Cultural curriosities II

Subject: Cultural curriosities II
From: steve t
Date: 13 May 98 - 03:46 AM

Canadians celebrate Victoria Day (or Firecracker Day, as we called it as kids -- 24th of May, now the third Monday in May "The 24th of May is the Queen's Birthday, If we don't have a holiday we'll all run away, from school that day!"), though the Brits don't and NEVER did, so far as I know.

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 13 May 98 - 11:23 AM

G'day,
We have a Queen's Birthday holiday here in Oz as well. The date depends on the state. In N.S.W. it's the second Monday in June. I guess if you're a queen you get to have lots of birthdays. Take that any way you like.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Alice
Date: 13 May 98 - 12:33 PM

I think ground hog's day is one of our most unusual events on the calendar.

alice

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Bert
Date: 13 May 98 - 01:38 PM

Alan,
Perhaps she's like the queen in Alice. Didn't she celebrate UNbirthdays?

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: steve t
Date: 14 May 98 - 01:54 AM

Queen Victoria was born on 24/05/1819. She celebrated a big jubilee on June 23 ("QUEEN VICTORIA'S JUBILEE. THE GREAT PROCESSION OF JUNE 23, 1897, IN THE QUEEN'S HONOR"). Maybe that was the anniversary of her corronation? Are you sure they call it the Queen's Birthday and not simply Victoria Day or something?

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 14 May 98 - 09:06 AM

G'day,
Steve, It's definitely Queen's Birthday.

Bert, Good idea, another public holiday for the queen's unbirthday sounds good to me.

Alice, Is Ground Hog Day for real? It sounds like a joke to me.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Whippoorwill
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:05 AM

Groundhog day is not only for real, it's become a national event, celebrated by the network TV morning shows with all the hype and fooferaw that only the God of the Great Blue Eye can muster.

Every Feb. 2, the groundhog is said to come out of his hole and look around. If he sees his shadow, it frightens him back down into his hole and we're in for six more weeks of winter. If not, spring is just around the corner.

The unofficial official national groundhog is Punxatawny Phil, the most famous resident of Punxatawny (sp?) Pennsylvania, whose annual advent is attended by so many television cameras and lights that he can't help seeing his shadow. I lay the blame for the unusual weather we've had the last few years directly in the laps of the TV moguls.

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Bill in Alabama
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:08 AM

But Groundhog Day is not a holiday; it's in the genre of what folklorists call Calendar Customs--it is marked, but is really not observed.

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Jon W.
Date: 14 May 98 - 11:41 AM

Bill Murray starred in a pretty good movie called "Groundhog Day" in which he plays a newsman sent to Punxatawny to cover the event.

Another calendar custom is April Fool's Day, April 1. We try to play tricks or practical jokes on each other, then call "April Fools" when the other person falls for the joke. Often otherwise respectable periodicals will publish ridiculous stories that day.

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Bill D
Date: 14 May 98 - 12:05 PM

I think one of our (the USA's ) quaintest cultural curiosities is the naming of public buildings, parks, highways, airports, etc., after whichever person has the loudest lobbying group..(National Airport in Washingon DC was recently named after Ronald Reagan)....next comes the selling of the names of Sports venues and events to the highest corporate bidder.(but, then, the Olympics has been auctioning off the right to be the 'official' toilet paper supplier, (etc.) to the Olympics for years!0

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Allan C.
Date: 14 May 98 - 01:08 PM

The only thing I can think of that is quite nearly as odd is the persistant glorification of things to do with war and the "masters" thereof. I really hate to enter a town I have never before seen and find myself greeted by some huge cannon left over from some war or other. It just isn't friendly. Is that sort of thing only done in the U.S.? I am also fairly certain that at least two thirds of the statues I have seen throughout the USA are memorializing some warrior or other. What does all this say about us?

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Tim OK
Date: 14 May 98 - 01:37 PM

Allan,

It says we are a nation of warriors. We won our independence in a war, preserved it in another (1812), had our selves a hell (literally) of a civil war in "The War of Northern Aggression", fought in two World Wars (that we could have sat out) because it seemed the right thing to do and lost a half million men in WWII alone, fought wars in Korea and Viet Nam for ... ? not to mention a host of minor wars and let's not forget the systematic annihilation of the native population. America is the most violent society in the world. But most of us are pretty darn friendly , too, despite our flag-waving, beer drinkin', gun owning, ass kicking tendencies. Peace.

Subject: RE: Cultural curriosities II
From: Barry Finn
Date: 14 May 98 - 05:47 PM

Is the groundhog for real? I've heard that it caused El Nino. Barry