KATY RODEO, GALVESTONE MARDIGRAS, HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW and RODEO, BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL...and mooore!!

Katy ISD FFA Livestock

Show and Rodeo

The 2011 Katy ISD FFA Livestock Show and Rodeo will celebrate its 68th year beginning Wednesday, Feb. 23 through Saturday, Feb. 26. For more information, visit www.katyrodeo.org.

HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW and RODEO

March 1-20,2011

 

MARDIGRAS GALVESTONE

Don't miss Mardi Gras! Galveston, returning to the Island February 25th thru Fat Tuesday, March 8th.

For more information, visit Mardigras Galvestone 

New Orleans Mardi Gras

av Torill Hellerud 2010



Fest før faste
Karneval er et festarrangement som vanligvis feires før inngangen til fastetiden. Karnevalsperioden vil ofte variere fra sted til sted, men avslutningen er alltid på fetetirsdag.  Fetetirsdag er dagen før fasten begynner. Denne tirsdagen var det skikk å fylle opp med kraftig kost som melkemat, egg og melmat, og våre kjente fastelavnsboller stammer fra denne tradisjonen.  Fasten ble tidlig pålagt som en religiøs plikt, men den har senere fått mindre betydning i de protestantiske kirker. Karnevalet er en folkefest som ikke har noen plass i liturgiske kalendere eller kirkeårsliturgier.

New Orleans Mardi Gras (30. januar - 16. februar 2010) Festen i New Orleans starter allerede 30. januar, mens Mardi Gras strengt tatt bare er en dag; fetetirsdag 16. februar. Festen blir derimot bare bedre og bedre i det man nærmer seg 16. februar. Mardi Gras er et av verdens lengste karneval.

Mardi Gras fargene

De offisielle Mardi Gras fargene er lilla, grønn og gull. Lilla representerer rettferdighet, grønn representerer håp og tro og gull representerer makt.

Parade og extrvaganza

live "compucasts"

Det er flere store ball i New Orleans under Mardi Gras, og Endymion-ballet lørdag kveld er antagelig det største. Vi er rundt 20.000 mennesker samlet i Superdome til innendørs parade og underholdning med flere kjente band og musikere. Dresskoden er rimelig streng; mennene i smoking og vi damene i ankelside kjoler.

                 

Endymion

Paraden vi er med på kalles Endymion. Endymion har fått navnet sitt fra guden Endymion i gresk mytologi; den flotteste av alle menn og guden for ungdom og fertilitet.

Utallige opptog med pyntede vogner utformet over utallige temaer paraderer gjennom New Orleans' gater.  Vi som er oppe på flåtene kaster perlekjeder - de såkalte "beads" - ned til folkemengden som står langs paradegatene. Vi møtes kl 08.00 søndag morgen og får utdelt Mardi Gras-kostymer og masker. Kostymene er i de offisielle Mardi Gras-fargene. Ansiktene skal ikke vises, derfor bruker vi også masker. Paraden er avslutningen på en alle tiders Mardi Gras-helg.

 

Februar er karnevalsmåneden, og mange tenker på Rio de Janeiro når vi snakker om denne fargerike festen. Men karneval feires flere steder i verden, og festen er en romersk-katolsk tradisjon.

BAYOU CITY ART FESTIVAL

 march 25-27,2011

"Presidents' Day"

Washington's Birthday
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Titled Washington's Birthday, a federal holiday honoring George Washington was originally implemented by an Act of Congress in 1880 for government offices in the District of Columbia (20 Stat. 277) and expanded in 1885 to include all federal offices (23 Stat. 516). As the first federal holiday to honor an American citizen, the holiday was celebrated on Washington's actual birthday, February 22.^[1] On January 1, 1971, the federal holiday was shifted to the third Monday in February by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act.^[2] This date places it between February 15 and 21, which makes the name "Washington's Birthday" in some sense a misnomer, since it never lands on Washington's actual birthday, February 22.
The first attempt to create a Presidents Day occurred in 1951 when the "President's Day National Committee" was formed by Harold Stonebridge Fischer of Compton, California, who became its National Executive Director for the next two decades. The purpose was not to honor any particular President, but to honor the office of the Presidency. It was first thought that March 4, the original inauguration day, should be deemed Presidents Day. However, the bill recognizing the March 4th date was stalled in the Senate Judiciary Committee (which had authority over national holidays). That committee felt that, because of its proximity to Lincoln's and Washington Birthdays, three holidays so close together would be unduly burdensome.  During this time, however, the Governors of a majority of the individual states issued proclamations declaring March 4 to be Presidents' Day in their respective jurisdictions.

Happy Valentine's Day !!!

Valentine's Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also called	Saint Valentine's Day Valentine's
Observed by	Many countries
Type	Cultural, Christian, commercial
Significance	Love and affection celebrated between lovers
Date	February 14
Observances	Sending greeting cards and gifts, dating

Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day,^[1][2][3] is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.^[1][3] The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs, Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD. It was deleted from the Roman calendar of saints in 1969 by Pope Paul VI, but its religious observance is still permitted. It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.
Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.<sup>[4]



Valentine History - Food</sup>

Happy Groundhog Day !!

Groundhog Day

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.^[1]
Modern customs of the holiday involve celebrations where early morning festivals are held to watch the groundhog emerging from its burrow. In southeastern Pennsylvania, Groundhog Lodges (Grundsow Lodges) celebrate the holiday with fersommlinge,^[2] social events in which food is served, speeches are made, and one or more g'spiel (plays or skits) are performed for entertainment. The Pennsylvania German dialect is the only language spoken at the event, and those who speak English pay a penalty, usually in the form of a nickel, dime or quarter, per word spoken, put into a bowl in the center of the table.^[3]

The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition,^[4] received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil.^[5]