May 2009

Martin Luther King Day

When: The third Monday in January.

Born on January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King Jr. grew to become one of the greatest Social Activists the world has ever known. At 35, he became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace prize. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968 while making a speech from the balcony of his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee.
His Birthday became a National Holiday by an act of Congress in 1983. Many consider it a day to serve your community.

Friday the 13th

When : Occurs one to three times a year, when the 13th falls on a Friday

2012: January, April, July
2013: September, December
2014: June
2015: February, March, November

Are you superstitious? Then, Friday the 13th is a day you may look forward to with fear! Friday the 13th, is an unlucky day, a day when bad things can happen. Whatever you do, don't walk under a ladder, and don't let a black cat cross your path on this day.

Throughout most of recorded history, the number 13 has been seen as an unlucky number. If you live in fear of the number 13, you suffer from Triskaidekaphobia. More phobias of interest.

Historically, and perhaps a bit oddly in today's world, Friday has been viewed as an unlucky day of the week. We find this hard to fathom. After all, Friday is TGIF!! However, in days gone by, when you put the unlucky day of Friday, together with the unlucky #13, many people believe only bad things can happen.

Interestingly, there is a sizable number of optimists, who embrace Friday the 13th and the number 13. They shrug off the superstition and go buy lottery tickets with the number 13 in it.

For many who never gave it a thought, Jason in the movie "Friday, the 13th" (1980) made believers in the fearfulness of this day.

Friday the 13th Trivia:

Many buildings and skyscrapers do not have a 13th floor.
Many people will not allow 13 people at the table. If there is exactly 13 people present, a second table is set up.
Skippers would not go out to sea with a crew of 12. Including the captain, that made 13 people.
Ancient Mayans of Central America were the most advanced culture in all of the Americas. They considered the number 13 sacred.

Like any other special or wacky day, we encourage you to fully embrace the day and have fun with it. But, don't cower in your room in fear of this day. You'd miss all of the fun and excitement!

Origin of Friday the 13th:

In biblical references, it is believed that Cain killed Abel on Friday the 13th. We are not sure how this was determined, as calendars were unlikely to have been in existence back then.

We do know with certainty, the ancient Babylonian Code of Hammurah omitted the #13 in it's list of laws. Written in 1,700 B.C., it suggests ancient Babylonians considered the #13 to be unlucky.

Chinese New Years

When: Chinese Year 4710, is January 23, 2012. It's the year of the Dragon, the mightiest of Chinese Zodiac animal figures. It is a Yang (Positive) year. The date of Chinese New Years changes every year. It is a 15 day celebration, beginning on the first day of the new moon, and ends on the full moon. The celebration on the15th day is called the Chinese Lantern Festival.

Chinese culture is amongst the oldest in the world. While the rest of the world is in the early years of but the third millennium, Chinese culture is in their fifth millennium.

In Chinese astrology, every year is represented by an animal. The cycle is twelve years, with a different animal each year. This is the year of the "Rat". According to Chinese astrology, it is a "Yang" or positive year. Every person is born under one of these animals that also dictates your personality and character. To find out more about your sign, see Chinese Astrology.

Chinese New years or Spring Festival, is the biggest holiday in chinese culture. It is celebrated with festivities, fireworks, brightly colored lights, special meals with family and gift giving. Like Christmas in the western world, most chinese travel home to be with family for the new year celebration.

Discover Harrison, Idaho