Category: Holidays & Observances

Ramadan Mubarak

The Islamic month of Ramadan has begun . Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer and other acts for devotion for Muslims. Ramadan Kareem!

We wish Ramadan Mubarak and Ramadan Kareem to the more than one million Canadians who follow Islam, and to our Muslim neighbours around the world.

Find out more about Ramadan:

BBC: Ramadan

CBC News: Ramadan

Muslim Association of Canada

Imbolc

Imbolc is celebrated February 1 to 2. The traditions of Imbolc reach back deep into the pagan history of the Celtic peoples of Ireland and its neighbours. With the Christianization of Ireland, Imbolc was replaced by St. Brigid’s Day . Imbolc as a cultural event has seen a resurgence in recent years, mainly in the neo-pagan community. Imbolc has also grown in popularity amongst others who desire to celebrate traditional Irish/Celtic culture, particularly in regards to the connections with nature and the cycles of the year.

<a href="http://steven earnshaw, CC BY 2.0 source

Roughly halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, Imbolc was celebrated as the start of Spring. Imbolc was associated with new life and fertility, particularly the arrival of lambs. Imbolc was also strongly associated with the Goddess Brigid. When Christianity arrived in Ireland in the early 5th, pagan traditions were often adapted to the new beliefs. Imbolc became known as St. Brigid’s Day. Along with St, Patrick and St. Columba, St. Brigid was a patron saint of Ireland. She may or may not have been a real person, and many historians believe that real person or not, her name was borrowed directly from the pagan goddess.

Find out more:

Guru Gobind Singh

On January 6, 2025, Sikhs in Canada and around the world celebrate Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, a chance to observe and celebrate the birth of Guru Gobind Singh. The Guru was born 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.

GuruGobindSingh
source: discoversikhism.com

For more on Guru Gobind Singh and the Sikh faith, check out:

Halloween Fun Facts

Halloween is just a week away. Here are some articles to learn more about Halloween. Shout out to Mental Floss as our source for most of these links!

Louis Riel

On this day in 1885, Louis Riel was hanged for High Treason by Canadian authorities. Riel was a Metis leader who led the resistance of his people against the Canadian government in the Red River Rebellion of 1869 and the North-West Rebellion of 1884. Few Canadians can come even close to Riel as a divisive figure in Canadian history. Riel was portrayed as an enemy of Canada by the government of John A. Macdonald, a view that was held by many anglophone Canadians for many years, and still by some today. On the other hand, Metis was a hero to the Metis, to indigenous people in general, and to many French Canadians, and anglophone Catholics. To them Riel represented those that would stand up against the elites whose vision of Canada was dominated by white people, English speakers, and Protestants of Anglo-Saxon heritage. Today more Canadians look favourably upon Riel, a complex figure whose life is entwined with so many problematic issues from Canada’s history that still challenge us today.

Find out more:

Book Spotlight: Earth Day

Come down to your School Library to find out more about Earth Day and all the issues that we face in terms of protecting life on this planet.

If you are looking for a quick introduction to the scientific understanding of the issues of climate change, this is a great place to start: This is Climate Change: A Visual Guide to the Facts: See for Yourself How the Planet is Warming and What it Means for Us, by David Nelles & Christian Serrer.

What they (the authors) were hoping to find was a book that explained the nuts and bolts of climate change and presented the scientific evidence in a way that was concise and enjoyable to read. After a long and fruitless search, they eventually gave up and instead decided to write it themselves.

“Who’s Behind the Book”, Nelles and Serrer, 128)

An excellent feature of the book is the comprehensive bibliography that can be reached by QR code or by using the given URL. Go here to see the Bibliography.

Burns Nights

The beloved Scottish poet Robert Burns, or “Rabbie Burns,” was born on this day in 1759. From Scotland to all parts of the world where you will find people with Scottish roots, Burns Night is not just a celebration of the man, and his poetry, but also of Scottish heritage.

Also called a Burns Supper, Burns Night is: “a celebration of the life and works of the poet Robert Burns; Scottish by birth and held in fond regard by Scots all over the world, his life and poetry speak to the struggles common to all people. It is an evening of food, drink, entertainment, and friendship.  It is an event that transcends time, geographical borders, political, and religious beliefs to bring people together in celebration of the everyman.” (From burnsnight.net)

For more information on Robbie Burns and “Burns Night”:

RobertBurns.org

Burns Night at Scotland.org

Robbie Burns Tribute

New Vaccination Requirements

As of today, 4/1/2022, all students and staff at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School, and throughout the district, are required by law to show proof of 5 doses of the Credulus Vaccine.

All 5 doses are injected simultaneously, with 1 directly into the eyeball, 1 underneath the thumbnail, 1 into your arm, 1 into the body part of your choice, and finally, 1 directly into the CENSORED.

Students or staff who fail to provide proof of vaccination will be prosecuted and could face up to 10 years in federal prison.

The story that SCARED me the most…

Teachers and staff at Lord Tweedsmuir share the stories that scared them the most. Use the comments below if you want to add your scariest story to the list.

Ms. Robinson shares:

“I  literally slept with the lights on for WEEKS and ALWAYS look twice at storm drains…”

Ms. Miller says:

“The idea of being passive-aggressively locked in an amusement park against my will with a bunch of monsters is terrifying!!”

Welcome to Horrorland, part of the “Goosebumps” series by R.L. Stine

Mr. Eckert named this book..

No explanation given.

Must be too scary to talk about…

Mr. Buist tells us:

“Here is the Context: I was reading this in my grandparents old farmhouse on a windy night. My Aunt has a cat ( but I didn’t know that the cat was in the house or that its favourite sleeping place was the bed that I was sleeping in that night. I finish the story, am trying to sleep, cat jumps on my bed then crawls onto my back…

the horror… the horror…”

“You Know They Got a Hell of a Band” by Stephen King. Originally appeared in Shock Rock; later republished in Nightmares and Dreamscapes.

Ms. Harding shares:

“The scariest book I ever read was The Stand by Stephen King. I was in high school at the time, and was home sick with the flu when I read it.”

Ms. Nicholls adds:

Pet Semetary by Stephen King

Dr. Louis Creed and his wife, Rachel, relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home

Mr. Ferrier writes:

“What to Expect When You’re Expecting.

Just kidding.

The Ruins – by Scott Smith. I don’t really have a favorite scary book. I found this one entertaining enough, even if it is a little predictable. There’s even a movie!”

Mr. Cameron says:

“Definitely IT.  I read the book while in University and I literally couldn’t read it at night if I was alone in my apartment. 

What made it scary was simply Pennywise the Clown.  King’s description of Pennywise was so vivid and just reading “Beep Beep Ritchie” terrified me. 

Also, back then I read a lot of Stephen King novels and he would add Pennywise in a different novel (Tommyknockers) in just one sentence to let the reader know, Pennywise was still around even if it was a completely different novel.”

Ms. Barnes adds:

“Romeo Dallaire’s Shake Hands With the Devil is not traditionally scary. Took a long time to get through.

I will never forget it.”

Ms. Turgeon shares:

“Cujo was scary because of the reality of that scenario and Mr. King’s descriptive skills.  I won’t ruin the ending but its emotional impact has stuck with me through the years. “

Mr. Ghuman reveals:

“This book scares me so much. Pigs, geese and other farm animals talking to each other is FREAKY. And a spider that can write? I can’t even.”

Mr. Hoelzley adds this classic of true crime:

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi