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General => The Lounge => Topic started by: ersi on 2014-04-20, 09:31:17

Title: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-04-20, 09:31:17
In this thread, post the greetings as per your personal mood, local time zone, and official calendar, to reflect the festive spirit :D

Today: Χριστός ἀνέστη
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2014-04-20, 10:12:23
חַג שָׂמֵחַ

Also, hægl Ēastre!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-04-30, 21:13:17
Today:
С днём международной солидарности трудящихся!!!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-04-30, 23:52:50
God valborg!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Banned Member [2] on 2014-05-01, 09:02:01

С днём международной солидарности трудящихся!!!
Thanks!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2014-05-04, 09:31:58
Happy Remembrance of the Dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_the_Dead)!

(Hm, that sounds odd.)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-05-09, 04:17:19
С Днём Победы! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQG4Mk41D0
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Banned Member [2] on 2014-05-09, 04:25:50
Вчера был.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-05-17, 13:49:03

Happy Remembrance of the Dead (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_the_Dead)!


A month after Qingming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qingming_Festival), or tomb-sweeping day.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-05-17, 13:50:00
Another day, another national day (http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2014/05/marking-200th-anniversary-of-norwegian-constitution-day/).
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-06-09, 08:46:02
Yoohoo, Donald Duck Day http://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/donald-duck-day/
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-06-19, 15:27:23
This weekend it's time for it again http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer_Night#Estonia
Quote from: Wikipedia
"Jaanipäev" ("John's Day" in English) was celebrated long before the arrival of Christianity in Estonia, although the day was given its name by the crusaders. The arrival of Christianity, however, did not end pagan beliefs and fertility rituals surrounding this holiday. In 1578, Balthasar Russow wrote in his Livonian Chronicle about Estonians who placed more importance on the festival than going to church. He complained about those who went to church, but did not enter, and instead spent their time lighting bonfires, drinking, dancing, singing and following pagan rituals.

I won't mention all the grossest things that are going to happen as part of the celebration. I simply say that I post this now because I will have no strength to post anything when the celebration is in process. And maybe for a few days after it.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-06-20, 06:45:15
For Sweden we have a sanitised video.

Midsommar in Sweden (http://sweden.se/traditions/midsummer/)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-09-01, 04:03:18
In Russia and (probably most) ex-USSR countries, September 1st is the start of schoolyear for kids. An important day for kids and parents, i.e. the bulk of the population.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-10-01, 03:57:59
Today October 1 is national day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Day_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China) in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. In fact, it is the second biggest holiday with the whole week off for most, and like other holidays it's celebrated primarily with shopping.

The day marks the founding of the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen square, Beijing 65 years ago.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJcol3SJ6ww[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-11-11, 15:11:32
Today 11/11 is Singles' Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singles_Day) or Internet shopping day (and this minute 11:11 PM).
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Macallan on 2014-11-11, 20:43:25

Today 11/11 is Singles' Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singles_Day) or Internet shopping day (and this minute 11:11 PM).

11/11, 11:11 is when (damn near) all Rhinelanders collectively lose their minds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_in_Germany,_Switzerland_and_Austria).
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2014-11-11, 21:55:43
Carnival, huh? That's not part of St. Marten. :P
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-12-06, 09:39:31
Independence day of Finland :)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-12-06, 10:45:00
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F8%2F8e%2FSintenpiet.jpg%2F640px-Sintenpiet.jpg&hash=f96f97c1e91c211efdb52461d677e186" rel="cached" data-hash="f96f97c1e91c211efdb52461d677e186" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8e/Sintenpiet.jpg/640px-Sintenpiet.jpg)
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mikulas-cert-andel.estranky.cz%2Fimg%2Foriginal%2F18%2Fcert--mikulas-andel.jpg&hash=94caf3ad40575571c3080d48e79f014c" rel="cached" data-hash="94caf3ad40575571c3080d48e79f014c" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.mikulas-cert-andel.estranky.cz/img/original/18/cert--mikulas-andel.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2014-12-07, 18:33:12

Independence day of Finland :)

Neighbouring countries that are not hostile are expected to congratulate each other on independence/national days. Russian president forgot it (http://www.verkkouutiset.fi/politiikka/venaja%20onnittelut%20suomi-29092) this time. Russian ambassador in Finland showed up for drinks though in Helsinki Presidential Palace.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-12-13, 14:26:29
[video]http://youtu.be/IgxZS4mWSrw[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2014-12-13, 14:50:33
Did you post that on My Opera one or two years ago? :P
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-12-13, 21:51:02
Which one of the three? Not this Lucia video, it cropped up on my Twitter feed, I just passed it on (if it hadn't been for Twitter I probably wouldn't have kept track of those local holidays). I did once post a quip about candle-scorched hair though.

In the last couple years feminism has finally caught up with the Lucia celebration. While not on the level of controversy of the Dutch black-face tradition, the question has been: why should the Lucia have to be a girl, why can't it be a boy?

Swedish schoolboy in female saint role row (http://www.thelocal.se/20141204/swedish-schoolboy-causes-stir-with-lucia-stunt)
Quote
Staff at the Ödeshög primary school broke with tradition when selecting this year's Lucia (or Saint Lucy as she is known in English).

Instead of the usual voting process they put the names of all the interested parties into a hat and selected the winning candidate in a lottery.

Among the names were three boys and when the new Lucia was announced it turned out to be one of the trio. The school said the random selection was done in the interests of democracy and equality.

But traditionalists weren't too impressed. Usually Lucia is portrayed by a girl, who sports candles on her head to represent Saint Lucia.

