The Time of Confusing Holidays

[alexandral]

EEEEEEEEEEEEE! My dearest family is back!!!! Mr. Alexander made some glorious photographs of the surrounding scenery that just ask to be posted soon. We went to see a shiny fireworks display yesterday in our park for the upcoming Guy Fawkes Day.

I must say that this time of year is The Time of Confusing Holidays for me. It all started from :

a) Russian October Revolution Day, 7th of November. This used to be one of the biggest holidays of the year when I was growing up. And then it stopped to be celebrated and become the National Unity Day which is celebrated on the 4th of November. I wonder what does the National Unity day mean??? They say on Wiki that only 25% of Russians know the name of this holiday.

b) Halloween, 31st of October. I tend to forget about this holiday every year because of one thing or another (usually Sasha has her school Halloween celebrations much earlier and the 31rd of October often falls on the time of school holidays) and then someone rings on the door on the evening of the 31st of October and I open it and then NOOOOOOO! I have a fright of my life because there are people in masks standing at my door and it is night and I am home aloooooooooooooooooooooooooooone!!!

c) Guy Fawkes Night, November 5th .

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot

Now, this is a good old British holiday that is very big around here ,but still, burning a figure of a man in a bonfire for already over 400 years because he didn't succeed in Blowing up the Houses of Parliament seems to be over-doing it. However, having the fireworks EVERYWHERE in the UK for two consecutive weeks is nice, and so are toffee apples and baked potatoes. And I admit I like family bonfires too. :D Right now I am looking out of the window and there are fireworks everywhere, very pretty. Yesterday we had a magnificent fireworks display in our park. This is a very bad time of year for cats and dogs, though.

I am wondering - this seems to be the time of the year that is rich in various holidays. Are there any others in some other countries/religions that you know of??

Comments

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Hurray! for the return of your nearest and dearest. And I had to LOL at your Halloween fright. It's become so commercialized here that it's pretty impossible to forget.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Hee! I am not used to Halloween, you see. :D Here it is very popular too, but so is Gay Fawkes day. I don't usually take Sasha trick-or-treating and Mr. Alexander is of "this is commericalized nonsense" school of thought, so I tend to forget. :D But I hope you had a nice holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

My sister and I IM all night competing to see who gets the most trick-or-treaters. This year I won, 26 to 25. I overbought on candy, though, so I took the extra to the zoo this morning.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

WOOOOOOOOW! 26 sounds awesome!!! I only had one group knocking this year, last yer we were away but I don't ever rememebr more than 3 groups. The difference in popularity is dramatic! (Or may be everyone knows how nice you are!!!)

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

Some neighborhoods get way more than that. Some years I only got 2 or 3, but a bunch of kids moved onto my street in the last couple of years, so that helped.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

We don't have any other kids on our street (much to Sasha's disappointment). I bet the kids love Kaiya .

[nutmeg3.livejournal.com]

They do! When they're around when I walk her, everyone wants to play.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

She seems such a playful doggy! ** hugs Kaiya remotely **

[elec3nity.livejournal.com]

I wonder what does the National Unity day mean??? They say on Wiki that only 25% of Russians know the name of this holiday.

Well, officially it mean all that stuff about November 4, 1612 from Wiki, but...it's more like Anything but the Russian October Revolution Day. They simply decided not to deprive people of the traditional hollidays, even if they no longer have a reason. It sounds stupid. Well, and it is a stupid idea. )

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I totally agree with "silly idea". It is like people have a day of holidays which doesn't have any meaning to them and the majority still remembers the October Revolution Day. I guess it will become better with time, unless some other President of Russia removes it completely.

23rd of February also has strange history, but at least people know that they are having fun. This is similar to Halloween which originally was a Celtic day for when "all dead roam about", but later it got merged with All Saints Day and now it is really confusing to say what does everyone celebrate but everyone is having fun with undead and candy.

[elec3nity.livejournal.com]

I guess it will become better with time, unless some other President of Russia removes it completely.

And I hope the same President will remove Lenin's body from the Red Square, because this problem is much more serious than meaningless hollidays.

23rd of February also has strange history, but at least people know that they are having fun.

May I continue? - 1st of May, 8th of March...and we also celebrate Halloween & St. Valentine's Day. Pretty cool, isn't it? :D

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

And I hope the same President will remove Lenin's body from the Red Square, because this problem is much more serious than meaningless hollidays.

O, I didn't realise he is still there. ** brr **

May I continue? - 1st of May, 8th of March...and we also celebrate Halloween & St. Valentine's Day. Pretty cool, isn't it? :D

This is a good mix, true. :D 8th of March is remembered here in UK too, I think it had a good meaning originally.

[teh-haley.livejournal.com]

I'm glad they're back, can't wait to see some pics soon :)
Uhm, since when I started studying English as a subject at school, I had known about Guy Fawkes, I've been thinking it was the most common fall holiday generally, but then even European started showing all that hype about Halloween, and I forgot it. Btw, Italy doesn't officially celebrate Halloween, just All Saints' day, maybe it's because we (they, heh) are catholic!

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Yes, Halloween hype seems to be on the increase. I find it very confusing that it is somehow mixed with the All Saints Day too. (Halloween means All Hallows Ween or All Saints Day), the name for the original Celtic holiday was Samhain.

[trailer-spot.livejournal.com]

November 1st is a public holiday here, All Saints Day (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints). Even if you're not religious you often look after the graves of your relatives either on that day or in the days before.

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

Oh, interesting. In Russian traditions the looking after your dead relatives day was the week after Easter's Tuesday (as far as I can remember, i am getting hazy) which is called Parent's day or something of the sort.