Category: Holidays & Observances

Freedom to Read Week

From freedomtoread.ca:

FTRW-2014-banner-ENGLISH155x300The Book and Periodical Council and its Freedom of Expression Committee are delighted to announce the 30th anniversary of Freedom to Read Week. A national celebration of freedom of expression that takes place in libraries, schools and arts venues across Canada, this year’s program runs from February 23 to March 1, 2014.

Incorporating public readings and panel discussions, challenged book and magazine displays and a kit for librarians and educators, Freedom to Read Week encourages Canadians to express their views about censorship and the right to free speech and opinion.

For the rest of this article, click here.

Flag Day

Animated-Flag-CanadaFebruary 15 is Flag Day in Canada. On this day we celebrate the establishment of our red and white Maple Leaf flag in 1965.  For most of Canada’s history, the Union Flag of the United Kingdom, the “Union Jack,” was official flag of our country, reflecting our status as a colony in the British Empire.  After Confederation Canada would fly the “Red Ensign” with the Union Jack in the corner, as Canada began to assert its unique status as a Dominion within the Empire. The government sought to establish a new flag in the 1960′ to more fully reflect our independence and standing in the world.  Many designs were considered. Ultimately the red Maple Leaf on the white and red flag won the day and is now amongst the most recognizable symbols in the world. For more on Flag Day:

Martin Luther King Day is January 20

In the United States, the 3rd Monday in January is a National Holiday in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. While it is not a holiday in Canada, Canadians and people all over the world will take some time today to acknowledge the tremendous legacy of Dr. King as a champion of freedom, equality and peace.   mlk

In the school library we will be taking the opportunity to view footage of Dr. King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech from the 1963 March on Washington. Please be sure to join us!

Learn more:

Family Literacy Day is January 27.

The family is where literacy begins. Parents, you can give your children the greatest gift by reading with them regularly. “Taking time every day to read or do a learning activity with children is crucial to a child’s development. Even just 15 minutes a day can improve a child’s literacy skills dramatically, and can help a parent improve their skills as well.” (ABC Life Literacy Canada)

For more information:

ABC Life Literacy Canada

Guru Gobind Singh

KhandaSikhs in Canada and around the world observe the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh who was born on this day in 1666 in Patna, India. He was the 10th and last of the (human) Gurus of Sikhism. He established the Khalsa, the organization of men and women baptized into the Sikh faith. He also established the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhism, as the final Guru for the Sikh people. For more on Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh faith, check out some of the following links:

Happy New Year

mmxivHappy New Year 2014!

Today is the first day of the year on the Gregorian Calendar and the first day of 2014 according the Anno Domini reckoning of years.

Of course, a “New Year’s Day” is an arbitrary notion and is celebrated at various times according to the traditions of different religions, cultures and nationalities. January 1st was adopted as the start of the year sometime during the era of the Roman Empire. During the Middle Ages, most European countries celebrated the New Year in the Spring. However, by the time the Gregorian Calendar began to be adopted by most Western nations, January 1st became the standard for celebrating the New Year.

Mandela and Rugby

For the rugby players and fans of rugby football in our community, there is another compelling story related to the late Nelson Mandela. While soccer was a sport embraced by the black South African population, for most of the 20th century rugby was the sport of choice for white South Africans, so much so that very many blacks, rugby was a symbol of the racism and oppression of Apartheid. As much as anybody else, Nelson Mandela changed that. Mandela understood the importance of rugby to white South African culture. As he struggled to lead South Africa through the transition from Apartheid, Mandela understood that rugby might be a key factor in garnering support from the white community and perhaps even help step closer to the dream of a racially united “rainbow nation.” As South Africa prepared to host the 1995 World Cup of Rugby, Mandela became the Sprinboks’ number one fan. That the Boks went on to win the World Cup was the storybook ending. It was a truly memorable scene to witness Mandela, clad in his Springboks uniform, once a symbol of Apartheid, handing the Webb Ellis Cup to the Boks’ Captain, Francois Piennar.

To learn more about this fascinating intersection between sport, politics, culture and history, check out the following:

Screen Shot 2013-12-09 at 10.35.10 AMPlaying the Enemy by John Carlin (2008).

“Invictus,” a film (2009) by Clint Eastwood, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon as Springboks’ Captain Francois Piennar. Based on Playing the Enemy.

16th
source: ESPN.com

“The 16th Man,” an ESPN 30 For 30 documentary produced by Morgan Freeman.

Bodhi Day

BuddhaThe religion known as Buddhism dates back to the 6th or 5th Century BCE, when the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the “Buddha,” literally, “the Enlightened One.” The followers of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism observes Bodhi Day in celebration of the day that the Buddha sat below the Bodhi Tree and meditated on the meaning of life. Bodhi Day is celebrated mainly by the Buddhists of northern and eastern Asia (in Japan the day is known as Rohatsu) and in countries to which those people have immigrated (such as Canada). For more on Bodhi Day and the life of the Buddha, click here.