Holiday Blog
Linguistic Help
In the United States, a holiday is a day set aside by a nation or culture (in some cases, multiple nations and cultures) typically for celebration but sometimes for some other kind of special culture-wide (or national) observation or activity. In the United States, a holiday can also be a special day on which school and/or offices are closed such as Labor Day.
What does the rest of the world call what Americans call a "holiday"?
Posted by Dane on July 11, 2005 | 0 Comments
Happy Independence Day
Posted by Dane on July 04, 2005 | 0 Comments
Happy Canada Day
Posted by Dane on July 01, 2005 | 0 Comments
National Doughnut Day
Sploid: "Do you like donuts? We don't, but that means more for you, fatty! The Krispy Kreme will give away free donuts tomorrow, on Friday the 3rd of June."
According to a company press release:
National Donut Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts for thousands of soldiers. National Doughnut Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June."National Doughnut Day is a perfect time for us to give a little something back to our loyal customers throughout the country," said Stan Parker, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Krispy Kreme. "It's also a great opportunity to build awareness and acknowledge the continued good work of the Salvation Army."
Posted by Dane on June 02, 2005 | 0 Comments
National Days
Wikipedia: "The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the nationhood of a country. Often the National Day will be a national holiday. Most countries have a single National Day per year, though a few, for example Pakistan, have more than one. The National Day is often taken as the date on which a state or territory achieved independence. Other dates such as the country's patron saint day, or a significant historic date are sometimes used."
List of National Days
- Afghanistan - 19 August
- Albania - 28 November
- Alderney - 9 May
- Algeria - 1 November
- American Samoa - 17 April
- Andorra - 8 September
- Angola - 11 November
- Anguilla - 30 May
- Antigua and Barbuda - 1 November
- Argentina - 25 May
- Armenia - 28 May
- Aruba - 18 March
- Assyria - 1 April
- Australia - 26 January
- Austria - 26 October
- Azerbaijan - 28 May
- Bahrain - 16 December
- Bahamas - 10 July
- Bangladesh - 26 March
- Barbados - 30 November
- Belarus - 3 July
- Belgium - 21 July
- Belize - 10 September and - 21 September
- Benin - 1 August
- Bermuda - 24 May
- Bhutan - 17 December
- Bolivia - 6 August
- Bosnia-Hercegovina - 1 March
- Botswana - 30 September
- Brazil - 7 September
- British Virgin Islands - 1 July
- Brunei - 23 February
- Bulgaria - 3 March
- Burkina Faso - 4 August
- Burma (Myanmar) - 4 January
- Burundi - 1 July
- Cambodia - 9 November
- Cameroon - 20 May
- Canada - 1 July
- Cape Verde September - 12
- Catalonia September - 11
- Cayman Islands - 1st Monday in July
- Central African Republic - 1 December
- Chad - 11 August
- Chile - 18 September
- People's Republic of China - 1 October
- Colombia - 20 July
- Comoros - 6 July
- Cook Islands - 4 August
- Costa Rica - 15 September
- Côte d'Ivoire - 7 August
- Croatia - 30 May
- Cuba - 1 January
- Cyprus - 1 October
- Czech Republic - 28 October
- Democratic Republic of Congo - 30 June
- Denmark - 5 June
- Djibouti - 27 June
- Dominica - 3 November
- Dominican Republic - 27 February
- East Timor - 20 May
- Ecuador - 10 August
- Egypt - 23 July
- El Salvador - 15 September
- England - 23 April
- Equatorial Guinea - 12 October
- Eritrea - 24 May
- Estonia - 24 February
- Ethiopia - 28 May
- Falkland Islands - 14 June
- Faroe Islands - 16 April
- Fiji - 10 October
- Finland - 6 December
- France - 14 July
- French Guyana - 14 July
- French Polynesia - 14 July
- Republic of Macedonia - 8 September
- Gabon - 17 August
- Gambia - 18 February
- Georgia - 26 May
- Germany - 3 October
- Ghana - 6 March
- Gibraltar - 2nd Monday in March
- Greece - 25 March
- Greenland - 21 June
- Grenada - 7 February
- Guadeloupe - 14 July
- Guam - 21 July
- Guatemala - 15 September
- Guernsey and Dependencies - 9 May
- Guinea - 3 April
- Guinea-Bissau - 24 September
- Guyana - 23 February
