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| HOPPY EASTER |
The word Easter is believed
to have originated either after the Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring, Eostre or the rising of the sun in the east. Even today, many
churches have early morning sunrise services on Easter (Luke 24:1). There are other peculiar traditions associated with Easter including the Easter Lily, new clothing, the Easter Rabbit, and
the Easter Egg.
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Memorial Day was organized shortly following the
Civil War with the purpose of honoring deceased soldiers. Later, the holiday took on greater
meaning as it began to include the dead from other conflicts and ultimately deceased family members. Today Memorial Day commemorates military dead, familial dead, and ancestral dead through parades,
grave side decorations, and even 21 gun salutes in Federal cemeteries.
While several different stories circulate about
the origin of Memorial Day, the central New York village of Waterloo
has legally established its claim regarding the founding of the holiday. In 1865, Henry Welles, a local pharmacist,
proposed a celebration honoring those who fought and died in the Civil War. A Union General, John Murray liked the idea
and helped establish a committee. On May 5, 1866, the flags in Waterloo were flown at
half mast, a parade was organized, and ceremonies where held in all three Waterloo
cemeteries. One hundred years later, Waterloo gained
the official designation as the birthplace of Memorial Day.
Independence Day, in the US,
an annual holiday commemorating
the formal adoption by the Continental Congress
of the Declaration
of Independence
on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia. Although the signing
of the Declaration was not completed until August,
the Fourth of July
holiday has been accepted as the official anniversary
of United States
independence and is celebrated in all states and
territories of the US
At the time of the signing the United States consisted of 13 colonies
under the rule of England's King George III.
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| HAPPY LABOR DAY |
Peter McGuire, the President for the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joiners of America Union and a leader for the Knights of Labor, suggested a holiday celebrating and honoring labor to the Central Labor Union
of New
York City. On September 2, 1882, the Central Labor Union staged a parade and celebration in New York City. It was such a success, it was repeated the following
year and has continued to be popular in modern day.
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