DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   We have all heard of unusual championships, such as caber tossing – but I am certain that almost no one will have heard of the six bizarre championships listed here. This is a great opportunity for us all to learn about other people’s interests, and to maybe consider entering ourselves next year! 8.  Pig Squealing Contest    In Trie-sur-baise, France , a pig squealing contest is held every year. The contest involves standing before a microphone and squealing like a pig. Besides the pig-squealing, there were awards in the Sunday competition for pigging out — this year’s winner ate nearly 4 feet of blood sausage in under five minutes. I am very pleased to be able to present a youtube clip from the contest – but unfortunately the person who added the clip to youtube doesn’t seem to want people to share it easily – so you must 7.  Gumboot Throwing Festival    Every year in the small New Zealand town of Taihape, the residents and v...

   There may not be an official registry (or even an unofficial one), but that doesn't stop towns, states and countries across the globe from declaring themselves the "Capital of the World" for thing or another.    Some self-proclaimed titles are pretty well justified. Hawaii, for instance, is called the "Macadamia Nut Capital of the World." Considering the Aloha State is said to grow 90% of the world's supply, we think it's an apt description.    Other claims are not so black and white. Biloxi, Mississippi is often referred to as the "Seafood Capital of the World," but so is Calabash, North Carolina and Crisfield, Maryland. Which place deserves the nickname most? We'll leave that up to seafood lovers to hash out.    We take a look at 12 towns in the good ol' U.S.A. that have found a way to differentiate themselves by "capitalizing" on what makes them unique, and well, a little unusual. The Lost Luggage Capital of t...

     Cambodian New Year (Khmer) or Chaul Chnam Thmey , in the Khmer language, literally "Enter Year New", is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrated the New Year.  The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's day, which usually falls on April 13th or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.  Khmer's living abroad may choose to celebrate during a weekend rather than just specifically April 13th through the 15th.  The Khmer New Year coincides with the traditional solar new year in several parts of India, Myanmar and Thailand.    Cambodians also use Buddhist Era to count the year based on the Buddhist calendar.  For 2011, it is 2555 BE (Buddhist Era). The Three Day of The New Year Maha Songkran    Maha Songkran , derived from Sanskrit Maha Sankranti , is the name of the first day of the new year celebration....

   Children look forward to Spring and the arrival of the Easter bunny.  Easter signifies the warm weather is coming, is the first big holiday since Christmas and who doesn't like jelly beans and chocolate bunnies?  There are sever theories and legends around where the tradition of the Easter bunny began and how colored eggs became a part of it.    Once theory, according to Wikipedia, is that the Easter bunny  or " Osterhause " as it is called in German, first originated in Western German cultures where it had traveled from the Upper Rhineland during the Holy Roman Empire.  German children would leave their caps and bonnets out where the rabbit could find them and make a nest to leave brightly colored eggs.  This tradition crossed the seas to the American colonies, where all children picked up the custom and started to observe it.  The bright colored  " Easter grass " we see in baskets today is a throw back to this custom. ...

   Easter Seals has been helping individuals with disabilities and special needs, and their families, live better lives for nearly 90 years.  From child development centers to physical rehabilitation and job training for people with disabilities.  Easter Seals offers a variety of services to help people with disabilities address life's challenges and achieve person goals. Tragedy Leads to Inspiration    In 1907, Ohio businessman Edgar Allen lost his son in a streetcar accident.  The lack of adequate medical service available to save his son prompted Allen to sell his business and begin a fund raising campaign to build a hospital in his hometown of Elyria, Ohio.  Through this new hospital, Allen was surprised to learn that children with disabilities were often hidden from public view.  Inspired by this discovery, in 1919, Allen founded what became known as the National Society for Crippled Children , the first organization of its...

  The Qingming Festival is a traditional Chinese fest on the 104th day after the winter solstice (or the 15th day from the Spring Equinox), usually occurring around April 5th of the Gregorian calendar.  Astronomically, it is also a solar term.  The Qingming festival falls on the first day of the fifth solar term, named Qingming.  Its name denotes a time for people to go outside and enjoy the greenery of springtime (Taqing, "treading on the greenery") and tend to the graves of departed loved ones.    Qingming has been regularly observed as a statutory public holiday in Taiwan and in the Chinese jurisdictions of Hong Kong and Macau.  Its observance was reinstated as a public holiday in mainland China in 2008, after having been previous suppressed by the ruling Communist Party in 1949.    The holiday is known by a number of names in the English language: All Souls Day (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic holiday, All Souls, ...

   For Christians across the world Easter is a sacred day that marks Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead.  But alongside celebratory church services and religious festivities, for Christians and non-Christians alike, Easter has also become a day to enjoy Easter chocolate and candy, family fun and of course an Easter egg hunt.  From coast to coast,  families across America enjoy the thrill of hiding and then hunting for Easter gifts tucked away in the house or somewhere in the yard.   But where did the tradition start??   And why is it that Easter is celebrated with an egg hunt?  To understand why the Easter egg hunt became such an important part of the Easter tradition, we have to begin by considering why eggs became associated with the holiday in the first place.  And surprisingly enough it's our pre-Christian past that holds the key.    Long before Christianity, as long as three thousand years ago, the a...