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#1: Gypso (Gypso) on Sep 1, 2007 [SPOILER]

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We are celebrating fathers day in Australia at the moment, Sept. 2nd, first Sunday in Sept. When do you guys celebrate fathers day? :)

3rd Sunday in June in the U.S.

Father's Days around the world can be found here:
http://www.fathersdaycelebration.com/fathers-day-date.html

I didn't know that we celebrated fathers day on different dates around the world, you learn something new every day, thanx everyone :)

Cool Deanna, you clever person you! Thanks for the link. ^>^

Actually, Marz, here in the northern hemisphere it is the male human who gives birth to the children as well. That's probably why we have different father's days, to avoid the confusion.

What day is your April Fool's day?

Wait a minute, JC!!! How did I miss that one?!

Ouch!!! I knew I should have been living in another part of the world. Our April fools day falls on October the 22nd :)

It's all part of that New Math, oh grasshopper's teacher.

When is your fourth of july?

LOL!!! 4 days after the end of June? Naaaah. Couldn't be!!! :D

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Love the puzzle. It's harder than it looked at first.

Wow! It is amazing how you can make so few pizels into something so recognizable. Excellent puzzle!

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Our Mother's Day is in May, second Sunday. Is that the same day or not?
As for Father's Day - maybe it has something to do with history, like why it is celebrated at all. Perhaps it was triggered by different events in different parts of the world? Otherwise I have no idea

Mothers day in Australia is the second Sunday in May also :)

Well, the whole veneration of the nuclear family is a pretty new concept. Mother's day in the US seems to have originated about the same time period that it really became normal for folks to choose their own spouses for love alone, and that the home started being seen as sanctuary from the "working world" preserved and maintained for the working father by the mother. In that period there was a lot of emphasis on the "separate roles" of husband and wife that hadn't really existed before, and part of this involved the idealization and veneration of the role of wife and mother. Women were considered purer and more moral than man, while less intelligent and completely unsuited to economic activity in the rough-and-tumble economy. It's hard not to read this as a new way of socially controlling women. If it was no longer acceptable to just beat your wife into submission, then one can always venerate her into submission instead.

Both in the UK and the US mother's day seems to have started as something quite different. In the UK, it was the day to visit your mother church. Since it was likely that your mother attended your mother church, you'd tend to visit her too. In the US it was a "Mother's Work Day", dedicated to cleaning, part of a campaign to promote sanitation. But in both it evolved into a day honoring mothers.

Father's day has always been an after thought. "We've got a day for mothers, I guess we should have one for fathers too."

I was kind of surprised that either of these holidays had any history predating Hallmark. Whatever their specific origins, heavy commercial promotion has been a big part of making them popular.

I had always thought that both days were established by Hallmark so your info is fascinating Jan. Your commentary is entertaining as well. Wow! Veneration doesn't sound so bad. Definitely NOT the submission however. :D

Wikipedia claims that the tradition in the US started as a "call to unite women against war". That seems appropriate to me. Not too surprising, the daughter of the women responsible for this movement was not happy with the commercialization of the holiday. If you'd like more on this plus dates MD is celebrated go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_day

Mother's Day is the second Sunday in May here in the US.
Father's Day is in June.

I heard that Hallmark did actually start Grandparents Day. I'm too lazy to consult the wiki right now, though.

I heard the same thing Arduinna. Have we officially perpetuated a rumour? ;-)

Okay, I'll try to squelch it here. From the official Grandparents Day website ( http://www.grandparents-day.com ):

"The impetus for a National Grandparents Day originated with Marian McQuade, a housewife in Fayette County, West Virginia. Her primary motivation was to champion the cause of lonely elderly in nursing homes. She also hoped to persuade grandchildren to tap the wisdom and heritage their grandparents could provide. President Jimmy Carter, in 1978, proclaimed that National Grandparents Day would be celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. For 2007, Grandparents Day falls on Sept. 9th."

So I guess the Hallmark theory is down the drain... unless they were paying Marion McQuade...

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I would think, however, that if a housewife in West Virgina had an idea for "National Kumquat Day" then Hallmark wouldn't be quite as enthusiastic about pushing the holiday. Just because someone other than Hallmark had the original idea, doesn't prove it isn't essentially a Hallmark creation.

Though, actually, I've never heard of "National Grandparent's Day". I don't think my kid's only surviving grandparent has heard of it either.

Some of these things are kind of regional. There is something called "Sweetest Day" that I think only has any currency around my part of the US.

We are inundated with Hallmark stores around here and we all know about Grandparent's Day. Fortunately, my grandson's parents have not heard of it. I would not be happy about their spending money on this holiday.

Jan, what is "Sweetest Day"? I seem to remember my grandpa mentioning something about in the dim regions of my memory. I suppose that I could look it up but I'd much rather read your explanation. ^>^

Sweetest Day seems to be an extra Valentines day. I'm no expert. I've been refusing to acknowledge it's existence for years.

But it is in the fall -- to tap into that market of people who can't maintain a relationship from one valentines to the next.

Awww. You 2 are so sentimental. ;-)
My Grandpa was born in Pennsylvania and later lived in Idaho. He used to call me "sweetest" and "sweets" while alluding to a holiday. Thanks for the info. ^>^

I refuse to buy greeting cards. Mine is always the gift with the person's name written in ink on the wrapping paper. If I feel like expressing my love with some inspirational lines of verse, I'll write it myself, thank you!

Christmas cards are another story. Buy them in bulk, sign them, feel as though I've done my duty.

Speaking of which, that's coming up soon!

Paper bag Arduinna! I feel an anxiety attack coming on. :p We haven't finished pumpkin pie yet!

I do buy cards for occasions other than Christmas. Then I try to squeeze way too much writing in and circle around the back and to the front. I have a green tissue wrapping paper "card" on my wall. In silver sharpie ink it reads: "Happy B'Day Mom Tons 'o love".

I haven't sent Christmas cards in over a decade. I'm always just a bit too late. One of these days I'm going to stop believing that I might and make life happier for myself. :)

For me, they're mostly just a weird way to feel like I'm keeping a connection to relatives I barely know. It's kind of sad, really.

My motivation as well BG. Tis the season to wax sentimental and feel guilty about neglecting family we don't really know. Really, we'd be much better off visiting Twillis on mystery drink night instead! :D

I've totally eschewed all cards for many years. My husband's family, however, is card crazy. He has a large family and we get together for a Christmas dinner every year at which all the siblings - no lie - physically hand each other greeting cards! I refuse to participate but walk away with about a dozen cards from people I just spent the day with! Amazing!

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LOL #39

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An amazing puzzle!

Wonderful!

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