Obscure local/regional/national holidays...

[mamamary]

I am in Baltimore County and we usually get to the Renaissance Festival and Maryland State Fair every year. It felt weird not attending this summer.

I’m your neighbor in Harford County.

 

[momz]

When I was a kid, we would get days off for the Covered Bridge Festival. I grew up in a small county in Indiana that still maintains many old covered bridges. The 2 middle weeks in October is Festival time. Every town in the county has booths, stands, vendors. It's like a county wide flea market. But, the highlight is (was) the covered bridges. There were tour routes that used the school buses to take people around to see the bridges. The buses had a host who would tell tall tales about the history of the bridges, hauntings, tragedies, funny stories, etc. Kids were excused from school to "work" at the festival. Some kids worked the whole 2 weeks. I only worked a day or 2 each season. Our band and athletic boosters had a food booth. We made all of our money for the year by selling food at that booth.

But, one day each year, all students 6th grade and over would be released upon arriving at school to wander around the town. They don't do this anymore. I have many lovely memories of those days.

 

[chickapin parterre]

every year during the third weekend in May, sheep and goat farmers from all over the state head to Scio, Oregon, for the annual Linn County Lamb & Wool Fair. This three-day fair is one of the oldest in Oregon and features countless sheep, goats, lambs and fiber competitions, as well as entertaining and family-friendly contests, activities and live entertainment.

....being a three day event....school must be closed....because this tiny town does not even have a signal light....they might have a stop sign now to slow down traffic, last time I was there was 1973...nothing special during that decade...was meant to be local and not a tourist draw, but probably now draws in people

 

[Karin1984]

I'll continue with my story from the other thread and shall explain more about Sinterklaas in the Netherlands and indeed putting your boot or shoe out as @bavaria said. It's similar to having your stocking above the fireplace for Christmas.

Sinterklaas arrives the 2nd Saturday of November in the Netherlands from Spain, he arrives by boat, this is aired on national television. From that day you can leave your shoe out and Sinterklaas leaves gifts. Preferably in front of the fireplace, but if you do not have a fireplace (I didn't have a fireplace when I was young), you can also leave your shoe at the front door, or even the central heating (as a kid this made sense). You leave your shoe out, and Sinterklaas will give you some small gifts, something that fits into a shoe. Usually it's chocolate. In return we leave some carrots with the shoe, for Sinterklaas' horse, Amerigo. Similar to leaving cookies & milk out for Santa. And yes, Sinterklaas rides over the rooftops on a white horse. Again, as a kid this made sense.
At my home, we were only allowed to leave our shoe out on the day Sinterklaas arrived, but I know some families do this every night till the 5th of December. My parents weren't made of money, so we only did it once

On the 5th of December, after dinner, your parents have asked a neighbour to knock on the door/window really loud, and then the neighbour goes into a hiding. When the kids go to open the door, there is a bag of presents, left by Sinterklaas., who is nowhere to be seen... really mysterious!

The presents come with a 'surprise' and/or a rhyme. This is serious business ;-) A 'surprise', it's the same word as in English, but pronounced as if it was Dutch, is when you craft a disguise for the present. This has to say something about the receiver or about the present. So let's say the receiver of the present is into soccer. Then with arts & crafts you create a soccer ball and put the present inside.

The rhymes are sort of similar, it's supposed to say something about the person or the gift. But since the internet was invented, we have websites to help you with this. Actually the first websites designed in the Netherlands were websites where you could create generic rhymes for Sinterklaas. The rhymes can put a lot of pressure on you if you have a lot of presents which all need a rhyme. You need your creativity. And then a website can truly help. In my home 'surprises' were optional, but every gift had to be accompanied with rhyme. The rhymes are usually funny, with puns, but you can also go for sincere. When you are an adult, celebrating with just adults, the rhymes usually get dirtier

What else...
The first Sinterklaas candy shows up in supermarket and stores around August, which is very annoying. Almost 4 months before Sinterklaas even arrives in NL!
Also I consider it bad manners to put up your Christmas tree, or sing Christmas songs before Sinterklaas has left the country on the 6th of December. Most stores do this as well. So Christmas decorations usually go up for only 3-4 weeks, and usually by the 1st of January everything is gone.

