holiday

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This City Never Trick-or-Treats on Halloween. Until This Year

Des Moines, Iowa, has instead celebrated Beggars' Night on Oct. 30 since '38

(Newser) - The last time the kids of Des Moines officially went trick-or-treating on Halloween was nearly nine decades ago. This Oct. 31, the Iowa capital will join the rest of the nation in celebrating the holiday the traditional way, all because the weather isn't cooperating. NPR reports that since 1938,...

The City of Orlando's July 4 Message Didn't Land Well

It's now apologizing for message acknowledging some might not feel like celebrating the holiday

(Newser) - Orlando's Independence Day message was seemingly an attempt to commiserate with those unhappy and stressed over recent events in the news, but all it did was create a backlash that extended all the way to the Florida governor's office. The city newsletter that went out on Friday acknowledged...

It's Now the Year of the Tiger
It's Now the
Year of the Tiger
Feb 1, 2022 8:17 AM CST

It's Now the Year of the Tiger

Chinese celebrants ring in Lunar New Year despite pandemic restrictions

(Newser) - Chinese people rang in the Lunar New Year on Tuesday despite pandemic restrictions, as small crowds gathered at temples to offer traditional prayers for the Year of the Tiger. At the Lama Temple in Beijing, dozens of people bowed in prayer before the ornate west gate of the Tibetan Buddhist...

Columbus Day Sprang From Violence
History of Columbus Day
Is a Violent One
the rundown
Oct 11, 2021 9:45 AM CDT

History of Columbus Day Is a Violent One

President Harrison acted after a mob killed Italian immigrants in New Orleans

(Newser) - Monday is Columbus Day, though the term "politically fraught" is a common one used these days to describe the federal holiday. A look at its history, as well as views from supporters and critics:
  • Going away? Many states and municipalities have either ditched Columbus Day and replaced it with
...

Symbolic Orange Surfaces Across Canada

New national holiday pays homage to Indigenous culture

(Newser) - Specs of orange will be visible around Canada Thursday, and not just in the changing leaves. The day marks Canada's first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a statutory holiday to acknowledge the impacts of the government-funded residential school system on Indigenous peoples, which Canadians will mark by wearing...

Whew: Charlie Brown Specials Returning to TV

'Peanuts' skipped Halloween, will be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas

(Newser) - The Great Pumpkin never showed on broadcast television this year, but after a deal with PBS, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Christmas specials will return to the air, the AP reports. Last month, Apple TV+ became the new home to the beloved Peanuts holiday specials. That sparked an outcry from...

Twitter CEO Announces New Company Holiday 'Forevermore'

Jack Dorsey says Twitter will make Juneteenth an official company holiday for US workers

(Newser) - As company after company puts out ads and sends out emails expressing their support for black Americans in the wake of the killing of George Floyd , Forbes notes that some, especially in the tech world, have been slammed for being all talk, no action. Twitter is looking to separate itself...

In Berlin, New May Holiday Sends 'Unmistakable Message'

City makes May 8 a public holiday to commemorate end of WWII, Nazi rule

(Newser) - The US and Britain recognize May 8 as a special date—and now Berlin is joining them, even going so far as to make it a public holiday. Victory in Europe Day commemorates May 8, 1945, the day when German troops surrendered to the Soviets, effectively ending World War II....

Steve Bannon Declares New Holiday: 'MAGA Day'

From now on, Trump supporters will celebrate Nov. 8 as if it were Bastille Day, he says

(Newser) - Steve Bannon is a busy man these days, given the one-year anniversary of President Trump's election victory. Among the speeches and interviews he's given is a sit-down with the New York Times , in which he declares a new holiday of sorts. "We celebrated today in the Trump...

LA Scraps Columbus Day, Will Honor Someone Else

Indigenous Peoples Day will now occur on 2nd Monday of October

(Newser) - The Los Angeles City Council has voted to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day as an official holiday. Council members voted 14-1 on Wednesday to make the second Monday in October a day to commemorate indigenous, aboriginal, and native people. It will be a paid holiday for city employees....