"Pretty soon it became sweaty. Outraged emails and text messages came flooding in. Almost all were negative, some were clear personal attacks," said school teacher Anna Wissman to local newspaper Corren.

The reaction in the classroom was rather different with most of the boy's classmates supporting the gesture, although not all their parents agreed with the plan.

"Some people think it was a ploy to choose a boy to play Lucia. But we followed the teaching plan. We're supposed to teach equality and democracy," added Wissman.

Some protestors contacted the school's headmaster to explain their anger.

As well as being unhappy that a boy was representing the saint, many were hacked off that ceremony was being moved from a church to the school gymnasium instead.

The school is standing by its decision and has invited the town's official Lucia, who is female, to the school to take part in the ceremony.

In a compromise gesture, the boy will lead the procession for the pupils' parents in the morning while the official Lucia will take over in the afternoon.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2014-12-13, 22:00:08
Which one of the three? Not this Lucia video, it cropped up on my Twitter feed, I just passed it on (if it hadn't been for Twitter I probably wouldn't have kept track of those local holidays). I did once post a quip about candle-scorched hair though.

Three? Anyway, I must be confused with a different Swedish holiday. Or maybe my Romanian friend who lives in Sweden passed it on to me in the past.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: tt92 on 2014-12-13, 22:05:30

Which one of the three? Not this Lucia video, it cropped up on my Twitter feed, I just passed it on (if it hadn't been for Twitter I probably wouldn't have kept track of those local holidays). I did once post a quip about candle-scorched hair though.

In the last couple years feminism has finally caught up with the Lucia celebration. While not on the level of controversy of the Dutch black-face tradition, the question has been: why should the Lucia have to be a girl, why can't it be a boy?

Swedish schoolboy in female saint role row (http://www.thelocal.se/20141204/swedish-schoolboy-causes-stir-with-lucia-stunt)
Quote
Staff at the Ödeshög primary school broke with tradition when selecting this year's Lucia (or Saint Lucy as she is known in English).

Instead of the usual voting process they put the names of all the interested parties into a hat and selected the winning candidate in a lottery.

Among the names were three boys and when the new Lucia was announced it turned out to be one of the trio. The school said the random selection was done in the interests of democracy and equality.

But traditionalists weren't too impressed. Usually Lucia is portrayed by a girl, who sports candles on her head to represent Saint Lucia.

"Pretty soon it became sweaty. Outraged emails and text messages came flooding in. Almost all were negative, some were clear personal attacks," said school teacher Anna Wissman to local newspaper Corren.

The reaction in the classroom was rather different with most of the boy's classmates supporting the gesture, although not all their parents agreed with the plan.

"Some people think it was a ploy to choose a boy to play Lucia. But we followed the teaching plan. We're supposed to teach equality and democracy," added Wissman.

Some protestors contacted the school's headmaster to explain their anger.

As well as being unhappy that a boy was representing the saint, many were hacked off that ceremony was being moved from a church to the school gymnasium instead.

The school is standing by its decision and has invited the town's official Lucia, who is female, to the school to take part in the ceremony.

In a compromise gesture, the boy will lead the procession for the pupils' parents in the morning while the official Lucia will take over in the afternoon.


Peace on Earth.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2014-12-13, 22:49:29
I was thinking of the other couple Christmas period traditions depicted, not including others like Krampus, or the illicit burning of the giant Gävle goat (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A4vle_goat).
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fi.huffpost.com%2Fgen%2F1494636%2Fthumbs%2Fo-GAVLE-570.jpg%3F13&hash=6afaf3aaa9404aae718e1040e47c3356" rel="cached" data-hash="6afaf3aaa9404aae718e1040e47c3356" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/1494636/thumbs/o-GAVLE-570.jpg?13)
Quote from: Wikipedia
Since 1986 there have been two Yule Goats built in Gävle: the Gävle Goat by the Southern Merchants and the Yule Goat built by the Natural Science Club of the School of Vasa.

Until 1985 the Southern Merchants held the world record for the largest Yule Goat, but over the years the Natural Science Club's goat increased in size, and in 1985 their Yule Goat made it into the Guinness Book of Records with an official height of 12.5 metres (41 ft). The creator of the original 1966 goat, Stig Gavlén, thought that the Natural Science Club's goat had unfairly won the title of the largest Yule Goat because the goat was not as attractive as the Southern Merchants' goat and the neck was excessively long. The next year there was a Goat war: the Southern Merchants understood the publicity value, and erected a huge goat, the Natural Science Club erected a smaller one in protest. The Southern Merchants had intended that their huge goat would reclaim the world record, but the measurement of the goat showed it fell short. Over the following seven years there were no further attempts on the world record, but there was some bad feeling between the Natural Science Club and the Southern Merchants, evidenced by the fact that the Natural Science Club put up a sign near their goat wishing a Merry Christmas to everyone, except the Southern Merchants.[6]

In 1993 the Southern Merchants again announced that they were going to attempt the world record. The goat stood 10.5 metres (34 ft) when completed. The Natural Science Club's Yule Goat that year measured 14.9 metres (49 ft), which earned them another place in the Guinness Book of World Records.[6]

