DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   Halloween night is mostly identified with fun and frolic today. This is a night when both adults and children alike have a lot of fun by allowing themselves to trick or treat or go to parties dressed in fancy costumes as goblins, witches, vampires and the like. There are many fun, and some not so fun, superstitions and traditions that are associated with Halloween night. Some of the most common of these are described below: 1. Know your husband – It was believed that if a young woman (of marriageable age) would sleep with a twig of rosemary under her pillow on the Halloween night, she would see her husband in her dreams. 2. Cats were believed to be the devil – In the ancient times during the Inquisition, in Europe and US, people believed that cats, particularly black cats were the devil and hence they hunted and burned them on the Halloween and Easter. Fortunately, the civilized man saw reason and this terribly barbaric practice has been stopped.

   This month has some good holidays, from Chicken Boy's Day until Shemini Atzeret Day. Here are some holidays you can celebrate each day with ideas to help you celebrate each of them. September 1: Chicken Boy's Day - Buy a chicken suit and wear it all day to commemorate Chicken Boy. September 2: V-J Day - V-J...Is that like PJ day? Oh, no - I guess it stands for Victory in Japan. September 3: National Lazy Moms Day (2010) - Are you a lazy mom? Then this day is for you! September 4: Give the dog a break and carry in your own newspaper for once. September 5: Be Late for Something Day - This gives you a sound excuse to be late for something. September 6: Labor Day - Go to work and labor...oh, wait - most people have the day off from work. Never mind. September 7: Googl e Day - Google yourself. September 8: International Literacy Day - This is good news if you don't know how to read; today you will learn how. September 9: Wonderful Weirdo

   The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.    Under the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who ruthlessly persecuted Christians, Bishop Nicholas suffered for his faith, was exiled and imprisoned. The prisons were so full of bishops, priests, and deacons, there was no room for the real criminals—murderers,

   The general notion of life in France is that it is filled with glamour, high fashion, extraordinary art and architecture and fine cuisine. However, little known to the outside world is that people of France also love to let their hair down, get messy and act absolutely silly. French people, especially of the countryside are famous for their highly entertaining festivals and fun-filled events. The annual Festival of the Pig held in the little commune Trie-sur-Ba'se every August, located in the southern France, is one of the many bizarre festivals that are held in France each year. To celebrate the pig, often considered chubby and cute and a delicious meal by meat-eaters world over, is indeed a strange cause. But, to the villagers of this commune this festival is a time for some asinine fun and a way to attract hundreds of tourists to their homeland.     First held in 1975, the festival is widely known in France as La Pourcailhade or La Fete du Cochon . At the festival,

   The origins of the Christmas pickle are shrouded in mystery. Some claim the Christmas pickle originated in Germany. Some claim the Christmas pickle was a tradition born in a prison camp during the Civil War. Whatever its origins, the Christmas pickle survives on Christmas trees all across America. Christmas Pickle Traditions     So just what is a Christmas pickle? For the uninitiated the Christmas pickle is a Christmas ornament that looks like a pickle. Sounds obvious, right?     The pickle ornament is the last thing hung on a Christmas tree. The green ornament blends in with the tree making it difficult to spot. According to tradition, the first child to find the Christmas pickle gets an extra present. Or if no extra presents are available, the finder of the Christmas pickle gets to be the first one to open a present. That's the only part of the Christmas pickle that almost everyone seems to be in agreement on. The rest of the Christmas pickle story is a tale of confl

Hamburger Charlie and the Early Days of the Hamburger Who was "Hamburger Charlie"?    Charlie Nagreen was born in Hortonville, Wisconsin in 1870, where he spent his boyhood. He began his ground beef and onion career at age 15 when he loaded up his ox can and traveled 20 miles north to Seymour to sell meatballs at the fair. Why was Charlie selling meatballs?    The meatball was easy to assemble and the young lad knew people would be hungry after walking around viewing the agricultural exhibits at the fair. What he didn't realize was that people wanted to keep moving and visit the displays. The founding father of the Burger How did the hamburger come about?    Charlie was a resourceful young man with an outgoing personality. After not experiencing much success selling the meatballs, he had an idea and located some bread. He realized people could take this meal with them if he simply smashed the meat together between two pieces of bread. He

       You can’t have Halloween without candy! Those fun-size bars are cute and we all look forward to indulging in them every October. But, what do we know about our favorite candy besides the fact that they taste good? Here are some fun (and little known) candy facts for the most popular Halloween goodies! Snickers: *The best selling candy bar of all time. *Was named after the Mars’ family’s favorite Horse. *When first available in the early 1930s, Snickers cost only 20 cents. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: *Were invented by Harry Burnett Reese, a dairy farmer from Hershey, PA. *Reese created them in his basement after being inspired by the Hershey Chocolate company. *Reese used Hershey chocolate in his confections, and the Peanut Butter Cups were his most popular candy. *Reese left farming to create his own candy business – H. B. Reese Candy Co. *Reese’s company was sold to the Hershey Company in 1963 for $23.5 million just years after his death.

   The Rose of Tralee festival is an international competition which is celebrated among Irish communities all over the world. The festival takes its inspiration from a nineteenth century ballad of the same name about a woman called Mary, who because of her beauty was called The Rose of Tralee . The words of the song are credited to C. (or E.) Mordaunt Spencer and the music to Charles William Glover, but a story circulated in connection with the festival claims that the song was written by William Pembroke Mulchinock, a wealthy Protestant, out of love for Mary O'Connor, a poor Catholic maid in service to his parents. Origin    The festival has its origins in the local Carnival Queen, once an annual town event, fallen by the wayside due to post-war emigration. In 1957, the Race Week Carnival was resurrected in Tralee, and it featured a Carnival Queen. The idea for the Rose of Tralee festival came when a group of local business people met in Harty's bar in Tralee to come up