- Haiti - 1 January
- Herm - 9 May
- Honduras - 15 September
- Hong Kong - 1 July and - 1 October
- Hungary - 15 March - 20 August - 23 October
- Iceland - 17 June
- India - 26 January - 15 August
- Indonesia - 17 August
- Iran - 1 April
- Iraq - 17 July
- Republic of Ireland - 17 March
- Isle of Man - 5 July
- Israel - 14 May
- Italy - 2 June
- Jamaica - 1st Monday in August
- Japan - 23 December
- Jersey - 9 May
- Jordan - 25 May
- Kazakhstan - 25 October
- Kenya - 12 December
- Kiribati - 12 July
- Kuwait - 25 February
- Kyrgyzstan - 30 August
- Laos - 2 December
- Latvia - 18 November
- Lebanon - 22 November
- Lesotho - 4 October
- Liberia - 26 July
- Libya - 1 September
- Liechtenstein - 15 August
- Lithuania - 16 February
- Luxembourg - 23 June
- Macao - 20 December and - 1 October
- Madagascar - 26 June
- Malawi - 6 July
- Malaysia - 31 August
- Maldives - 26 July
- Mali - 22 September
- Malta - 21 September
- Marshall Islands - 1 May
- Martinique - 14 July
- Mauritania - 28 November
- Mauritius - 12 March
- Mayotte - 14 July
- Mexico - 16 September
- Micronesia - 10 May
- Moldova - 27 August
- Monaco - 19 November
- Mongolia - 11 July
- Montenegro - 28 June
- Montserrat - 2nd Saturday in June
- Morocco - 2 March
- Mozambique - 25 June
- Namibia - 21 March
- Nauru - 31 January
- Nepal - 18 February - 28 December
- Netherlands Antilles - 30 April
- Netherlands - 30 April
- New Caledonia - 14 July
- New Zealand - 6 February
- Nicaragua - 15 September
- Niger - 18 December
- Nigeria - 1 October
- Niue - 6 February
- Norfolk Island - 8 June
- North Korea - 8 September
- Northern Mariana Islands - 8 January
- Norway - 17 May
- Oman - 18 November
- Pakistan - 23 March (Republic Day), - 14 August (Independence Day)
- Palau - 9 July
- Panama - 3 November
- Papua New Guinea - 16 September
- Paraguay - 14 May
- Peru - 28 July
- Philippines - 12 June
- Pitcairn Islands - 2nd Saturday in June
- Poland - 3 May
- Portugal - 10 June
- Puerto Rico - 4 July
- Qatar - 3 September
- Quebec - 24 June
- Republic of the Congo - 15 August
- Republic of Yemen - 22 May
- Réunion - 14 July
- Romania - 1 December
- Russia - 12 June
- Rwanda - 1 July
- Samoa - 1 June
- San Marino - 3 September
- São Tomé and Príncipe - 12 July
- Sark - 9 May
- Saudi Arabia - 23 September
- Scotland - 30 November
- Senegal - 4 April
- Serbia - 15 February
- Seychelles - 18 June
- Sierra Leone - 27 April
- Singapore - 9 August
- Slovakia - 29 August - 1 September
- Slovenia - 25 June
- Solomon Islands - 7 July
- Somalia - 21 October
- South Africa - 27 April
- South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands - 14 June
- South Korea - 15 August
- Spain - 12 October
- Sri Lanka - 4 February
- St Helena - 2nd Saturday in June
- St Kitts and Nevis - 19 September
- St Lucia - 22 February
- St Pierre and Miquelon - 14 July
- St Vincent and the Grenadines - 27 October
- Sudan - 1 January
- Suriname - 25 November
- Swaziland - 6 September
- Sweden - 6 June
- Switzerland - 1 August
- Syria - 17 April
- Republic of China (Taiwan) - 10 October
- Tajikistan - 9 September
- Tanzania - 26 April
- Thailand - 5 December
- Togo - 27 April
- Tonga - 4 June
- Trinidad and Tobago - 31 August
- Tunisia - 20 March
- Turkey - 29 October
- Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus - 15 November
- Turkmenistan - 27 October
- Turks and Caicos Islands - 30 August
- Tuvalu - 1 October
- Uganda - 9 October
- Ukraine - 24 August
- United Arab Emirates - 2 December
- United Kingdom - 2nd Saturday in June (can vary)
- United States of America - 4 July
- Uruguay - 25 August
- Uzbekistan - 1 September
- Vanuatu - 30 July
- Vatican City - 22 October
- Venezuela - 5 July
- Vietnam - 2 September
- Virgin Islands (US) - 31 March
- Wales - 1 March
- Yugoslavia - 29 November
- Zambia - 24 October
- Zimbabwe - 18 April
Posted by Dane on May 19, 2005 | 0 Comments
Yom HaShoah
Wikipedia: "Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, is a Jewish holiday that takes place on the 27th day of Nisan, in the Hebrew calendar. It is held every year in remembrance of the approximately six million Jews who died in the Holocaust. It is a national holiday in Israel."