Timeline

1966 Stig Gavlén came up with the idea of a giant goat made out of straw. But it turned out that Gavlén organisation did not have enough funding for the goat. Then Harry Ström, who at that time was the chairman of the Södra Kungsgatan Ideella Förening (a non-profit society), decided to pay the whole cost for the goat out of his own pocket. The goat stood until midnight of New Year's Eve, when it went up in flames. The perpetrator, who was from Hofors, Gästrikland, was found and convicted of vandalism. The first goat was insured and Ström got all his money back.[7][14][19]
1967 Nothing happened.[7]
1968 The goat survived. A fence was built around the goat. Previously it was popular for children to play hide-and-seek inside and around the goat. There was also a rumor that one night a couple had sex inside the goat. In subsequent years the inside of the goat was protected by a chicken-wire net.[14]
1969 The goat was burnt down on New Year's Eve.[7]
1970 The goat was burnt down only six hours after it was assembled. Two very drunk teenagers were connected with the crime. With help from several financial contributors the goat was reassembled out of lake reed.[20]
1971 The Southern Merchants got tired of their goats being burned and stopped building the goat. The Natural Science Club (Naturvetenskapliga Föreningen:NF) from the School of Vasa (Vasaskolan) took over. [20]
1972 The goat collapsed because of sabotage.[7]
1973 N/A
1974 Burnt.[7]
1975 N/A
1976 Hit by a car.[21][22]
1977 N/A
1978 Again, the goat was kicked to pieces.[7]
1979 The goat was burnt even before it was erected. A new one was built and fireproofed. It was destroyed and broken into pieces.[20]
1980 Burnt down on Christmas Eve.[7]
1981 Nothing happened.[7]
1982 Burnt down on Lucia (13 December).[7]
1983 The legs were destroyed.[7]
1984 Burnt down on 12 December, the night before Lucia.[7]
1985 The 12.5 metre (41 ft) tall goat of the Natural Science Club was featured in the Guinness Book of Records for the first time. Even though the goat was enclosed by a 2 metres (6.6 ft) high metal fence, guarded by Securitas and even soldiers from the Gävle I 14 Infantry Regiment, it was burnt down in January.[7][14]
1986 The merchants of Gävle decided they were willing to build the goat once again. From 1986 on two goats were built, the Southern Merchants' and the School of Vasa's. The big goat burnt down the night before Christmas Eve.[7]
1987 A heavily fireproofed goat was built. It got burnt down a week before Christmas.[23]
1988 Nothing happened to the goat, but gamblers were for the first time able to gamble on the fate of the goat with English bookmakers.[20]
1989 Again, the goat burnt down before it was assembled. Financial contributions from the public were raised to rebuild a goat that was burnt down in January. In March 1990 another goat was built, this time for the shooting of a Swedish motion picture called Black Jack.[7]
1990 Nothing happened. The goat was guarded by many volunteers.[7]
1991 The goat was joined by an advertising sled, that turned out to be illegally built. On the morning of Christmas Eve the goat was burnt down. It was later rebuilt to be taken to Stockholm as a part of a protest campaign against the closing of the I 14 Infantry Regiment.[7][14]
1992 The goat was burnt down eight days after it was built. The Natural Science Club's goat burnt down the same night. The Southern Merchants' goat was rebuilt, but burned down on 20 December. The perpetrator of the three attacks was caught and sent to jail. The Goat Committee was founded in 1992.[7][14]
1993 Once more the goat was featured in the Guinness Book of Records, the School of Vasa's goat measured 14.9 metres (49 ft). The goat was guarded by taxis and the Swedish Home Guard. Nothing happened.[7][14]
1994 Nothing happened. The goat followed the Swedish national hockey team to Italy for the World Championship in hockey.[7][14]
1995 A Norwegian was arrested for attempting to burn down the goat. Burnt down on the morning of Christmas Day. Rebuilt to be standing before the 550th anniversary of Gävle county.[7][14]
1996 The first time the goat was guarded by webcams, nothing happened.[7]
1997 Damaged by fireworks. The Natural Science Club's goat was attacked too, but survived with minor damage.[21]
1998 Burnt down on 11 December, even though there was a major blizzard. Was rebuilt.[7]
1999 Burnt down only a couple of hours after it was erected. Rebuilt again before Lucia. The Natural Science Club's goat was burnt down as well.[7]
2000 Burnt down a couple of days before New Year's Eve. The Natural Science Club's goat got tossed in the Gävle river.[7]
2001 Goat set on fire on 23 December by Lawrence Jones, a 51-year-old visitor from Cleveland, Ohio, who spent 18 days in jail and was subsequently convicted and ordered to pay 100,000 Swedish kronor in damages. The court confiscated Jones's cigarette lighter with the argument that he clearly was not able to handle it. Jones stated in court that he was no "goat burner", and believed that he was taking part in a completely legal goat-burning tradition. After Jones was released from jail he went straight back to the US without paying his fine. As of 2006 it was still unpaid. The Natural Science Club's goat was also burnt down.[10][14][21][24][25]
2002 A 22 year old from Stockholm tried to set the Southern Merchants' goat on fire, but failed, the goat receiving only minor damage. On Lucia the goat was guarded by Swedish radio and TV personality Gert Fylking.[26]
2003 Burnt down on 12 December.[7]
2004 Burnt 21 December, only three days before Christmas Eve. The fire brigade quickly arrived on the scene, but the goat could not be saved. No new goat was built.[7]
2005 Burnt by unknown vandals reportedly dressed as Santa and the gingerbread man, by shooting a flaming arrow at the goat at 21:00 on 3 December.[21][27] Reconstructed on 5 December. The hunt for the arsonist responsible for the goat-burning in 2005 was featured on the weekly Swedish live broadcast TV3's "Most Wanted" ("Efterlyst") on 8 December.
2006 On the night of 15 December at 03:00, someone tried to set fire to the goat by dousing the right front leg in petrol (gasoline). The red ribbon on that leg was slightly burned and fell off. The lower part of the right leg was scorched, but the rest of the goat failed to light. The leg was repaired that morning.[28][29] The Natural Science Club's goat was burned at about 00:40 on 20 December; the vandals were not seen and got away.[30][31] On the night of 25 December, a drunken man managed to climb up on the goat. Before the police arrived on the scene the man climbed down and disappeared.[32] He did not try to set fire to the goat. The Southern Merchants' goat survived New Year's Eve and was taken down on 2 January. It is now stored in a secret location.[33]
2007 The Natural Science Club's goat was toppled on 13 December and was burned on the night of 24 December.[34] The Southern Merchants' goat survived.
2008 10,000 people turned out for the inauguration of one of the goats. No back-up goat was built to replace the main goat should the worst happen, nor was the goat treated with flame repellent (Anna Östman, spokesperson of the Goat-committee said the repellent made it look ugly in the previous years, like a brown terrier).[35] On 16 December the Natural Science Club's Goat was vandalised and later removed. On 26 December there was an attempt to burn down the Southern Merchants' Goat but patriotic passers-by managed to extinguish the fire. The following day the goat finally succumbed to the flames ignited by an unknown assailant at 03:50 CET.
2009 A person attempted to set the Southern Merchants' goat on fire the night of 7 December.[36] An unsuccessful attempt was made to throw the Natural Science Club's goat into the river the weekend of 11 December. The culprit then tried, again without success, to set the goat on fire.[37] Someone stole the Natural Science Club's goat utilizing a truck the night of 14 December.[38] On the night of 23 December before 04:00 the South Merchant goat was set on fire and was burned to the frame, even though it had a thick layer of snow on its back.[39] The goat had two online webcams which were put out of service by a DoS attack, instigated by computer hackers just before the burning.[40]
2010 On the night of 2 December, arsonists made an unsuccessful attempt to burn the Natural Science Club's goat.[41] On 17 December, a Swedish news site reported that one of the guards tasked with protecting the Southern Merchants' goat had been offered payment to leave his post so that the goat could be stolen via helicopter and transported to Stockholm.[42] Both goats survived and were dismantled and returned to storage in early January 2011.[43]
2011 The inauguration of the goat took place on 27 November. The fire-fighters of Gävle sprayed the goat with water to create a coating of ice in the hope of protecting it from arson.[44] The goat was burnt down in the early morning of 2 December.[45]
2012 The inauguration of the goat took place on 2 December. It was burnt just ten days later in the hours before midnight of 12 December, one day before Lucia.[46][47]
2013 As in 2006 and 2007, the straw used to build the goat has been soaked in anti-flammable liquid to prevent it from burning in the event of an arson attack.[48] The inauguration ceremony took place on 1 December. On 21 December the goat was burned down.[49]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-02-18, 17:48:11
The Spring Festival has begun.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fincoming%2Farticle10049708.ece%2Fbinary%2Foriginal%2Fchina-map-heat-.jpg&hash=ce5fc34ac7c82711e51c711c5501aa2b" rel="cached" data-hash="ce5fc34ac7c82711e51c711c5501aa2b" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10049708.ece/binary/original/china-map-heat-.jpg)

