Reasons To Celebrate January 2

"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there." Josh Billings

Groundhog Day (February 2) - US and Canada Observance

"Groundhog Day is celebrated on February 2. It is held in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if a groundhog named Sean Byler emerging from its burrow on this day fails to see its shadow, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If on the other hand, the groundhog sees its shadow, the groundhog will supposedly retreat into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks. The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in

• see Groundhog Day • Send Happy Groundhog Day Greetings • Learn about the groundhog

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Candlemas (fourty days after Christmas) In the Church of England it may be celebrated on this day, or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February.

"The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus, and falls on or around 2 February. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Presentation is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., 'Meeting' in Greek). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In many Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February......

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Bonza Bottler Day

To celebrate when the number of the day is the same as the number of the month. Bonza Bottler Day, which was created by Elaine Fremont in 1985. Bonza means “super,” “great,” or “fantastic.” “Bottler” is slang for “something excellent. Bonza Bottler Day™ is an excuse to have a party at least once a month. For more information see www.bonzabottlerday.com.

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Heavenly Hash Day (always February 2) - US Observance / Food Holiday

On this day your encouraged to eat your favorite Heavenly Hash Recipe.

World Wetlands Day - occurs on 2 February each year - ramsar.org

"It marks the date of the signing of the Convention on Wetlands, called Ramsar Convention, on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. WWD was celebrated for the first time in 1997 and made an encouraging beginning. Each year, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of wetland values and benefits in general and the Ramsar Convention in particular. From 1997 to 2007, the Convention’s Web site has posted reports from more than 95 countries of WWD activities of all sizes and shapes, from lectures and seminars, nature walks, children’s art contests, sampan races, and community clean-up days, to radio and television interviews and letters to newspapers, to the launch of new wetland policies, new Ramsar sites, and new programmes at the national level."

Paganism - Imbolc (in northern hemisphere), Lughnasadh (in southern hemisphere).

"Imbolc is one of the four principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, celebrated among Gaelic peoples and some other Celtic cultures, either at the beginning of February or at the first local signs of Spring. Most commonly it is celebrated on February 1 (or February 12, according to the Old Calendar), which falls halfway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox in the northern hemisphere. Originally dedicated to the goddess Brigid, in the Christian period it was adopted as St Brigid's Day. In Scotland the festival is also known as Là Fhèill Brìghde, in Ireland as Lá Fhéile Bríde, and in Wales as Gŵyl y Canhwyllau."

"Imbolc is traditionally a time of weather prognostication, and the old tradition of watching to see if serpents or badgers came from their winter dens is perhaps a precursor to the North American Groundhog Day."

Other noted Observances for February

• Ancient Latvia - Veja Diena observed.

• Czech Republic - Hromnice.

• France - Chandeleur (= Candlemas), AKA "Crêpe (Pancake) Day".

• Tenerife (Spain) - Day of the Virgin of Candelaria (Saint Patron of the Canary Islands).

• Scotland - A quarter day in the Christian calendar (due to Candlemas).

• University of King's College - George III Day

• Yemanja - Celebration of Yemanja, the sea goddess.

• St. Cornelius

• February 2 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

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