Canary Islands Day - 30 May

Canary Islands Day (in Spanish: Día de las Canarias) is a public holiday in the Canary Islands, an autonomous community belonging to Spain, which falls on May 30 each year. 

This event celebrates the culture of the islands and people, and also marks the anniversary of the first meeting of the Parliament in the Canary Islands on May 30, 1983.   

The Canary Islands are a group of seven inhabited islands that form an archipelago (also called the Canary Archipelago) in the Atlantic Ocean, near the southwestern coast of Morocco.

In the past, the islanders were the Guanchians who made their living from fishing, picking fruit, farming and raising sheep. 

In 1402 the Spanish conquest began, and ships began to arrive in search of slaves and treasures. The Guanchians resisted the Spanish conquest, which lasted about 100 years and ended in 1496, when the natives surrendered and were annexed to the kingdom of Cecilia (Spain).

The conquest of the Canary Islands was characterized by the enslavement of the islanders, the destruction of their culture and the domination of Christianity. The inhabitants of the original islands had to assimilate into the Christian population or be killed. The islands were an excellent strategic place for traders to go to India, Africa and America, which brought prosperity to many of those who survived the occupation.

On August 10, 1982, the islands were granted the status of an autonomous community.

Canary Islands Flag

Some elements of the original cultures have survived to this day. One interesting element is Silvu, a language in which instead of talking - whistling. Today the language is almost extinct and can be heard in a few places in the islands, for example on the island of La Gomera. 

Today's Canary Islands live mainly from tourism. The islands are full of sunny and exotic beaches, and spectacular views. There are many volcanoes on the islands, some of which are active, nature reserves of needle forests and subtropical forests, the shores of dunes and streams.

Copyright: tonobalaguer / 123RF Stock Photo  A beach on Lanserote Island

The islands that make up the Canary archipelago are: La Palma, Tenerife, Lanserote, El Aero, Gran Canaria, La Gomera, Puertaventura. 

The largest island is Tenerife, which covers 2,059 square kilometers and has about 908,000 inhabitants.

A street in Santa Cruz on the island of La Palma, Copyright: tonobalaguer / 123RF Stock Photo

Biscuit Day - May 29

May 29 is Biscuit Day, the cookie that usually goes with a dip in coffee or tea.

The biscuit is a crispy cookie, slightly sweet, flat, usually square but there are also round biscuits.

The biscuit was invented on September 8, 1886 by Louis Lefèvre-Utile of the French city of Nantes, who called it "Petit beurre".

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Did you know that the shape of the biscuit has its original wild flakes and holes where it has meaning?

The shape of the biscuit represents the calendar year. It has four corners for the four seasons. It has 14 longitudinal teeth and 10 lateral teeth. That is, 52 teeth in total (when adding the teeth in the corners), as the number of weeks per year. There are 24 holes on the surface of the biscuit, about the number of hours in a day.

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Louis' original bar mouthpiece, representing the calendar year (photo source) 

The biscuit was a worldwide success, but since Louis did not copyright it, many companies began copying its recipe and form. It was not until 1888 that Louis registered it as copyright and called it the "original Petit beurre" to differentiate it from the brands of competing companies.

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The common flavors of biscuits are butter, coffee, cinnamon and more.

One of the best delicacies of the summer is the ice cream sandwich  made of two biscuits with vanilla or chocolate flavored ice cream in between.

There is also a savory biscuit which is basically a cracker.

There are biscuits for dogs that are given to them as a positive reinforcement during training or just as a treat.

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How to celebrate Biscuit Day?

Make tea or instant coffee, serve it with a plate of biscuits next to it. Dip the biscuits into the hot beverage and eat. Just be careful that the biscuit does not fall and fall apart inside the glass. If that happens, you can eat the melted biscuit in a spoon, not bad.

Another option is to take a biscuit and spread chocolate spread or peanut butter on it. You can also have jam or whatever you feel like.

The main thing is to have a happy biscuit day!

May 29 is also Put your pillow on your fridge day

Put your pillow on your fridge day- May 29th

Every night our pillow comforts us and let us sleep. 

But maybe it's a bit annoying that during the day she has no use and she just lies on the bed useless. In order for the pillow to be even more efficient than it is, there is a belief that if you put the pillow on the refrigerator during the day it brings prosperity and good luck. 

Before the refrigerators were invented in the 1920s, people in Europe and the United States put their pillows in the pantry for good luck once a year, and today the custom of storing food changed, so they moved the pillow over the refrigerator. 

The day of the year that the pillow should be put on the refrigerator for good fortune and prosperity is the 29th May. 

So, why not trying? Don't forget, on the morning of May 29, after you wake up and before you leave the house, place the pillow on the refrigerator and the luck will shine to you!

Put a pillow on your fridge day

May 29th is also Biscuit Day

Amnesty International Day - May 28

"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity."

~ Nelson Mandela

Human rights have been a hot topic in local and international politics since the 1960s. Whether people fought for the right to marry the person they choose or put an end to injustices like child labor, exploitation of the weak, torture of prisoners and more. Amnesty International is an organization that tries to make the world a better place. The organization works to promote human rights around the world and raise awareness of various injustices and how our choices affect other people on a daily basis.

The history of Amnesty International Day

Amnesty International was established in July 1961 in London. Peter Benenson, an English labor lawyer, was inspired to set up the organization after hearing about two Portuguese students imprisoned for seven years after "raising a glass in honor of freedom". Together with Eric Baker, a member of the Religious Society of Friends, and many other intellectuals, including academics, writers, and lawyers, they wrote an article called "The Forgotten Prisoners" that appeared in The Observer on May 28, 1961. This led to a rapidly growing appeal. To an organization that will work to change the world and show that everyone is entitled to a system of basic human rights.