Venezuela Declares Fridays Are Holidays

At least for a while, to save money on energy

(Newser) - In the US workplace, we have "casual" Fridays; in Venezuela, they now have "don't bother coming in" Fridays. President Nicolas Maduro announced that Fridays for the next 60 days will be official state holidays to save energy in a country that's been plagued by blackouts and...

Here Are 3.14-Plus Fun Ways to Celebrate Pi Day

Including checking out old-time pie pics, learning how to cut the perfect slice

(Newser) - Time is a flat circle in which we do the same things over and over again—or, in the case of Pi Day, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, celebrated over and over again each year on March 14. Here's 2016's homage...

The Surprising Traditions of Jewish Christmas Eve

Toilet paper, abstinence, and persecution

(Newser) - For many people—religious and non-religious alike—Christmas Eve means hot cocoa with family, watching Love Actually, or furiously wrapping last-minute gifts. But for centuries of Jews, Christmas Eve was all about abstinence, tearing toilet paper, and the occasional poker game. Slate has a fascinating look at the little-known—even...

Obama Turns Down Muslim Holiday Request

Congress is the one that establishes federal holidays, says White House

(Newser) - The good holiday news: President Obama has signed an executive order that makes Christmas Eve a half-day for federal employees. The bad: Obama will not make the Muslim holy days of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr federal holidays. The White House said so after a We the People petition asking...

Abolish Columbus Day? 5 Takes on the Holiday
Abolish Columbus Day?
5 Takes on the Holiday
OPINION
Oct 12, 2015 11:50 AM CDT

Abolish Columbus Day? 5 Takes on the Holiday

Italian-American group may suggest renaming it

(Newser) - Today is Columbus Day, but is this a holiday on the way out? USA Today notes that nine cities across the US have now named this Indigenous Peoples Day, including Albuquerque and Portland, Ore., and the movement looks likely to grow. Some samples of the back-and-forth about the second Monday...

Obama Declares Dec. 26 Holiday for Federal Workers
Obama Declares
Dec. 26 Holiday
Dec 6, 2014 9:30 AM CST

Obama Declares Dec. 26 Holiday

Federal employees will get the day off

(Newser) - Federal employees just got a Christmas present from President Obama in the form of a four-day weekend. Obama issued an executive order giving the workers off on Dec. 26, reports the Washington Post . Because it's a Friday, that means an extra-long weekend. An online petition on the White House...

Sorry, Columbus: Seattle Honors Native Americans

City council redesignates 2nd Monday of October

(Newser) - Columbus Day is no longer "Columbus Day" in Seattle. The city council yesterday redesignated the second Monday in October as Indigenous Peoples' Day. Reuters reports that the measure notes that Native Americans inhabited North America long before Columbus showed up in the New World; further, it points out that...

There Is No Such Thing as Presidents Day

Today is actually called 'Washington's Birthday': Peter Grier

(Newser) - Enjoying having Presidents Day off? No, you're not, because today is not Presidents Day, writes Peter Grier in the Christian Science Monitor . In fact, "there is no such thing as Presidents Day," he writes. The official name for the federal holiday you may currently be celebrating is...

Right Slaps Google Over Cesar Chavez Doodle on Easter

Search engine celebrates leader's birthday

(Newser) - Yesterday's Google Doodle completely ignored Easter in favor of Cesar Chavez's birthday, and conservatives are livid, Politico reports. "While two billion Christians around the world celebrate Easter Sunday on this 31st day of March, Google is using its famous ‘Doodle’ search logo art to mark the...

Cost of Freedom: Everyone's Selfish
 Cost of Freedom: 
 Everyone's Selfish 
OPINION
Jul 4, 2012 12:28 PM CDT

Cost of Freedom: Everyone's Selfish

From hippies to capitalists, US has embraced individual liberty: Kurt Anderson

(Newser) - The 1960s brought a raft of cultural freedoms, from women's rights to new attitudes about drugs. But anyone dreaming of economic equality has been sorely disappointed; old-school free market ideas have only gotten stronger. Kurt Anderson has a theory to explain the divide: On both the cultural and economic...

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