Posted by Dane on May 18, 2005 | 0 Comments
Friday the 13th
A Friday occuring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in many superstitions around the globe. Similar superstitions exist in some other traditions. In Spain, for example, Tuesday the 13th takes the same role. The fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskavedekatriaphobia or paraskevidekatriaphobia, a specialized form of triskaidekaphobia, a phobia (fear) of the number thirteen....
The origins of the Friday the 13th superstition has been linked to the fact there were 13 people at the last supper of Jesus, who was crucified on Good Friday, but it probably originated only in medieval times. It has also been linked to the fact that a lunisolar calendar must have 13 months in some years, while the solar Gregorian calendar and lunar Islamic calendar always have 12 months in a year. Another suggestion is that the belief originated in a Norse myth about twelve gods having a feast in Valhalla. The mischievous Loki gate-crashed the party as an uninvited 13th guest and arranged for Hod, the blind god of darkness, to shoot Baldur, the god of joy and gladness, with a mistletoe-tipped arrow. Baldur was killed and the Earth was plunged into darkness and mourning as a result.Some also say that the arrest of Jaques de Molay, Grand Master of the Knights Templar, and 60 of his senior knights on Friday, October 13, 1307 by King Philip IV of France, is the origin of this superstition. That day thousands of Templars were arrested and subsequently tortured. They then 'confessed' and were executed. From that day on, Friday the 13th was considered by followers of the Templars as an evil and unlucky day.
Posted by Dane on May 16, 2005 | 0 Comments
Confederate Memorial Day
Wikipedia: "Confederate Memorial Day, also known as Confederate Decoration Day (Tennessee) and Confederate Heroes Day (Texas), is a holiday in parts of the United States. It is recognized by several states of U.S. South as a day to honor those who died defending the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War."
Posted by Dane on May 10, 2005 | 0 Comments
Happy Mothers' Day
Posted by Dane on May 08, 2005 | 0 Comments
Which is more popular: Mother's Day or Valentine's Day?
Alexa - Web Discovery Machine:
I've never read any research on this topic, but looking at the traffic graphs for these online flower shops, they must make over 90% of their money on the two big flower holidays, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Which is bigger? You'll have to take a guess, and then find the answer on these traffic graphs:
Posted by Dane on May 06, 2005 | 0 Comments
Cinco de Mayo
El cinco de mayo ("Fifth of May" in Spanish) is a national holiday in Mexico. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza over the French expeditionary forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.Under the pretext of forcing payment for Mexico's outstanding and crippling debt, Britain, Spain and France sent troops to Mexico. The democratically elected government of President Benito Juárez made agreements with the British and the Spanish, who promptly recalled their armies, but the French stayed. Emperor Napoleon III wanted to secure French dominance in the former Spanish colony, including installing one of his relatives, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, as ruler of Mexico. Although Abraham Lincoln roundly condemned Napoleon's imperialist ambitions in a neighboring country, he was unable to assist Mexico as the United States was embroiled in the American Civil War at the time.
