The Chestertown Tea Party
Many are talking about the Tea Party who are in protest of the taxes as well as the size and policies of some of the Governments and Politicians of the United States, however this is about an annual non political Tea Party that is in memory of Revolutionary Times. During the 18th century the Maryland [...]
Emancipation Day
On April 16, 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for the District of Columbia. The act emancipated slaves in Washington DC. $1 million was set aside to give Union slaveholder up to $300 for their freed slave. This was nearly nine months before the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. This is the [...]
Irish Traditions
St. Patrick is considered the Patron Saint of Ireland, but he was born in Britain. He was born near the end of the 4th Century to wealthy parents and was abducted by Irish Raiders and held in captivity in Ireland for 6 years. During this captivity he became a devote Christian. He is believed to [...]
Happy New Year
The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon 4000 years ago. The Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon after the first day of spring. The Romans in 153 BC established January 1 as the beginning of the New Year. The Greeks [...]
Did You Know – Christmas
In 336 AD. Pope Julius I declared the birth and celebration of Jesus’ birthday as Christmas. He chose the day December 25th because it coincided with the pagan traditions of Winter Solstice. The idea was to bring pagans into the christian religion and selecting that day helped in this cause. No one knows the exact [...]
Pagan Christmas
Many of the Christmas traditions come from pagan practices. The date of Christmas was the date that Roman pagans celebrated the Birthday of the Invincible Sun God. It’s possible that December 25 was selected as the date of Christ’s birth in the early days of Christianity as a way for all to participate. Yule is [...]
The Many Names of Santa Claus
As tradition goes, at least in the United States, Santa Claus, a jolly old elf in a red suit riding a sleigh pulled by 8, or 9 counting Rudolf, comes from the North Pole traveling across the world delivering toys to all the good boy and girls. Our vision of Santa Claus comes from many [...]
Favorite Christmas Songs
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Many artists have recorded this lovely song since it was introduced by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me in St. Louis. The song was written for the film by lyricist Ralph Blane with the music composed Hugh Martin. Originally the song was to be dark, but Judy Garland [...]
Leading to Independence
How much do you actually know about what happened on and around July 4, 1776? We all know that July 4th is the birthday of the United States, but is it really? Events that lead up to the birth of the United States started with a Resolution by Richard Henry Lee, a representative to the [...]
Memorial Day
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, a day to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868 organized by the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), an organization of former sailors and soldiers. It was inspired by local observances during the 3 years after [...]
Recent Comments