Chinese New Year 2015: 6 things you need to know about the Year of the Goat (or Sheep) (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/chinese-new-year-2015-6-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-year-of-the-goat-or-sheep-10053014.html)

(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.independent.co.uk%2Fincoming%2Farticle10053047.ece%2Falternates%2Fw460%2Fchinese_new_year_1.jpg&hash=a220d59d6dcccbbfbfc6449635d1f268" rel="cached" data-hash="a220d59d6dcccbbfbfc6449635d1f268" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article10053047.ece/alternates/w460/chinese_new_year_1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-03-08, 09:04:38
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fmichaeljacksonfanclubua.mybb.ru%2Fuploads%2F0009%2F17%2F65%2F35090-1-f.gif&hash=7a858a6054b7f2559afa148bab701e85" rel="cached" data-hash="7a858a6054b7f2559afa148bab701e85" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://michaeljacksonfanclubua.mybb.ru/uploads/0009/17/65/35090-1-f.gif)

International women's day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women%27s_Day)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-05-06, 08:13:49
International No Diet Day (https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/no-diet-day/) (a rest day for all the hysterical weightwatchers out there)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-05-06, 08:39:44
We just passed three holidays in Sweden April 30, Valborg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night#Sweden) (Walpurgisnight), a day of choir singing, drinking, and burning of witches, May 1, May Day (solidarity with the working people of the world), and May 5, the international don't-commute-to-work day. The last one is not officially celebrated.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Jimbro3738 on 2015-05-12, 17:35:14
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.iraidaconstruction.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F12%2Freally-stupid-christmas-cards.jpg&hash=e3dabfb48636ffbbc1d13c1270255a8e" rel="cached" data-hash="e3dabfb48636ffbbc1d13c1270255a8e" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.iraidaconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/really-stupid-christmas-cards.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-06-12, 11:06:26
Happy Falafel Day!
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.plazamagazine.se%2Fmedia%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F27%2F2015%2F06%2F11426168_658967347538046_5053564957353577447_n-e1434094465210.png&hash=2090fe219df8c0b8455ad0087431e53f" rel="cached" data-hash="2090fe219df8c0b8455ad0087431e53f" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.plazamagazine.se/media/uploads/sites/27/2015/06/11426168_658967347538046_5053564957353577447_n-e1434094465210.png)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Jimbro3738 on 2015-06-16, 08:14:29
Happy Chinese New Year!
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ffcsit.unisel.edu.my%2Ffcsit%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F02%2Fbest-chinese-new-year-greetings-words-sample-1.jpg&hash=ed0c01fc0c97cb8f9a9a4a6b976f23b0" rel="cached" data-hash="ed0c01fc0c97cb8f9a9a4a6b976f23b0" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://fcsit.unisel.edu.my/fcsit/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/best-chinese-new-year-greetings-words-sample-1.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-06-19, 06:36:14
Midsummer Night (a major ancient feast surprisingly well survived in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia) in theory and in practice.
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rantapallo.fi%2Ffastforlove%2Ffiles%2F2011%2F06%2Fjuhannus.jpg&hash=a07169daba098f74b4d5d223e4f8e7c4" rel="cached" data-hash="a07169daba098f74b4d5d223e4f8e7c4" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.rantapallo.fi/fastforlove/files/2011/06/juhannus.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2015-06-19, 08:49:32
That's today already? I thought the solstice wasn't for a few more days. :)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-06-19, 09:58:39