This year, we will have the arrival of Sinterklaas as usual. But it will be a secret where this is going to happen. Because when he arrives, this attracts huge crowds. Each year, he arrives in a different city, and it's considered an honour to host this party. It's considered good publicity for the city.

 

[CynBeth]

I’m your neighbor in Harford County.

Hi Neighbor!

 

[bennifer]

SW PA the kids got the first day of deer season off school for many years. Not sure if they still do. It was the Monday after Thanksgiving so was an added benefit for those of us who don't hunt.

My DD went to college in California and Cesar Chavez Day March 31 is a holiday there. I know Patriot's Day in April is a holiday in Maine and Massachusetts, and DC emancipation day is April 16.

SW PA here and the schools still get first day of deer season off!

 

[bavaria]

On the 5th of December, after dinner....

And for anyone who is not from the Netherlands, don't bother booking a business trip there the first week of December. There certainly isn't a lot of work getting done, and the horrified looks if one asks if people will be in the office!

 

[NFLDERS]

http://www.communitycaptured.ca/war...ips armed with cannons and,in the War of 1812.

http://brocku.niagaragreenbelt.com/site-map/587-festival-at-the-forty.html

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The Thousand Islands area (specifically Cape Vincent) has a two-day French Festival honoring Napoleon


https://tilife.org/BackIssues/Archi...leId/520/Cape-Vincents-French-Connection.html

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm in Louisville, KY, so Derby is a huge holiday here. There is no school on the Friday before Derby.

 

[NFLDERS]

tcufrog: interesting spin off thread.

 

[KBoopaloo]

As I kid growing up just outside of Boston I used to get every March 17 off - not for St. Patrick’s Day but first Evacuation Day, a commemoration of the day British forces evacuated the city after the siege of Boston during the Revolutionary War.

 

[JimMIA]

Thanks! Fun thread I didn't realise this video was on YouTube, but I spotted myself a few times from last year. Sadly most runs have been cancelled this year.

This one was offficially the 'Krampuslauf', which has unfortunately getting smaller each year. But there are a lot of Perchten there, not Krampus'. And sadly this year too many have already been cancelled.

Krampus is not actually native to Munich (and last year I spent the afternoon with a random couple from Garching, just outside the city, and the wife had never heard of it. It's only in a very, very small area of Upper Bavaria, Salzburgerland in Austria, and I think a bit of Czechia.) Until Time magazine did a story in the early 1990's, this was very much a local tradition not known outside what used to be secluded valleys. Every village has it's own style of creature and costume, and my favourites are actually the 'moss people' which look like old people made of moss (I'll post a picture if I can find one online)

https://www.salzburgerland.com/en/krampus-and-perchten/
The tradition has been sanitized in recent years, but when I was younger, like @Karin1984 says about Sinterklaas, we were sent home early on the afternoon of December 5th. But this was not to stuff ourselves with cookies and sweets like our northern neighbours, or to put out a boot or shoe for Nikolaus to leave us treats. This was because the young men would dress up in sheepskin, masks with horns, and cow bells around their waists, and at dusk begin the search for young women. They would then whip them quite forcefully with birch or other wood whips to make them more fertile. This continued until the end of day on the 6th. Because this became sometimes quite violent, and more of a drinking fest for the men, it in recent years has become more of a community thing with villages spending a lot of time during the year planning and getting ready for the 'march'. Many used to travel to Munich for this as well, where it used to be 3 Advent weekends but is now just 1 Advent Sunday.

When I lived in Germany (Mannheim), the two big holidays I remember were Fasching and Oktoberfest.

Fasching starts 11 minutes after the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, as I remember. Big parties for one night, and then nothing for months. Then the real Fasching, which is like Mardi Gras, happens. Fasching was celebrated all over southern Germany (the Catholic part), but Oktoberfest was a Munich tradition.

