Good evening, welcome to our series sharing Unique Holidays: August 13th, 2021. Take a look at the Holidays being celebrated today and let me know which one you most would like to celebrate and why.
Chinese Valentine’s Day/Daughter’s Day – 7th day of 7th Lunar Month
Celebrate love ….Chinese style. Did you know today is Chinese Valentine Day. Also known as the Daughters Festival and several other names. The Holiday is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Lunar calendar.
s Chinese Valentine Day is one of love. Its romantic (and lovely) that this Holiday evolved from an ancient love story from Chinese folklore. As a result of being handed down from generation to generation over thousands of years, and there are several versions of the story.
Here is one of the most popular versions of the story:
The Goddess of Heaven (also known as the Queen of Heaven) had seven beautiful, young daughters. The seven daughters came down to earth.
They decided to bathe in a pristine river, leaving their clothes on the shore. Along came a cow herder (the herd were actually ox) named “Niu Lang”. He took their clothes to see what they would do. The daughters decided that the youngest, and most beautiful, named Zhi Nü should go out of the water and recover their clothes.
Because Niu Lang saw her naked, they had to get married and they fell madly in love, and shared several years of marital bliss.
Finally, her mother became irritated by her absence from Heaven, and ordered her to return. Seeing how much Zhi Nü missed her husband, the Jade Emperor of Heaven brought the couple back together. Zhi Nü was allowed to visit her husband, Niu Lang just once a year. The annual reunion occurs on the 7th day of the 7th month of the Lunar Calendar.
Other names for this Holiday include:
- Festival of Seven Daughters
- Seventh Sister’s Birthday
- Festival of Double Sevens
- Night of Sevens
The Lunar year is established based upon the sighting of the new moon. Calendar Converters are available online to convert to/from the Julian and Chinese Calendars.
The History and Origin of Chinese Valentine Day:
This Holiday is celebrated in China and it comes from a Chinese legend that has been handed down for thousands of years. There are several variations of this legend.
Many websites erroneously report this on varying dates in early August.
More on Chinese Valentine’s Day
National Creamsicle Day celebrates a tasty Summer cooler.
The heat and humidity of August beckons you to discover, and to enjoy, Summer treats A Creamsicle is an excellent choice. This is one of several chilly Ice Cream or Frozen Snack Days to enjoy on a hot, sticky August day. Just make sure to eat your Creamsicle quickly before it melts.
National Garage Sale Day – second Saturday in August
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Just ask my mother in law who loves going to Garage Sales. Or my best friend Debbie who used to pick me up and we would spend the morning looking for Garage Sales before having lunch. Do you like Garage Sales?
Is your house and garage cluttered with things you no longer need or will likely ever use again? Then you might be a candidate for the Television Show “Hoarders”? Are you getting a case of Claustrophobia, as you sit in your living room? Could you use a little extra cash? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, then it’s time to hold a garage sale.
You’ll be happy to know that today is National Garage Sale Day and to participate in this Holiday, you can either hold a garage sale or attend a few Garage Sales.
Whether your looking to create a little extra rom in your living room or closet, or you need to create space for your teenager’s garage band, a garage sale will help you to meet your goals of having a little breathing room and make a few bucks at the same time.
Did you know there are 100,000 – 165,000 garage sales every week? Whether you hold a garage sale, a street sale, a moving sale or estate sale, your among those who hold 100,000 – 165,000 garage sales every week! Most sales are two to three days and the most popular day is Saturday and Sundays are the least popular, often with disappointing sales.
Did You Know? The root of garage sales comes from “rummages sales” in the 16th century. Ship captains would hold “rummage sales” to get rid of unclaimed freight.
Tips for a Successful Garage Sale:
Advertise – People have to know where the sale is, include when the Garage Sale will be held. Advertising is easy on the internet. Make sure to advertise your garage sale on Craigslist, Facebook and Social Media.
Price items correctly – The key is not to overprice your items. You want to get rid of them. If prices are too high, people will walk away without buying. Be willing to have people want to hagger.
Be willing to negotiate – Most people who visit your sale, want a “bargain” and will ask if you will take less. Be prepared to negotiate.
Have lots of stuff – The more products you have, the more you will sell. And, the more money you will make.
Promote a street sale – Tell your neighbors your having a garage sale, and encourage them to do likewise. If they do, advertising a street of multi-family garage sale will bring more people.
Shoppers will arrive before the start time – It’s best to hold them off until you are ready. Otherwise, you will struggle to complete getting set up.
Keep the cash box out of view – Play it safe. Keep change in your pocket and make change from there. As you sell things, bring some of the cash inside.
Only accept cash. – Let me repeat this… only accept cash.
Determine what you will do with the leftover items. – People wait for the sale to be over and pick up the free items you set by the road. The last thing you want to do, is put unsold items back in your house or garage.
Consider a half price sale on the last day – It’s a great way to minimize the number of unsold items after the sale is over. However, if you advertise it in advance, some people will wait and come on the last day.
Celebrate – Use some of the sale money to treat your family to a dinner at your favorite restaurant. Or, use some of the money for a trip or event.
What ever you do once the sale is over don’t take the items back into your Home. Give them away, donate them or put them in the trash. Don’t say well I will have another Garage Sale because it might not happen and your stuck with unwanted items.
The History and Origin of National Garage Sale Day:
This holiday was created in 2001 by C. Daniel Rhodes. After attending a number of garage sales over several weeks, Rhodes thought it would be more convenient to have one weekend to hold garage sales.
While some people might offer several arguments why it would not be ideal to restrict garage sales to one weekend, this Holiday came into existence to designate one weekend for garage sales.
14/15 V-J Day – which date do you celebrate as the end of WWII?
August 14 – Japan surrenders
August 15 – Surrender announced to the world
September 2 – Ceremony and formal signing of surrender
VJ Day marks the end of WWII, and the cessation of fighting against Japan. It is called “Victory In Japan Day or “Victory Over Japan Day”.
The confusion over three dates:
There is some confusion over what date is V-J Day. You can consider any (or all) of three dates as V-J Day. President Harry S. Truman caused some of this confusion……..
On August 14, 1945, the Japanese government cabled to the U.S. their surrender. This is the date of most modern observances.
On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. This sparked spontaneous celebrations over the final ending of World War II.
On September 2, 1945, a formal surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri. At the time, President Truman declared September 2 to be VJ Day.
Regardless of which day you view as VJ Day, World War II was finally over. Thank the LORD….
A Little VJ Day History
The War in the Pacific was hard fought and bloody. The tide had definitely turned, and the U.S. military was fighting Island by Island towards Japan. Resistance was fierce. Casualties on both sides were high.
The U.S. had developed the Atomic Bomb. The U.S. Government was anxious to end the War, and stop the loss of American lives.
On August 6th, 1945, the United States Military dropped an Atomic Bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan in an effort to force Japan into an immediate, unconditional surrender.
Instead of immediately surrendering, the Japanese Government debated what to do. So, the U.S. dropped a second Atomic Bomb on August 9, 1945 over the city of Nagasaki, Japan.
On August 14, 1945, Japanese Emperor Hirohito cabled the U.S. to surrender, and agreed to the terms of the Potsdam Declaration.
On August 15, 1945, news of the surrender was announced to the world. World War II was finally over. Hostilities ended.
On September 2, 1945, the Japanese formally surrendered aboard the U.S. battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. President Truman declared this to be V-J Day.
The battleship USS Missouri was chosen for the formal surrender ceremony, as she was named after President Truman’s home state.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