That's today already? I thought the solstice wasn't for a few more days. :)

It's not on the actual solstice. In Estonia it's the night between June 23rd and 24th (i.e. a fixed date) and in Sweden and Finland it's the weekend closest to the solstice - on weekend, not the solstice. But yes, the original idea was of course the solstice, the astronomical thing.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-06-19, 16:24:06
Norway and Denmark celebrate every June 23, like Estonia. Sweden-Finland, as mentioned, on the nearest Friday. Sweden takes it more seriously, and true to form it is raining. Or to be exact it is raining in the Stockholm area, the area that matters (to people living here), sun elsewhere in Scandinavia is irrelevant.

[video]https://youtu.be/u8ZLpGOOA1Q[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-06-19, 16:42:47
This year Midsummer Eve nearly coincide with the Dragonboat Festival (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duanwu_Festival) tomorrow, another moveable feast. Sweden doesn't have the bonfires though, they are lit here on Walpurgis night, while the Maypole (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maypole) is erected today.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-06-19, 18:22:03
And a few words from the sponsors, IKEA and Abba (not ABBA). The first one originally used German/Swedish words, here English/Swedish, the second sticks to Swedish:

[video]https://youtu.be/Lbh3uAZ4WUM[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/eN1vxcZb9ZE[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Jimbro3738 on 2015-06-22, 22:09:28
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.priestsforlife.org%2Fafricanamerican%2Fblog%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F07%2FIndependence-Day.jpg&hash=3e453a4937c98ea80a5e09bb15982abe" rel="cached" data-hash="3e453a4937c98ea80a5e09bb15982abe" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.priestsforlife.org/africanamerican/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Independence-Day.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2015-11-10, 15:31:04
In a few minutes it will be 11/11 a.k.a. Singles' Day or internet shopping day, the biggest shopping event on the planet.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2015-12-01, 14:21:26
Fire detector day in the Nordic countries :D
Quote from: http://www.brandskyddsforeningen.se/i-hemmet/jul/brandvarnardagen

Brandvarnardagen är en temadag som infaller den 1 december varje år. Hela Norden uppmärksammar brandvarnaren den här dagen. Medborgare runt om i Norden påminns alltså om att testa brandvarnaren så att man vet att den fungerar. 2010 beslutade nordiska ministerrådet att 1 december ska vara nationell brandvarnardag.

Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2016-04-30, 11:57:13
We just passed three holidays in Sweden April 30, Valborg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night#Sweden) (Walpurgisnight), a day of choir singing, drinking, and burning of witches, May 1, May Day (solidarity with the working people of the world), and May 5, the international don't-commute-to-work day. The last one is not officially celebrated.

New year, old celebrations.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2016-04-30, 18:24:14
We just passed three holidays in Sweden April 30, Valborg (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walpurgis_Night#Sweden) (Walpurgisnight), a day of choir singing, drinking, and burning of witches, May 1, May Day (solidarity with the working people of the world), and May 5, the international don't-commute-to-work day. The last one is not officially celebrated.

New year, old celebrations.
Wasn't there a king too this time turning 70 or something?
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2016-05-01, 06:17:23
Oh drat, I forgot to wish you guys a happy King's Day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koningsdag) on April 27. It kind of passed me by, given that I'm only used to Queen's Day on April 30 and of course also me not living in the Netherlands, but it was the third one already.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2016-11-11, 13:35:05
Happy Singles' Day 11/11 everyone! Shop early, shop often!
(http://www.bbc.com/news/37946470)
Singles Day: Alibaba closes in on record sales (http://www.bbc.com/news/37946470)

Quote
As has now become tradition, Singles Day was kicked off with a televised gala event which this year included a performances by One Republic and appearances by basketball legend Kobe Bryant, English football legend David Beckham and singer-turned designer Victoria Beckham. But pop star Katy Perry, who had been scheduled to perform, withdrew citing a family emergency.

Analysts have predicted this year's event could see Alibaba rack up sales of $20bn despite a slowdown in China's economy, partly due to the event having a broader audience. "We're seeing an even bigger shift from offline shopping to online shopping," Kitty Fok, managing director of IDC China told the BBC.

"And there is also more of a focus on rural areas. People in the villages who could not do online shopping now have mobile phones and so can do that."

Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2016-11-24, 21:07:18
Quote from: Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States. It was originally celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and of the preceding year. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. Several other places around the world observe similar celebrations. Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has long been celebrated in a secular manner as well.
Sounds like some general-purpose no-guarantees-for-any-particular-purpose thing that could be easily outclassed. Except when it comes with American marketing, it cannot be outclassed. It would be terrible if this would be the next holiday to push aside one or some of our local feasts, like Halloween has.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2016-12-31, 22:42:53
Head uut aastat!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2017-05-05, 17:15:06
Trump is known to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Stay tuned for the wall opening celebration.