Ok, so I don't actually remember Fastnacht, but it was a big deal.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

• Kansas Day-celebrates the day it was admitted into the Union (it was admitted as a free state which plays a large role in history lessons). This was at least to me mostly a school thing. You just kinda grew up with knowing that day would be themed to be pioneer style, learn about the state's history, etc. But it's still a thing outside of school and the Governor gets involved, etc. No Kansas Day would be complete without singing "Home on the Range" of course.

• 816 day-it's in Kansas City, celebrates KC history and culture so-named for the phone number area code in the area--816. A lot of theming (like pricing and whatnot) is focused on the number 816. The date of the holiday is of course 8/16. On my side of the state line we have (lesser known IMO) 913 day so named for the phone number area code in the area--913 and occurs on 9/13 (same theming based on 913). This year the county above me signed it into as an official day (like it is for 816 Day). While there is still some culture being celebrated (especially certain areas) for 913 Day it's not on the same scale of celebration as 816 Day.

 

[MommyinHonduras]

We almost moved to the town of Huntley, IL the summer I was to start High school, we ended up in another town over, but finding out the town had this festival made me NOT want any part of it coming from almost in Chicago city limits. I never did attend but it still makes me chuckle that this is a celebration.

Turkey Testicle Festival (TTF to the locals) the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to kickoff the holiday.
A testicle festival is an event held at several small towns where the featured activity is the consumption of animal testicles, usually battered and fried.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/turkey-testicle-festival_n_2185026?guccounter=1

 

[bavaria]

When I lived in Germany (Mannheim), the two big holidays I remember were Fasching and Oktoberfest.

Fasching starts 11 minutes after the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, as I remember. Big parties for one night, and then nothing for months. Then the real Fasching, which is like Mardi Gras, happens. Fasching was celebrated all over southern Germany (the Catholic part), but Oktoberfest was a Munich tradition.

Ok, so I don't actually remember Fastnacht, but it was a big deal.

Actually, we don't celebrate Fasching as much. I think that Kareneval is a bigger deal where it is celebrated, in the northwest of the country. It's very regional, like a lot of holidays, and words, in German.

For example: Fronleichnam = Prangertag = Blustag = Corpus Christi.

Oktoberfest is also known as Herbstfest, or Wiesen, and is in many towns and cities in the south. It's just that the big one is the one everyone knows about, but to me the ones in the smaller cities are better.

 

[JimMIA]

Actually, we don't celebrate Fasching as much. I think that Kareneval is a bigger deal where it is celebrated, in the northwest of the country. It's very regional, like a lot of holidays, and words, in German.

I don't know -- lived there less than a year. But Fasching was a big deal in Mannheim, and especially in Heidelberg, but that was many years ago. I went to the City of Mannheim party on Nov 11, and then to the U of Heidelberg Med School Fastnacht party.

 

[bavaria]

I don't know -- lived there less than a year. But Fasching was a big deal in Mannheim, and especially in Heidelberg, but that was many years ago. I went to the City of Mannheim party on Nov 11, and then to the U of Heidelberg Med School Fastnacht party.

Yes, definitely a bigger deal in that area. Now, what do you call a donut/doughnut?

 

[elphaba91]

Victoria, Australia - the state where we have not one but two public holidays for sporting events! Grand Final Eve for the day before the AFL Grand Final (which, up until this year, has always been played in Melbourne) and then Melbourne Cup Day (the first Tuesday in November) for a horse race, although some regional areas exchange it for another day more appropriate for their area (e.g. the Geelong Cup).

 

[Allison Joy]

I live in Missouri, and I work for the state. Truman Day, on May 8th, is a state holiday. But only state government offices close, so most Missouri residents don't even know about it. I joke that it's the holiday only state employees and their family members know about. We also like to pretend we are Illinois sometimes, and so while this may not be obscure, we've adopted Lincoln day as a separate holiday from Presidents day. Again, only state offices are closed, but it means 2 days off in February.