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The National Holidays Thread

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Don Quixote View Drop Down
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  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The National Holidays Thread
    Posted: 01-Mar-2012 at 22:21
I was thinking, why not make a thread that follows all kinds of national holidays in all countries?
So, post here the important or/and cute  holidays your country/culture has, and maybe a short description of them.

Edited by Don Quixote - 03-Mar-2012 at 23:31
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  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01-Mar-2012 at 23:16
Today is March 1, and this is important date in Bulgaria, because on this day people give to each other "martenica"s - little red and white emblems that people put on their clothes
http://www.public-republic.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/martenica_1_m.jpg
Martenicas were believed in olden times to literally bring life and peace in one's life till the next year the same date - now they are only a cute and beautiful tradition. The red - the color of blood - represents life; and white, the color of a white dove - represents peace. Martenicas rae done in all types and shapes possible, fantasy is the limit. Usually one buys for women bracelets
http://www.martenica.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/MARTENICA-55.jpg
for the whole family the so called "Pijo and Penda" - a man and a woman, connected together with a string
http://www.martenica.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Martenica-12.jpg
Kids get cute little critters
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3107/3272124253_72ed33e82a_z.jpg
Lovers give to each other hearth
http://martenici.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/martenica-006.jpg
The tradition is one to wear a martenica until one sees a stork, or a tree with new leaves, and hang it on the tree, so one's luck hold during the whole year, and some people still do that
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-5CwbtNylIY/S84qcFEmv9I/AAAAAAAAAlg/2Q7gaT3z420/s1600/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D0%B0+-+Martenitsa+-+Marteniza+-+Martenica+-+04.jpg

The same custom is followed also in Romania and Moldavia, and my guess is it started from some Ancient Thracian tradition, because the 3 countries that have the tradition were the area of the cultural continuum of Thracian-Dacian-Getae cultures that had relatively the same or closely related culture. The priestesses of Vesta used to wear white dresses with red belts, and the red/white symbolism may have started from there.

Also, according to Pausanius:
"..."..In the initiation of the neophytes during the Samothracian Mysteries a particularly important place is attributed to the striping of the lower pat of the body of the initiated with a purple stripe - the of the Great Mother..."[Pausan., IX, 25.5]....."http://www.thracians.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=411&Item id=106..."
Whatever the case, every Bulgarian today enjoys the cute tokens everyone gives to everyone - I use to make my own here, but this year I'm just going to hang up the ones from the last year so i can spend come time here on the threads.
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  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03-Mar-2012 at 23:38
March 3 is the Bulgarian liberation Day - that commemorates the separation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire. It's celebrated with ceremonies attended by the Bulgarian President, notable politicians, etc. This is the Moemorial of the Unknown Soldier, where this year's ceremony was conducted.
  Picture: FOCUS News Agency

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  Quote Ollios Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04-Mar-2012 at 02:34
National Holidays in Turkey

I am eliminating common holidays as international worker's day and new year. Others holidays are;

April 23    Independence and Children's day. Turkish assembly started to work. 

Turkish president on 23rd April 2011. This is common tradition in the country. Many local authorites are doing same things. Let the children take the system and also many children come from out of the country and stay with Turkish families to show their culture and learn Turkish one. For example this year a greek girl will stay with one of my family friend
 
May 19    Commemoration of Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day: it is official begining of Turkish Independence war.

it is generally for high school students. On this day in 1919, Ataturk want to Anatolia to start the Independece war.