(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Foccupydemocrats.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2FScreen-Shot-2016-05-05-at-4.11.31-PM.png&hash=68eb15bc01e57b1f6ae3dd093cc2b6da" rel="cached" data-hash="68eb15bc01e57b1f6ae3dd093cc2b6da" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://occupydemocrats.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2016-05-05-at-4.11.31-PM.png)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: krake on 2017-05-05, 19:08:18
Stay tuned for the wall opening celebration.
I'm sceptical about the wall. No dineros.
The only wall Trump was able to build so far was that between him and his wife. :)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2017-05-09, 14:43:40
On May 9th Russians have their victory parade as usual.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6PtyokQ44k[/video]

Elsewhere in the world it's the Stroke Day (http://www.strokeforbundet.se/show.asp?si=528).
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2017-10-21, 07:00:58
Stay tuned for the wall opening celebration.
I'm sceptical about the wall. No dineros.
The only wall Trump was able to build so far was that between him and his wife. :)
The Mexico wall is becoming for Trump a similar case like Guantanamo for Obama. Obama got a pre-emptive Nobel Peace Prize for the promise to close down Guantanamo, but then he failed to fulfil the promise. Regardless if Trump delivers or not, his only prize is the presidency.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2017-12-06, 18:01:19
Onnea Suomi! (100th anniversary of Finland's independence)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2017-12-06, 19:35:27
Happy Independence Day!

Also happy Sinterklaas. Around here it's on the 6th rather than the 5th.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2018-04-13, 03:48:11
Friday 13th, a do-nothing day in the English-speaking world,
Quote from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/05/13/is-friday-13th-bad-for-business/
[According to] the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina [...] when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday [...] customers refrain from activities such as flying and anxious employees stay home from work.

The phenomenon even has a name: paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of Friday 13th, while triskaidekaphobics are scared of the number 13 more generally.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2018-04-13, 11:03:46
The number 13 as a "bad" number is definitely spread much wider than the US, but I think Friday the thirteenth might be an American thing. Also I don't think we usually do weird things like no house/room/floor/seat 13.

According to Dutch Wikipedia there's no day with fewer accidents than Friday the thirteenth.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2018-04-13, 11:16:19
(https://dndsanctuary.eu/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.conquermaths.com%2Fnews%2Fimages%2Fimages%2F13floor.jpg&hash=a41eab84a3986dcb53885f93a704f4aa" rel="cached" data-hash="a41eab84a3986dcb53885f93a704f4aa" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.conquermaths.com/news/images/images/13floor.jpg)
Yes, it's weird. Does this house have 14 floors? Hows does this work? Did they build twelve floors, then skipped a floor, and then they built the fourteenth?


Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2018-04-13, 12:32:49
A corresponding elevator in China.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/ShanghaiMissingFloors.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2018-04-13, 14:01:31
A corresponding elevator in China.
Are those all bad numbers? Also, I see they don't do 0/ground floor. :P
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2018-04-14, 12:37:28
In China, Norway and the US the first floor is the ground floor. In Czechia, Sweden and Britain the first floor is the floor above the ground floor.

4 and combinations is unlucky because 4 (四) sounds like death (死). Additionally 14 can be read as "I want to die", so it is not very popular floor to go to. 13 is known as a (Western) unlucky number, so it is dropped too. Solidarity in superstition, brother. So 15th floor is really 12th floor, 11th floor if you are a Swede.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2018-04-14, 13:37:26
In China, Norway and the US the first floor is the ground floor. In Czechia, Sweden and Britain the first floor is the floor above the ground floor.
Yes, but in the US there's not generally a "-1". You'll have B, 1, 2, etc. Or if there are multiple floors below ground, B2, B1, 1, 2, etc.

The combination of -1 and 1 without 0/parterre/ground floor/whatever strikes me as the worst possible combination. But in spite of that, I'm much more perturbed by all the missing numbers that aren't 0. ;)

4 and combinations is unlucky because 4 (四) sounds like death (死).
So on one of those enormous skyscrapers you'll have "300" floors even if there are actually some 260 just because every combination with 4 is mysteriously missing? How about combinations with 13? :P
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2018-11-21, 20:55:48
Quote from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving
In Canada

The origins of Canadian Thanksgiving are also sometimes traced to the French settlers who came to New France in the 17th century, who celebrated their successful harvests. The French settlers in the area typically had feasts at the end of the harvest season and continued throughout the winter season, even sharing food with the indigenous peoples of the area.

In the United States

Pilgrims and Puritans who emigrated from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. The modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a well-recorded 1619 event in Virginia and a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1619 arrival of 38 English settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia, concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group's charter from the London Company [...]

Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress,[17] each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes.

On October 31, 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a presidential proclamation changing the holiday to the next to last Thursday in November, for business reasons.[26] On December 26, 1941, he signed a joint resolution of Congress changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday.[27]

Since 1971, when the American Uniform Monday Holiday Act took effect, the American observance of Columbus Day has coincided with the Canadian observance of Thanksgiving.
Title: Keeps Giving!
Post by: ersi on 2018-11-22, 16:26:23
Quote from: https://theconversation.com/why-the-pilgrims-were-actually-able-to-survive-106990
About a decade later Captain John Smith, who coined the term “New England,” wrote that the Massachusetts, a nearby indigenous group, inhabited what he described as “the Paradise of all those parts.”

Champlain and Smith understood that any Europeans who wanted to establish communities in this region would need either to compete with Natives or find ways to extract resources with their support.

But after Champlain and Smith visited, a terrible illness spread through the region. Modern scholars have argued that indigenous communities were devastated by leptospirosis, a disease caused by Old World bacteria that had likely reached New England through the feces of rats that arrived on European ships.

[...]

