Holidays | J.R. Johnson

Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

This Bountiful Harvest

Posted in Food and..., Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, agriculture, Canada, food, history, innovation, Thanksgiving on October 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

That’s right, Canada has its own Thanksgiving Day, and it now falls before the US holiday. It also began earlier than the US holiday.

The history of Thanksgiving in Canada

As the story goes, in 1578, English explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew gave thanks and communion was observed, either on land at Frobisher Bay, in present day Nunavut, or onboard a ship anchored there. The explorers dined on salt beef, biscuits, and mushy peas and gave thanks through Communion for their safe arrival in then Newfoundland. This is now accepted as the first “Canadian” Thanksgiving, forty-three years before the first “American” Thanksgiving.

Thankfully, we’ve come a long way from salt beef and mushy peas. While we’re on the topic, why do we eat what we do on Thanksgiving? Thousands of years of agricultural innovation by Native peoples, mostly! Here’s a quick explainer.

Happy Day!

* * *

Read Full Post »

Happy 200th, Ottawa!

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, anniversary, Canada, history, ottawa on September 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Ottawa 200 Day: here’s what you need to know | Ottawa Tourism

On September 26, 2026, Ottawa will mark a major milestone: the 200th anniversary of the city’s founding. What began as Bytown along the Ottawa River has grown into a vibrant capital shaped by generations of residents, diverse communities and cultural traditions.

* * *

Read Full Post »

Among the Machines

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, computers, conflict, decisionmaking, humanity, inspiration, thanks on September 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Stanislav Petrov Day, everyone! Perhaps you, like me, could use a refresher? Not to worry, Sam Matey-Coste has us covered.

Happy Stanislav Petrov Day

Petrov was under direct orders to follow protocol and to immediately, without hesitation, report any Oko nuclear launch warning to Soviet high command. Who would then, presumably, launch a nuclear counterattack on the United States. This nuclear World War III would have devastated human civilization, perhaps irrevocably.

Stanislav Petrov disobeyed his orders.

It’s a good story, made even more important because it’s true.

Petrov died in 2017. As one source said at the time, “He is survived by his two children, two grandchildren, and the entire human race.”

Let’s hear it for the humanity that still matters, even among the machines.

* * *

Read Full Post »

Are You Henge Aligned?

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, Chicago, cool science stuff, fall equinox, urban planning on September 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

The fall equinox happens today, ushering in the first day of the new season and some spectacular visual effects in cities around the world.

Equinox brings ‘henge’ effect to cities laid out on a grid – NPR

The fall equinox brings shorter days, and the change of seasons. In some U.S. cities, it’s also a chance to witness the striking alignment between the sun and Earth, as sunrises and sunsets align with city streets running east and west. It’s a modern version of ancient observances of a celestial shift, like sunrise at Stonehenge.

I particularly like the comparative analysis of city street orientations, and the fact that I now have an excuse to make all the fall-related baked goods I like!

* * *

Read Full Post »

Dare to Be

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, America, Fourth of July, inspiration, Thoughts on July 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy 250th birthday, America!

How far have we come? There are a lot of answers to this question, but here I’d like to focus on what life used to be like in the 18th century.

Life in 1776 — Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress

Step back in time and explore the world of 1776. The features below offer a fascinating journey into the daily lives, culture, and events that shaped this era. Uncover the rich tapestry of life in 1776 and gain a deeper understanding of the foundations of our modern world.

For a (somewhat more recent) perspective on America’s evolution, journalist Derek Thompson takes a look back at what America was like a hundred years ago through the lens of a detailed report trying to capture history for future benefit (with excellent charts and graphs).

What a Forgotten 100-Year-Old Government Report Says About Who We Are

The document is almost entirely forgotten. But today, for America’s 250th birthday, I’m blowing the cobwebs off this sucker and taking readers inside its yellowed pages for a look back at what life was like in the U.S. exactly 100 years ago, when the U.S. was celebrating its sesquicentennial anniversary.

In many fundamental ways, we’ve come a long way. What will the next 250 years bring, and what will we need to bring to it?

“We must dare to be great; and we must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil and sacrifice and high courage.” —Theodore Roosevelt

Here’s to our courageous future.

* * *

Read Full Post »

This Heritage of Freedom

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Canada Day, freedom, o canada, Thoughts on July 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »

I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind. — John Diefenbaker

* * *

Read Full Post »

Father Solstice

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, astronomy, Father's Day, solstice, summer, Thoughts on June 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Father’s Day, fathers! And happy June Solstice, everyone!

The sun is at its northernmost position today, hovering over the Tropic of Cancer like a thrown ball at its apex. It’s the longest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere and is commonly treated as the first day of summer. As a child, my father painstakingly laid out the night sky with glow-in-the-dark stars on his bedroom ceiling. He passed that curiosity and joy in the world’s magic on to us.

Here’s to happy summer days and family.

* * *

Read Full Post »

To Freedom!

Posted in Holidays, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Emancipation Proclamation, haiku, Juneteenth, poem on June 19, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Happy Juneteenth, everyone! If you’re interested in the history behind the holiday celebrating the effective end of legalized slavery in the United States, I’ve written about it before.

This year, I’m marking the day with a biracial poem.

Half of me is glad

to be free. Half is glad I’m

not holding the chain.

Here’s to freedom, for us all.

* * *

Read Full Post »

Let It Bloom

Posted in Holidays, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2026, Bloomsday, classics, James Joyce, Thoughts, Writers on June 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »

A relative of Irish descent reminded me that today is Bloomsday, or a day to celebrate the life and work of James Joyce.

What is Bloomsday? – Bloomsday Festival

Bloomsday celebrates Thursday, 16th June 1904 — the day immortalised in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. The day is named after Leopold Bloom, one of the novel’s protagonists. The novel follows Bloom’s life and thoughts (as well as those of Stephen Dedalus and a host of other characters, real and fictional) from early in the morning to the twilight hours of the following day.

It may also be helpful for other writers to know that even Joyce worried about his work being forgotten.

No chance of that today!

* * *