Presidents' Day

Presidents’ Day is an American holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, it is still officially called “Washington’s Birthday” by the federal government. Traditionally celebrated on February 22 (Washington’s actual day of birth) the holiday became popularly known as Presidents’ Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents’ Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present.

The story of Presidents’ Day date begins in 1800. Following President George Washington’s death in 1799, his February 22 birthday became a perennial day of remembrance. At the time, Washington was venerated as the most important figure in American history, and events like the 1832 centennial of his birth and the start of construction of the Washington Monument in 1848 were cause for national celebration.

Presidents’ Day is traditionally viewed as a time of patriotic celebration and remembrance. In its original incarnation as Washington’s Birthday, the holiday gained special meaning during the difficulties of the Great Depression, when portraits of George Washington often graced the front pages of newspapers and magazines every February 22. In 1932 the date was used to reinstate the Purple Heart, a military decoration originally created by George Washington to honor soldiers killed or wounded while serving in the armed forces.

Black History Month

Black History Month, is an annual observance in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingom in October.

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926 in the USA, when historian Carter Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be "Negro History Week". This week was chosen because it coincided with the Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12 and of Frederick Douglass on February 14, both of which Black communities had celebrated together since the late 19th century.

From the event's initial phase, primary emphasis was placed on encouraging the coordinated teaching of the history of American blacks in the nation's public schools. The first Negro History Week was met with a lukewarm response, gaining the cooperation of the Departments of Education of the states of North Carolina, Delaware and West Virginia as well as  the city school administations of Baltimore and Washington DC.

Black History Month sparks an annual debate about the continued usefulness and fairness of a designated month dedicated to the history of one race. Many people hold concerns about black history being delegated to a single moth and the "hero worship" of some of the historical figures often recognized.

Carnival in England!☺

Few realise that England has some of the largest annual carnivals in the world. Notting Hill in London is reputedly Europe and possibly the world’s largest, and the Bridgewater Carnival in Somerset the largest illuminated carnival in Europe.

Although it is fairly certain that carnival celebrations date back to the pre-Christian era, modern carnivals come to us from Roman Catholic traditions. Most of Catholic Europe and South America still has a strong carnival tradition, and the best known of all is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as a holiday during the Christian fast of Lent.

Carnival virtually disappeared in this country with the Reformation, although we still celebrate Shrove Tuesday as Pancake Day and some Shrovetide football matches are still played. As in most Protestant countries, it became a footnote in our history, although a few towns such as Devizes in Wiltshire have parade charters that go back hundreds of years.

Carnival in England has been enlivened over the last forty or so years by the Caribbean influence, and West-Indian style carnivals have received considerable funding and become a popular celebration of our multi-cultural society within the larger metropolitan areas of the country, joined in recent years by Latin American, Asian and Central European communities.

In London, some boroughs still hold summer carnivals, usually involving street parades of floats and individuals in fancy dress costumes, and similar events take place in cities, towns, villages and hamlets throughout England, sometimes at places that barely appear on the map.

♥St. Valentine's Day♥

Claudius II was Emperor of the Roman Empire and he wanted to have a big army. He expected men to volunteer to join. Many men just didn't want to fight in wars because they didn't want to leave their wives and families. Claudius was very angry so he had an idea: if men weren't married, they would not mind joining the army, so he abolished marriages.
Valentine was a priest and he liked marry people, so he kept performing marriage ceremonies, secretly. One night, Valentine was caught and he was taken to prison.
People were very sad so they threw flowers and notes up to his window.
The prison guard had a daughter so he allowed her to visit Valentine in the cell. They talked for hours and became very good friends.
On the day that Valentines had to die, he left to his friend a little note thanking her for her friendship and loyalty. At the end of this little note, he wrote:
"From your Valentine". It was the February 14th.
Now, every year on this day, people exchange cards, candy, gifts or flowers with their special "Valentine".

Describing a picture.

                                                HOW TO DECRIBE A PICTURE.

The picture shows a street. It was taken in London and it's a coloured photo.

In the background you can see one of the most famous monument in London, the Big Ben.

In the foreground, intead, there is one of the synonymous of the city, the red phone box.

On the right there is one of the red bus of London and in the middle of the picture there is some people who are walking.

The atmosphere of this photo is paceful and I really like it because it makes me remember when I was in London and I visited this places.