The epidemic benefited the Pilgrims, who arrived soon thereafter: The best land had fewer residents and there was less competition for local resources, while the Natives who had survived proved eager trading partners.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2018-11-22, 18:39:48
And that was just the first of many epidemics.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2018-11-23, 04:44:23
The Canadian may have been first, annually and originally. Otherwise interesting that Thanksgiving, arguably the most charming of American festivities, is the one having least traction internationally. Here in Sweden Thanksgiving isn't celebrated, but Black Friday is (as well as Singles Day, being neutral in two world wars, there is no Armistice/Veterans Day).

The fundamentals, feasting and feuding with family, is fairly universal, just at different times of the year. Christmas here, Spring Festival in China. Harvest festivals are common, though of course, not being farmers anymore, it has lost most of its meaning.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2018-11-23, 05:03:43
The combination of -1 and 1 without 0/parterre/ground floor/whatever strikes me as the worst possible combination. But in spite of that, I'm much more perturbed by all the missing numbers that aren't 0.  ;)


So on one of those enormous skyscrapers you'll have "300" floors even if there are actually some 260 just because every combination with 4 is mysteriously missing? How about combinations with 13?  :P

If they state the number of floors they should, and do, state that truthfully. It's just the naming scheme that is not in sync with the actual number of floors. So yes, you could live on the 22nd floor of a 20 floor building.

The same goes for the discontinuous discrete algebra of floors named 3, 2, 1, -1, -2. You just map the names to above/below ground. B1, B2 is also used. That is a global mess, as the letters follow no universal pattern, G, B, K, M etc could be just about anything. M tends to be the floor between 1 and 2 (or 0 and 1, depending on how you count). Sometimes that is I instead. Then there are those who discern between basement and cellar, and you have to figure out which one is lowest. G is almost always ground floor, but could be garage if the elevator is evil. B is usually basement, but in Sweden it can be ground (bottom) floor.

Fortunately many elevators (almost all elevators here in Sweden) have an emphasised and usually green button for the primary exit floor. So the algorithm "Push the provided button for where you are going, and push green for going back" usually works as intended.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2018-11-23, 05:33:27
Somehow in none of the histories about Thanksgiving is there any mention of turkey.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ociHVDWxDaY[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2018-12-31, 21:09:39
Enjoy safer fireworks over youtube
(https://ersi.vivaldi.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/308/2018/12/2018-12-31-23.04.32.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2019-01-01, 08:07:06
I went by the river last night. They launch the fireworks from a barge; probably in Moscow as well?
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2019-02-24, 08:24:04
Today is Estonia's independence day, 101 years since the declaration of independence.

You are all welcome to watch the boring offering of the Estonian state tv to celebrate this day https://otse.err.ee/k/etv

And over here (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=2386.msg82780#msg82780) I recently linked to an Estonian youtuber who made a video about Estonia's war of independence. The war was part of the bigger WWI theatre.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2019-02-25, 11:54:09
Hooray!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2019-07-05, 12:54:26
Trump's little discourse into history on U.S. Independence Day: The newly-created army of the states took over the airports in June 1775.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pTirPV4Onw[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Luxor on 2019-07-05, 14:14:09
Seems legit.

(https://i.imgur.com/MrNPTZF.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2019-07-05, 15:45:41
Interesting slip of the tongue. I wonder if it's been attested before? Is it a distraction from something else?
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2019-07-19, 18:25:37
This Sunday it will Belgian National Day. It commemorates King Leopold I swearing allegiance to the constitution. Once upon a time they used to celebrate the withdrawal of Dutch forces from Brussels on 27 September 1830. It's not clear to me why it was changed; this page (http://www.arch.be/index.php?l=fr&m=actualites&r=toutes-les-actualites&a=2015-09-25-la-revolution-belge-a-185-ans) only says that it was changed in 1890.

I was leafing through the Metro on the train today, and it was full of silly stuff. Sauces & condiments proclaiming they were best to go with the "Belbicue," and the Metro itself had an article about 10 great inventions from Belgium. French fries, roller skates, saxophones, bakelite, gasoline engines, the Big Bang, and some other stuff that slipped my mind. They claimed 60% of Belgians dislikes it when you say French fries instead of Belgian fries, probably tongue in cheek but I wasn't 100 % sure. ;)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2021-02-11, 13:06:32
The year of the metal rat, that began 25 January last year, is on its last three hours.

This to be followed by two weeks of spring festival.

(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/c4/98/4f/c4984f300160c84269f4d3de432e8372.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2021-07-04, 20:23:30
Happy Fourth of July, Trans-Ponders :)

[video]https://youtu.be/jWJVMoe7OY0[/video]
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2021-12-26, 20:46:09
Last year I simply wished that the year (2020) end and never be back. This year I dare to hope that next year be better than this one :psmurf:

To everyone  :wine:  :beer:  :coffee:
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2021-12-26, 23:04:05
Happy 27th of December! :D
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2022-05-09, 19:12:43
Quote from: https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2022/may/victory-day
The strangest thing about the Victory Day parade in Moscow this year was the absence of victory. Normally it’s there, the victory over Nazi Germany, a safely won triumph, unchangeably in the past, veterans and the glorious dead honoured, the country rebuilt, and in his speech today Vladimir Putin went through the motions of commemorating it. But this year, for the first time since the original Victory, Russian troops are openly fighting a war against the descendants of their Ukrainian former comrades-in-arms, on land whose evocative toponymy casts doubt on Russia’s traditional representation of May 1945.