August 30    Victory Day : for the day of last enemy soldier left the country

 
Military forces are  indispensable in this holiday

October 29    Republic Day: Declaration of Republic system

fireworks are the main part of the celebration


Edited by Ollios - 04-Mar-2012 at 02:37
Ellerin Kabe'si var,
Benim Kabem İnsandır
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  Quote Don Quixote Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24-May-2012 at 23:42
May 24 is the day of one of the most important Bulgarian holidays - the Day of the Slavonic Literacy and Alphabet. The reason for the holiday is that the Cyrilic script, or alphabet, was created in Bulgaria, in 10th century, possibly by Bulgarian, for sure Slavic, students of the Byzantinian monks Cyril and Methodius,
24 May - The Day Of Slavonic Alphabet, Bulgarian Enlightenment and Culture

who were given as a task by Byzantium to create an alphabet that fit the language of the Slavs, so Christianity could be spread to them. St. Cyril and Methodius http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Methodius  created an alphabet called "Glagolitic" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glagolitic_alphabet,
on which were written the oldest Slavonic documents. It looks like that
File:Kodex.Zograf.JPG

The story goes that the Slavic prince of the Great Moravia, Rostislav, had sent a mission to Byzantium with a request to be sent Christians to evangelize his people. So, they devised the Glagolic, and after Vyril's death Methodius stayed as an archebishop in Panonia; in this time rome nd Byzantien split over "Filoque" and just after Methodius died Glagolic and the Chrsitiabn service on it was forbidden, so what was left from the students of Cyril and Methodius fled for their lives. Couple of them ended in Bulgaria, where the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I welcomed them because he hoped that their own alphabet will secure some independence of his people from the cultural influence of Byzantium. Those students created the Cyrilic out of the Glagolic, which became the alphabet for a good deal of nations, like Bulgaria, Russia, Macedonia, Kazahstan, Mongolia, it's used in Serbia, etc.

The fact that Cyrilic has been developed and first used in Bulgaria has always been a source of pride for all Bulgarians, and this day is celebrated in most joyful way. It became day on which literature, education, knowledge itself was and is celebrated, with festivals, manifestations /in my communist youth/, speeches of important people and professionals in the spheres of education.

Here a short history of the holiday:
"...On May 11 1851 a celebration was organized by Nayden Gerov at the eparchy school `St St Kiril and Methody` in the town of Plovdiv. This was the first time to be marked the Day of the Saint brothers Kiril and Methody – the creators of Slavonic Alphabet. Since 1857 this day has been celebrated every year in Plovdiv, Tsarigrad, Shumen and Lom and it was no by accident that May 11 was chosen - this is the common Church Holiday of the two Saints.

The earliest information for marking the 11th of May a day of the Saint Apostles and Slavonic enlighteners Kiril and Methody dates back to XII century, but they were already acknowledged for saints at the time of IX century. Tthe memory of St Kiril only is celebrated on 14th February and the memory of his brother St Methody - on 6th of April (the exact dates of their deaths).

The wholly Russian Synod took the following decision on the occasion of celebrating one thousand years form the Moravia mission of St St Kiril and Methody: ` To remember the millennium since the first time our paternal language has been illuminated by the Gospel and the Christen faith, let it be established to be a Church Holiday the Day of the Reverends Kiril and Methody and celebrated every year, starting from the present May 11, 1863! `. Since then that Day has been celebrated in all of the Orthodox Slavonic countries. The common Day of St St Kiril and Methody was also celebrated by Bulgarian Church in the next centuries, and through Bulgarian Revival period it became also the Day of the School and the letters created by Kiril and Methody.

This occasion was one that was giving the expression of Bulgarian strivings of spirit for Church and Political independence, for enlightenment and national rise. Through the Revival period the Day of St St Kiril and Methody was celebrated not only in Bulgaria, but also abroad – by Bulgarian revival immigrates in Rumania and Russia, among Bulgarian students in foreign lands, among Bulgarians exiled in Diarbekir...." http://www.balkanfolk.com/news.php?id=23


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  Quote LeopoldPhilippe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-May-2015 at 21:55
One national holiday of Hungary is the 20th day of August.     
August 20 is in memory of the foundation of the State and King Saint Stephen the State Founder.
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  Quote J.A.W. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17-May-2015 at 00:47
More relevant perhaps to regular workers..
Who enjoys the most public holidays, & who labours under the least, per annum?

& are they spread out over the year, or do you have months at a time stretching out - sans a break?
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