In the U.S.A., the holiday season starts with Thanksgiving at the end of November and encompasses Christmas and New Year. For over 50 years, African Americans have had another holiday to celebrate: Kwanzaa, from 26 December to 1 January. The celebration was conceived by a civil-rights activist and doctoral student in African studies at the … Continue reading “Happy Kwanzaa”
President Biden will give his first State of the Union Address on 1 March. The State of the Union address is an annual event when both Houses of Congress join to hear the President give a speech about the situation in the country and major initiatives he intends to take in the following months. It … Continue reading “What is the State of the Union Address?”
Will it be a long, cold winter, or will spring come early? On February 2, in Pennsylvania, an animal gives its prediction. Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, has a population of just over 6000, but once a year the sleepy town welcomes up to 30,000 visitors who come to see a groundhog – a North-American marmot. On 2 … Continue reading “Groundhog Day: What’s the Weather Like?”
Halloween is celebrated by kids and adults all over the U.S.A…. even in NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Every year, teams of space scientists take an hour off from pushing the boundaries of space to compete in the annual pumpkin carving contest. The winners are of course… over the Moon! The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the … Continue reading “Halloween: Out of This World!”
“Uncle Sam” is commonly used as a symbol of the United States, but where does the name come from? The name, which happens to have the same initials as the country, has been around since the War of 1812 (which actually lasted from 1812 to 1815) between the U.S.A. and the U.K. The officially sanctioned … Continue reading “Happy Uncle Sam Day!”
Both the U.S.A. and Canada celebrate their countries’ workers on the first Monday in September, they just don’t agree on the spelling! Featuring picnics, barbecues but also political speeches, both public holidays grew out of union movements in the late nineteenth century demanding shorter working days and more rights for workers. It’s no coincidence that … Continue reading “Labor or Labour Day?”
On July 4th, the U.S.A. celebrates its independence. And where better to do that than in Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, and where the Declaration of Independence was written? The Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, renamed Independence Hall, truly deserves the title “birthplace of the nation”. It was here on July 4, 1776 that … Continue reading “Happy July Fourth!”
14 June every year is Flag Day in the United States. It commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States approved the design for its first national flag, a version of the familiar red, white and blue “Stars and Stripes” that survives today. On June 14, 1777, future President John Adams discussed the flag … Continue reading “Raise the Flag”
On 15 April every year, all professional baseball teams in America celebrate Jackie Robinson Day, in honour of the player who “broke the color bar”, becoming the first African-American player in Major League Baseball. In post-WWII U.S.A., professional baseball, like so many other things, was segregated. African-Americans could only play in the Negro Leagues, not … Continue reading “Celebrating Jackie Robinson Day”
Many teenagers in the U.S. have been terribly disappointed to miss those major life milestones that are their high-school proms and graduations this year. But they’ve been using great ingenuity to still have memories to keep for ever. High school senior year in the U.S. is a time for rites and traditions. Yearbook, Senior Prom … Continue reading “Saving Proms 2020”