality of children’s and families’ lives too frequently goes unnoticed. Provider Appreciation Day offers a unique opportunity to recognize and commend the unselfish dedication, commitment and compassion that child care providers demonstrate every day.

We challenge you to take action now. Provider Appreciation Day needs your support to continue to be successful. Individuals and community leaders can network with child care groups to plan events, schedule media coverage and issue proclamations. Begin now to contact parents, community groups, child care agencies, government leaders and others so that everyone who wants to support child care providers has the opportunity to participate in this important recognition event in your community. Even the smallest of efforts mean so much to those who have your children in their care. Your provider’s smile will be your reward.

Good Friday
The day that Jesus was put to death on the cross is known as ‘Good Friday’ in the western church and ‘Great Friday’ in the eastern church. It is a day when Christians remember what Christ achieved on the cross and it is often marked by a variety of church services.

Easter
• February 25 – Ash Wednesday
• April 5 – Palm Sunday
• April 10 – Good Friday
• April 12 – Easter Sunday (Western)
• April 19 – Easter Sunday (Orthodox)

Administrative Assistants’ Day
Administrative Professionals Week® ―Always observed annually during the last full week in April, standard Sunday through Saturday calendar week.
April 19-25 2015
April 24-30 2016
April 23-29 2017

Administrative Professionals Day® ―Observed annually on the Wednesday of Administrative Professionals Week.
April 22, 2015
April 27, 2016
April 26, 2017

This annual event was originally organized in 1952 as “National Secretaries Week” by the National Secretaries Association (now known as the International Association of Administrative Professionals) in conjunction with public relations executive Harry Klemfuss and a consortium of office product manufacturers. It was established as an effort to recognize secretaries for their contributions in the workplace, and to attract people to secretarial/administrative careers.

In the year 2000, IAAP announced a name change for Professional Secretaries Week and Professional Secretaries Day. The names were changed to Administrative Professionals Week and Administrative Professionals Day to keep pace with changing job titles and expanding responsibilities of today’s administrative workforce.

Memorial Day
Memorial Day and Labor Day are bookend holidays, marking the beginning and end of the summer holidays in the United States. These three-day weekends traditionally are times for celebration and family outings. Celebrated in most states on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is a time to remember the U.S. men and woman who lost their lives serving their country. Originally known as Decoration Day, it was established in 1868 to commemorate the dead from the Civil War. Over the years it came to serve as a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action in all wars.

Canada Day
Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day, is Canada’s national day, a federal statutory holiday, celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867 enactment of the British North America Act of 1867, which united Canada as a single country of four provinces. Canada Day observances take place annually on July 1st throughout Canada and also internationally.

Washington’s Birthday
February 22nd of Every Year

Daylight Savings Time Ends
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907 by the English builder William Willett. Many countries have used it since then; details vary by location and change occasionally.

The practice is controversial. Adding daylight to afternoons benefits retailing, sports, and other activities that exploit sunlight after working hours, but causes problems for farming, entertainment and other occupations tied to the sun. Extra afternoon daylight reduces traffic fatalities; its effect on health and crime is less clear. Although an early goal of DST was to reduce evening usage of incandescent lighting, formerly a primary use of electricity, modern heating and cooling usage patterns greatly differ and research about how DST currently affects energy use is limited and contradictory.

DST’s clock shifts can serve as fire safety reminders, but they complicate timekeeping and can disrupt meetings, travel, billing, recordkeeping, medical devices, and heavy equipment. Many computer-based systems can adjust their clocks automatically, but this can be limited and error-prone, particularly when DST rules change.
DST Ends:
2015 – November 1st
2016 – November 6th

Summer Solstice
The first day of the Season of Summer. On this day (JUNE 21 in the northern hemisphere*) the Sun is farthest north and the length of time between Sunrise and Sunset is the longest of the year.
* In the southern hemisphere, winter and summer solstices are exchanged. Summer: December 22. Winter: June 21.

Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates an event reported by all four Canonical Gospels Mark 11:1-11, Matthew 21:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19: the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.
• February 25 – Ash Wednesday
• April 5 – Palm Sunday
• April 10 – Good Friday
• April 12 – Easter Sunday (Western)
• April 19 – Easter Sunday (Orthodox)

Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for “5th of May”) is a Mexican national holiday that honors the Mexican victory over the French army at Puebla de Los Angeles in 1862. The date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride.

A very common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day; Mexico’s Independence Day is actually September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), which is the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September. The holiday originated in 1882 as the Central Labor Union (of New York City) sought to create “a day off for the working citizens”. Ironically, many of the people this day was meant to honor, policemen, for instance, are the same people that work on this day. Congress made Labor Day a federal holiday on June 28, 1894, two months after the May Day Riots of 1894. All fifty states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

Traditionally, Labor Day is celebrated by most Americans as the symbolic end of the summer. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school.

Inauguration Day
Inauguration Day is the day every four years on which the President of the United States is sworn in and takes office. The next Inauguration Day will occur on January 20, 2009.

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