DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

    Frozen Dead Guy Days is an annual celebration held in the town of Nederland, Colorado.    In 1989, a Norwegian citizen named Trygve Bauge brought the corpse of his recently deceased grandfather, Bredo Morstol , to the United States.  The body was preserved on dry ice for the trip, and stored in liquid nitrogen at the Trans Time Cryonics facility from 1990 to 1993.    In 1993, Bredo was returned to dry ice and transported to the town of Nederland, where Trygve and his mother Aud planned to create a cryonics facility of their own.  When Trygve was deported from the United States for overstaying his visa, his mother, Aud, continued keeping her father's body cryogenically forzen in a shack behind her unfinished house.    Aud was eventually evicted from her home for living in a house with no electricity or plumbing, in violation of local ordinances.  At that time, she told a local reporter about her father's body, an...

  The Scoppio del Carro ("Explosion of the Cart") is a folk tradition of Florence, Italy.  On Easter Sunday, a cart, packed full of fireworks and other pyrotechnics, is lit and provides a historic spectacle in the civic life of the city. A Little History on the Festival    The event of the Scoppio del Carro has its origins in the First Crusade, when Europeans laid siege to the city of Jerusalem in a conflict to claim Palestine for Christianity.  In 1097, Pazzino de' Pazzi, a Florentine from a very prominent family, was by tradition, the first man to scale the fortified walls that surrounded Jerusalem.  As a reward for this act of bravery, his commander gave him three flints (fire starters) from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which were then carried back to Tuscany.  These were and still are kept in the Chiesa delgli Santi Apostoli .    It became the practice for a "holy fire" to be struck from these flints at East...

   Lets face it, everyone likes to be appreciated.  Whether it is friends, couples, parents and children, an encouragement of gratitude, even a "Thank You", certainly brightens up the day.  Some of us may not be used to it or even if we are, it certainly doesn't get heard or said enough.  Perhaps we don't quite know how.  Here are 10 great ideas that will get you started in the right direction. Say it with a Smile - Smile more!  We are endowed with a powerful and contagious gift.  Everyone can do it, and yet we tend not to do it enough.  Remind yourself.  The more often you smile, the brighter your thank-you becomes. Write a Note - For a moment, remember your middle school years.  What did half the classes do behind the teacher's back?  Write and pass notes, of course!  It was fun.  Write thank you notes even for the small things that people do.  Be specific and authentic.  A thank you note is a ver...

   Moros y Cristianos or Moros i Cristians , literally in English is Moors and Christians, is a set of festival activities which are celebrated in many towns and cities of Spain, mainly in the southern Valencian Community; according to popular tradition the festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors (or Muslims) and Christians during the period known as Reconquista (from the 8th century through the 15th century).     The festivals represent the capture of the city by the Moors and the subsequent Christian reconquest.  The people that take part in the festival are usually enlisted in filaes or comparsas (companies that represent the Christian or Moor legions), they parade with bombastic costumes loosely inspired by Medieval fashion.  Christians wear fur, metallic helmets, and armor, fire loud arquebuses (guns or cannons), and ride horses.  In contrast, Moors wear ancient Arab costumes, carry scimitars (swords or sp...

   Holidays are always fun to celebrate, but why wait a few months for the next major one to arrive when you could be enjoying some nice edible food holidays everyday of the month?   March 1st, National Peanut Butter Lover's Day- This has to be one of the greatest national food holidays of the year, or at least for the month of March.  Go and make a couple of PB and J sandwiches for lunch on this day. March 2nd, National Banana Creme Pie Day -While it still may be a little cold outside, why not enjoy a tropical banana cream pie for dessert....if you want a little more tropical, add some coconut. March 3rd, National Cold Cuts Day -This national food holiday is perfect for an evening when you're too tired to cook.  Just stop by your local deli and pick up some favorite sliced meats and some soup. March 4th, National Pound Cake Day -What could be more delicious than a piece of pound cake served with some strawberries and whipped cream. March 5th, Nati...

March 1st, National Pig Day -To celebrate National Pig Day, go out and buy some bacon or a ham and pig out.  Everybody give a shoutout OINK! OINK! OINK!  Or if you're from Arkansas....SOOEEE! March 2nd, Name Sake Day March 3rd, National Anthem Day -Go out to a sporting event and listen to an anthem....Just as long as Christina Aguilera isn't singing it...If she is, might want to give her the words to it!!! March 4th, Dentist's Day - Go out and get a new toothbrush.  If you have a Dental appointment on this day, remember....rinse then spit! March 5th, Name Tag Day March 6th, U.S. Snowshoe Day March 9th, False Teeth Day -Go to Grandma and Grandpa's house and hide their teeth.  Or you can say a solemn prayer of thanks to George Washington, the father of false teeth. March 10th, Learn What Your Name Means Day March 11th, Paper Day - What day goes by when we don't use paper?  How about a don't use paper day or save a tree from the paper mill day. Mar...

   Perhaps the most cheerful holiday in Russia is Maslenitsa (Shrovetide).   This holiday is considered to come from pre-Christian times, when the Slavs were still pagans.    In the old days, Maslenitsa was for remembrance of the dead.  So the burning of the figure of Maslenitsa means her funeral, and blini (pancakes)- coliphia .  But with time, the Russians longing for fun and entertainment turned the sad holiday into jolly.   Maslenitsa with blini-rounds, yellow and hot as the sun, sledding and horse sleigh's, fistfights and visiting with your mother-in-law .  The rituals of Maslenitsa are very unusual and interesting because they combine the end of the winter holiday rituals and the opening of new spring festivals and ceremonies, which were used to promote a rich harvest.    Maslenitsa is celebrated during the week preceding  Lent.  Every day of Maslenitsa was devoted to special rituals. Mond...