Confident of a quick victory, 6,500 French soldiers marched on Mexico City to seize the capital before the Mexicans could muster a viable defense. Along their march, the French already encountered stiff resistance before Zaragoza struck out to intercept the invaders.
The battle between the French and Mexican armies occurred on May 5 when Zaragoza's ill-equipped militia of 4,500 men encountered the better armed French force. However, Zaragoza's small and nimble cavalry units were able to prevent French dragoons from taking the field and overwhelming the Mexican infantry. With the dragoons removed from the main attack, the Mexicans routed the remaining French soldiers with a combination of their tenacity, inhospitable terrain, and a stampede of cattle set off by local peasants. The invasion was stopped and crushed.
Zaragoza won the battle but lost the war. The French Emperor, upon learning of the failed invasion, immediately dispatched another force, this time numbering 30,000 soldiers. By 1864, they succeeded in defeating the Mexican army and occupying Mexico City. Archduke Maximillian became Emperor of Mexico.
Maximilian's rule was short-lived. Mexican rebels opposed to his rule resisted, seeking the aid of the United States. Once the American Civil War was over, the U.S. military began supplying Mexicans with weapons and ammunition, and by 1867, the rebels finally defeated the French and deposed their puppet Emperor. The Mexican people then reelected Juárez as president.
Contrary to popular belief in the United States, Cinco de Mayo does not mark Mexican independence day. That distinction is reserved for Dieciséis de septiembre ("September 16"), which is celebrated on the night of September 15 through to the early morning hours of September 16 with a re-enactment of the Grito de Dolores – the formal call for an end to Spanish rule in 1810 – at all offices belonging to the executive branch of government, from the president down to the municipal governments.
Also on 5 May 1901, Ignacio Bravo telegraphed the news of the end of the Caste War of Yucatan with the Mexican victory against the state of Chan Santa Cruz.
The rise in Cinco de Mayo's popularity in the United States can be attributed to the Chicano student movement of the late 1960s. Inspired by student-activists nationwide, members of the MEChA organization in California sought to find a day of celebration that highlighted their largely Mexican ancestry. El Dieciséis de septiembre seemed like an obvious choice; however, this day proved too early in the school year for college students to effectively organize rallies and celebrations. Thus Cinco de Mayo became the de facto alternative for these student assemblies. Over the years this holiday grew outside university circles and its activist roots, and was absorbed by mainstream culture in the Southwest United States. For many Mexican-American communities Cinco de Mayo is an important way to proudly honor Mexican heritage, overshadowing Mexico's Independence Day in significance. Non-Mexican Americans also participate in the celebrations, much in the same manner that non-Irish Americans observe St. Patrick's Day, with holiday-themed parties marked by the consumption of Mexican food, tequila and Mexican beer.
Posted by Dane on May 05, 2005 | 0 Comments
May is National Bike Month
BikeMonth.com: "May is National Bike Month. Bike-to-Work Week is May 16 - 20, 2005 and Bike-to-Work Day is Friday, May 20, 2005."
via Blue Collar Mountain Biking.
Posted by Dane on May 04, 2005 | 0 Comments
Cover the Uninsured Week
The problem is getting worse. As the price of health care continues to rise, fewer individuals and families can afford to pay for coverage. Fewer small businesses are able to provide coverage for their employees, and those that do are struggling to hold on to the coverage they offer. It is a problem that affects all of us.That's why Americans are coming together for Cover the Uninsured Week 2005. From May 1- 8, individuals and organizations from every sector of society will join together to tell our leaders that health care coverage for all Americans must be their top priority. The Week will mobilize thousands of business owners, union members, educators, students, patients, hospital staff, physicians, nurses, faith leaders and their congregants, and many others.
Posted by Dane on May 03, 2005 | 0 Comments
National Teacher Day
Today, Google is celebrating National Teacher Day.
Posted by Dane on May 03, 2005 | 0 Comments
May Day
The holiday is most often associated with the commemoration of the social and economic achievements of the labor movement. The May 1st date is used because in 1884 the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday in the United States, to come in effect as of May 1, 1886. This resulted in the general strike and the U.S. Haymarket Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday.May Day is designated International Workers Day. It is indeed a thoroughly international holiday; and the United States is one of the few countries in the world where pressure from local working classes has not led to an official holiday. In the 20th century, the holiday received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union; celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in support of the government.
