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Graduation Traditions
Since it’s that time of year where students from all over receive their diplomas after years of hard work. We decided to do a short post on where some of the traditions actually started. The Graduation cap, which is sometimes called a mortarboard, due to the fact it resembled the mortar board used by bricklayers. The mortarboard is believed to have developed from the biretta. The Biretta is worn by Roman Catholic clergy and academics, typically in red or black, square, upright with three or four peaks. The Graduation tassel has been worn on graduation cap for centuries, In the last 40 or 50 years student started moving the tassel…
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Memorial Day
This day is designated as a day of remembrance for all those who died in the service of the United States of America. Originally called Decoration Day, this holiday has been observed by many Americans since the Civil War. It did not become a federal holiday until 1971, and is observed by many as the unofficial beginning of summer. The American Civil War touched nearly every family in the nation and claimed more lives than any conflict in US history. Because of all these fallen soldiers, there was a great need for national cemeteries, especially for those who did not have land where there were family plots. By the late…
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St. Patrick’s Day
Everyone has heard of St. Patrick. The patron saint of Ireland who drove the snakes from the island. However, the famous Irish saint was not even Irish by birth. It is thought that he was born in Scotland, England, Wales or even on the coast of France around 385 CE. He wasn’t named Patrick either. It is thought his original name was Maewyn or Succat. When he was sixteen, a group of Irish pirates sacked his village and took him for a slave. As a slave shepherd in Ireland, he turned to the religion of his youth- Roman Catholicism. He eventually escaped and studied in a monastery in France under…
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Lundi Gras
Lundi Gras is a popular name for a series of Shrove Monday events taking place during the New Orleans Mardi Gras. It includes the tradition of Rex, King of Carnival, arriving by boat. This began in 1874, but the term Lundi Gras (French for “Fat Monday”) was not widely applied until 1987 when the arrival was brought back as part of a series of river-related events under the name of “Lundi Gras”. Lundi Gras was the creation of journalist Errol Laborde. In 1874, 18 years after the beginning of modern Carnival celebrations in New Orleans, Rex chose to have a grand arrival in New Orleans from the Mississippi River. Once…
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Burns Night
Tonight is a celebration of the birth of the man who is widely known as the national poet of Scotland. Robert Burns, or Rabbie Burns, is one of the most famous poets from Scotland and is considered to be a pioneer of the Romantic movement. As the Scottish diaspora sent immigrants around the world, the work of Burns became a touchstone and a piece of home they could take with them. Burns’ work is recognizable to many, including the famous song/poem “Auld Lang Syne” and “Scots Wha Hae”, which served as an unofficial national anthem of Scotland for many years. Despite being born in humble circumstances, he left a huge…