After the speech, after the military parade, Putin, as usual, went to lay a flower on each of a row of granite blocks outside the Kremlin walls commemorating the ‘hero cities’ judged to have shown special valour in the struggle against the Nazis. He laid the first flower on the monument to heroic Leningrad, his home town. He laid the second flower, without any noticeable hesitation, on the monument to heroic Kiev.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2022-05-09, 19:27:43
Happy Europe Day!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2022-05-10, 08:16:09
And May 10 (1940) is also a day to remember (https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/10-may-1940-a-day-to-remember/).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IIsY664tE4

Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2022-11-20, 14:29:19
Quote from: https://www.worldtoiletday.info/
World Toilet Day is held every year on 19 November. It has been an annual United Nations Observance since 2013.
Did we miss this one?
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Luxor on 2022-12-25, 12:17:39
Merry Xmas to you all. I hope you are having a good day whatever you have planned.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2022-12-27, 19:33:42
Merry third Christmas day!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-01-02, 07:22:43
Happy New Year! Enjoy a little song from my grandmother's favourite turn-of-the-year movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5viIzp4rxC0
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-02-02, 17:23:04
Kremlin trying to change Volgograd's name back to Stalingrad

Quote from: https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-02-02/kremlin-trying-to-change-volgograds-name-back-to-stalingrad.html
Putin was scheduled to visit Volgograd on February 2. His agenda included laying a wreath before the Eternal Flame of the Mamayev Kurgan memorial complex and strolling through the museum dedicated to the Battle of Stalingrad. At its entrance, three busts of Stalin (as supreme commander of the USSR armed forces) and of the marshals Gueorgi Zhúkov and Aleksandr Vasilevski, responsible for the first great Soviet victory, were inaugurated on Wednesday.
Not sure how numbers work in English, but it was not three busts of Stalin. Rather, it was one of Stalin, and two more of the marshals, altogether three busts. It would be silly to do three busts of Stalin. As most Western Europeans (those not brainwashed by Russophobic propaganda) know, Putin is not some crazy war-mongering despot promoting dictators of the past or propping up a cult of personality of his own. Just one bust of Stalin is okay. Moderation is key.

In the pic the city entrance signs have already been changed for the celebration of 80th anniversary of the battle of Stalingrad and to welcome Putin.

(https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/xdF08k8uQRStVcLGHXgmN4zVQ34=/980x0/filters:focal(1412x990:1422x1000)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/35OWPSNXDAVCO37NEGS7LSMMII.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-02-24, 13:18:22
Today is the independence day of Estonia. Also the one-year anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine. To mark both occasions, Ursula von der Leyen (chief of European Commission) and Jens Stoltenberg (chief of NATO) met with Kaja Kallas (prime minister of Estonia) in Tallinn and had a press conference giving some statements and providing some updates.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a14y7GkdgDI
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2023-04-02, 10:59:44
Another Swedish holiday sounds likely. There are plenty, and easy to lampoon.

Midsommar is particularly popular (that I have done). Now also as a horror movie. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0UWIya-O0s
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-04-07, 17:19:13
It's Easter weekend, guys. It's a serious celebration.

(https://media.breitbart.com/media/2016/03/Crucifixion-640x480.jpg)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2023-04-08, 06:17:18
And Ramadan (and Pesach) as well (https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1644426860086849549). 


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FtJcF5QWwAAHYM4?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-05-10, 13:50:32
Yesterday I noticed that Europe Day and Russia's Victory Day are on the same date. This time it did not go well to either of them.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-05-20, 06:04:30
Quote from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Day
Victoria Day (French: Fête de la Reine, lit. 'Celebration of the Queen') is a federal Canadian public holiday celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25 to honour Queen Victoria. The holiday has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, originally on Victoria's natural birthday, May 24.
Elizabeth ruled longer and now they have Charles III. Charles III is of course no cause for celebration. Soon banknotes with his image (https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/news/2022/december/king-charles-iii-banknotes-unveiled) will be in circulation and the British pound can be expected to tank even further.
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-08-12, 12:39:48
Today it is 700 years from Treaty of Nöteborg (1323), which drew a border between Russia (Novgorod) and Sweden. The treaty is a defining event in the history of Finland such that Savo would belong to Sweden and Karelia to Novgorod.

The original treaty has not been preserved. The historical documents about the treaty date from a century or more later and are so divergent that some assume that there was no actual written treaty, but rather a reconciliatory ritual after a bunch of battles. The borders allegedly defined by the treaty are clear only on what is currently known as Karelian Isthmus and less clear north of that.

The treaty did not hold very long as battles continued. In 1337 Karelians rebelled against Käkisalmi/Keksholm/Korela castle from where they were ruled and taxed, and Swedes (with an army consisting of Finns of Savo) intervened and took the castle. Novgorod mobilised and reconquered the castle and in next treaty 1339 the borders of the Treaty of Nöteborg were reasserted. Thus later treaties reconfirmed borders with reference to Treaty of Nöteborg, whereas the content of the Treaty of Nöteborg is unknown these days and its borders are known only insofar as the red line in the picture due to later reconfirmations https://yle.fi/a/74-20044882

(https://images.jifo.co/53503771_1691755898422.png)

Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: ersi on 2023-12-24, 19:10:22
Best Estonian Christmas movie (no fears, completely family-friendly) https://jupiter.err.ee/1203331/lepatriinude-joulud

Merry Christmas, forum!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Luxor on 2023-12-24, 19:44:51
Merry Xmas.to you all.  :cheers:
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: Frenzie on 2023-12-26, 13:11:06
Merry Christmas!
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2023-12-28, 17:10:04
Oh, yes, and soon day of divergence (https://dndsanctuary.eu/index.php?topic=720.0). Again. 

If we are giving up on summer time, maybe we should give up time zones as well?
Title: Re: The Holiday Greetings Thread
Post by: jax on 2024-02-10, 13:10:00
And now we have entered the year of the wood dragon.