There is some suggestion that Labor Day in the United States was created specifically to avoid commemoration of May Day. The adoption of May Day by communists and socialists as their primary holiday cements official resistance to Labor Day and similar non-May Day celebrations, which they view as being controlled by the ruling class.
Posted by Dane on May 02, 2005 | 0 Comments
Healthy Dating Week
Psychotherapist and dating coach, Toni Coleman has founded "Healthy Dating Week" to help raise awareness that thoughtful and conscious choices in one's dating life will impact their ability to form healthy and satisfying intimate relationships. "Healthy Dating Week" will be observed for the first time this year during the week of April 10th through April 16th, 2005.
Singles today need to be very aware of the dangers and consequences they face when they make uninformed, impulsive or risky decis`ions regarding the who, what, when, where and why of dating, says Coleman." She emphasizes that, "Everything from personal safety to a repeated pattern of dating and relationship failure is at stake." In order to effectively highlight the most important issues, Toni has come up with 7 specific areas singles should address. They are as follows:
- Assess your readiness for responsible dating and address problem areas before getting involved with someone.
- Take an inventory of your relationship history and identify and work on any problem patterns that may exist.
- Know what you want from dating and/or a relationship and learn to communicate this openly and appropriately with others.
- Know your acceptable boundaries regarding others' behavior towards you, and stick to these.
- Use caution and common sense when agreeing to and making plans for a first date or with anyone you do not know fairly well.
- Have a plan for how you will handle the subject of physical intimacy with someone you are dating and don't jeopardize your emotional or physical health and/or place your reproductive well being at risk.
- Learn to recognize warning signs in a relationship and don't try to ignore or explain these away.
Posted by Dane on April 30, 2005 | 0 Comments
World Day for Safety and Health at Work
ILO:
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is intended to focus international attention on promoting and creating a preventative safety and health culture at work and to help reduce the number of work-related deaths each year. This year, as in previous years, tripartite events are taking place world wide, and a number of products are available from this web page. You are invited to join us in promoting this important day.In 2003, the ILO began to observe World Day stressing the prevention of illness and accidents at work, capitalizing on its traditional strengths of tripartism and social dialogue. 28 April is also a day the world's trade union movement has long associated with commemorating victims of occupational accidents and disease.
Posted by Dane on April 28, 2005 | 0 Comments
Freedom Day
Wikipedia: "Freedom Day in South Africa, celebrates freedom and the first elections held after apartheid, when Nelson Mandela was elected as President of South Africa in 1994. Each year this date April 27 is celebrated to bind the nation together."
Posted by Dane on April 27, 2005 | 1 Comments
Small Business Week, 2005
America's economy is the most prosperous in the world, and the small business sector is one of its great strengths. During Small Business Week, we honor small business owners and workers, and we reaffirm our commitment to keeping America the best place in the world to do business.Our economy is strong and growing stronger. More Americans are working today than ever before. The unemployment rate is lower than the average rate of the 1970's, 1980's, and 1990's. Homeownership is at a record high. Family incomes are rising. Small businesses are at the heart of this growth, creating most new private-sector jobs in our economy and helping our citizens succeed.
My Administration is committed to keeping small businesses vibrant and strong. We provided tax relief and streamlined tax reporting requirements for small businesses. We are working to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation and excessive litigation. We are working to make health care more available and affordable. We are opening up markets for U.S. products through free trade agreements and by enforcing existing trade laws. And we have promoted a culture of ownership so that more people can own their own homes and start their own businesses.
As small business owners and employees add to the vitality of our economy, they also inspire others to realize the full promise of our Nation. I join all Americans in celebrating the entrepreneurial spirit and hard work of our small business owners and employees.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 24 through April 30, 2005, as Small Business Week. I call upon all the people of the United States to observe this week with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs that celebrate the achievements of small business owners and their employees and encourage and foster the development of new small businesses.