The tireless efforts of this organization have since been central to exposing human rights and labor violations to change government policies regarding their protection. Their work was not always popular, and its members were accused of everything from espionage (Russia's 80s) and protection of the criminal element (Moroccan government).

How to Celebrate Amnesty International Day

The best way to celebrate Amnesty International Day is to help raise awareness among your friends and family about the struggles of the oppressed around the world. The place to start is to learn for yourself about the places in the world where human freedoms are at the highest risk. You can also contribute to the organization and even join it.

The logo of Amnesty International.

May 28 is also Hamburger Day

Hamburger Day - May 28

May 28 is the Hamburger day, one of the days devoted to food in the US where The hamburger is a popular dish, a staple of a meat meal, present in almost all the meat menus in restaurants, and everybody know it, there almost no one who has never tasted it. 

Everyone knows the simple burger. Eat it with a bun, sauce, vegetables and fries on the side and it is made from beef.

Vegetarians and vegans can also find a substitute hamburger - hamburgers made of lentils, mushrooms or soybeans.

No matter what hamburger you eat and where, on May 28 you can celebrate the Hamburger day. On this date you can see hamburgers  competitions in the US, such as the highest hamburger in the world or a hamburger eating competition. 

Hamburgers animated gifs

In the picture: the highest burger in the world- John Clarkson of Lancashire, UK, owner of Mister Eaters Fish and Chips, took hamburgers and prepared this high-quality burger sandwich, which contains 30,000 calories. In this hamburger tower there are 10 hamburgers, with half rolls and side dishes such as vegetables, sausages, cheeses and fries. Other things between the layers of the bun and hamburgers: spaghetti Bolognese and meatballs, meat and potato cake, pepperoni pizza and black pudding. The height of the burger tower is 5 meters and 4 inches. John had put this animal together with his wife for hours. If you take care of your health, the burger skyscraper comes with a side salad;). Want to see more photos and read a little bit? Visit the Mister Eaters Fish and Chips page

 May 28 is also Amnesty International Day

Texas coloring pages

Texas is a state in the central southern United States, located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and bordering southern and southwestern Mexico. Texas is the second largest state in the United States. Austin is the capital of Texas, however Houston is its largest city, and Dallas is the largest metropolis. In 1845, Texas joined the union as the 28th state. Here are coloring pages of the state of Texas. You can paint the state flag, the map, Texas symbols and more. The coloring pages are suitable for Texas holidays like day of Texas annexation, Juneteenth Day and Independence day of USA. Symbols of Texas are: Flag: Lone Star Flag, Flower: Bluebonnet, Large Mammal: Texas Longhorn, Sport: Rodeo, Dish: Chili Con Carne, Insect: Monarch Butterfly, Reptile: Horned Lizard, Tree: Pecan Tree, Plant: Prickly Pear Cactus. The coloring pages are suitable for children of all ages. To print the coloring page click on it and it will open in a new window. It can be saved or printed immediately using CTRL + P. Fun coloring!

PS- To save paper and help our planet, you can print on used pages, on the blank side ♥

Texas map and symbols

Hand waving Texas flag

Children hold the Texas flag

Texas nature and a cowboy

A cowboy on a horse

Landscape of Texas

Sunscreen Day- 27th May

Today, May 27, is the day that reminds us of how important it is to put on sunscreen, as the song by Buzz Luhrmann says "Wear Sunscreen." 

Ultraviolet radiation can cause sunburn, skin cancer, sunspots and premature aging. The sunscreen should also be used on cloudy days, because UV rays penetrate through the clouds.

If you live in the northern hemisphere (like about 88% of the world population), then you are entering into summer. If you live in the tropics of the earth (like about 40% of the world's population), you are always in an area with direct sunlight. So, now is the time to purchase a new sunscreen.

If you already have sunscreen, check the expiry date. Most modern fluorescence filters work up to three years. So if you want the cream you put to work (that's the whole idea, isn't it?), You need to replace the protective cream that you have expired.

Another last thing, sunscreen is not only when you go to the sea. Our skin is exposed to the sun even when we are in the car, walking, running, etc., so as the song says: 

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.

Copyright: olegdudko / 123RF Stock Photo

May 27 is also Cellophane Tape Day

Cellophane Tape Day - May 27

How would we manage without the cellophane tap? It is hard to imagine what we would do without it, how would we stick covers of gifts, books, etc.?

May 27 is the day of the cellophane paper.

It was invented by Richard Garley Drew (June 22, 1899 - December 14, 1980).

Drew began working for 3M in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1920, which was a small company manufacturing products for industry, including sandpaper.

One day, while testing their new sandpaper, WetorDry, Drew realized that their popular automatic painting machines had difficulty distinguishing between two colors. So he started working hard in 3M labs and invented the first masking-tape strip, which was 5 cm wide and glued with light glue using pressure.

In the first masking tape the glue was smeared on the edges, but not in the middle. During the product's first trial year, the glue fell off the automatic dyeing machine and Drew growled in response to his assistant: "Take this paper back to your stingy bosses and tell them to put more glue on it!". When he said "stingy" he used the word "Scotch" which in slang meant "thrifty". And so in 1930 he invented an improved adhesive tape called "Scotch".

In 1925 Drew invented the world's first transparent cellophane adhesive (called cellophane tape in the UK and other countries in the world and velcro in the United States). Following the economic crisis and the collapse of Wall Street in 1929, people began to use the thing paper to fix things instead of throwing them away and so the 3M company was able to grow out of the Great Depression and invent another variety of products.

Cellophane Tape

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May 27 is also Sun Screen Day