Posted by Dane on April 26, 2005 | 0 Comments
Religious Holidays and Calendars
Amazon: "[Ths book] covers 'holidays with a sacred component that celebrate, commemorate, or honor people, places, events, and concepts important to a specific religious community.' Included are the world's major faiths and other smaller faith communities that were chosen for their historical and current cultural impact in the U.S. Religious authorities and members of various religious communities contributed to this handbook in the writing and editing of chapters."
Posted by Dane on April 25, 2005 | 0 Comments
Anzac Day
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (popularly abbreviated as ANZAC) was originally an army corps of Australian and New Zealand troops who fought in World War I at Gallipoli, in the Middle East and on the Western Front.
Within Australasia the Anzacs came to stand not just for the troops in World War I, but for Australian and New Zealand soldiers in time of war more generally. Anzac Day is annually celebrated in memory of those soldiers who died in war. It is celebrated each year by both countries on April 25, the date of the first landing at Gallipoli in 1915 on a beach which was subsequently to become known as Anzac Cove. (It is similar to days such as Veterans Day, Armistice Day or V-E Day celebrated in other countries.)
Posted by Dane on April 24, 2005 | 0 Comments
World Dance Day
International Dance Day (World Dance Day) has been celebrated on April 29 through promotion by the International Dance Council (CID), an umbrella organization within UNESCO for all kinds of dance.The holiday was introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute. The date commemorates the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727 - 1810), the creator of modern ballet.
Posted by Dane on April 23, 2005 | 0 Comments
Earth Day: Our legacy from John Muir
In the spring of each year in the Sierra, it seems worthwhile to reflect on the legacy left by two men from Wisconsin who came to Northern California in their youth.The first was John Muir, who arrived in 1868 and who over a span of nearly 50 years convinced presidents and the nation that the Sierra Nevada were among the treasures of the world. His writings and his example gave us the understanding that our mountains and wilderness were of spiritual as well as economic value and should be preserved for all people, as well as for the wildlife that have made it their natural habitat for millennia. Muir was called "the greatest Californian" and recognized as the father of our National Park system. He died in 1914.
Years later, a second young man from Wisconsin arrived to attend college in San Jose. His name was Gaylord Nelson. He came to know California well. On a return visit here in 1970, Nelson, now a U.S. senator, had a vision similar to that of Muir a century earlier: Nelson thought we should have an Earth Day, a day to reflect on the enormous privilege of the mountains, forests, rivers and wilderness we share with the creatures of the earth and sky. And so, the first Earth Day came into being, to be held April 22, that day also being the anniversary of the first Arbor Day, which had been conceived in 1874 as a way to have schoolchildren plant a tree on a spring day each year. Today, every state celebrates Arbor Day.
Posted by Dane on April 22, 2005 | 0 Comments
Google and Earth Day 2005
Today, Google is celebrating Earth Day 2005.
Posted by Dane on April 22, 2005 | 0 Comments
Mawlid
Mawlid al-Nabi is a celebration of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, founder of Islam. The day is fixed at the 12th day of the month of Rabi`-ul-Awwal in the Islamic calendar. Muhammad was born about 570 CE and passed away in 632 CE. During his life, he established Islam as a religion and, in doing so, replaced tribal loyalty with equality among all Muslims.The Mawlid al-Nabi has its roots in the practice of Muhammad himself. He would fast every Monday because he was born on this day. The vast majority of Muslims celebrate the Mawlid with great fervour. Processions are held, homes are decorated, delicious food is prepared and distributed and stories about the life of Muhammad are related by learned people of Islam, poems are sung by Muslim children, and public musical performances of the story of the Muhammad's birth. The latter is one of the principle religious genres of Muslim music, and may be considered part of the larger genre madih nabawi reserved for praise of the Prophet and his family (Touma 1996, p.158).
A typical musical performance features a skilled solo maqam singer assisted by a chorus of eight to sixteen men. The chorus sings in unison and new verse of poetry and prayers or blessings for the audience are added in set spots of the text. In North Africa it resembles ma'luf or andalusi nubah, in Egypt the dur, in Syria the muwashshah, and in Iraq the maqam al'iraqi. (ibid, p.159)
The day Mawlid al-Nabi was first observed around the thirteenth century, but some conservative sects today consider the celebration to be idolatrous.
Posted by Dane on April 20, 2005 | 0 Comments