Norwich bulletin., 1918-01-01

American local holidays are rich in historical significance. Of such are the commemorations of Bunker Hill
 and Bennington and New Orleans and San Jacinto; the all but forgotten Fast Day of New England, still sur viving in New Hampshire; Patriots Day in Maine and Old Defenders Day 1 in Baltimore, Pioneer Day in Idaho | and the various Admission Days pop ular with other Western states. Con- | federate Memorial Day in the South, | together with the birthdays of Lee
 and other heroes of the Confederacy. Two states have Independence Days | of their own. Texas observes her sep | aration from Mexico on March ?. | North Carolina commemorates the 1 Halifax independence resolutions on 1 April 12 and the Mecklenburg decla- l ration on May 20.
 It remains for Frederick county, Md, to celebrate all alone the repu- I.diation of the stamp act, one of the
 most local celebrations of an impor- tant national event on record. Among the favorite months for hol-
 idays the world over November leads with 26, out of it's possible 30 days. May comes next, with 25 and an ad- ditional Sunday not otherwise cele-
 brated thus actually tying November in the number of days closed to busi-
 ness. March, on the other hand, is
 the longest all around business
 month, having only 19 holidays Thus
 at least two thirds of every month in- terferes with the free play of inter
 national business. Even such generally observed festi- vals as Christmas and New Years Day can't be depended upon by the banker without consulting the inter- national calendar.
 New Years Day is the only holiday universally observed. But, alas, it falls on Il different dates in different parts of the globe. and. some countries observe more than one of them An exhaustive study of these New Year celebrations, would give one a pretty
 fair knowledge of the ancient history of the world. Curiously enough one of our own states. Massachusetts, does not make this legal holiday, though her citizens generally observe it. Eleven New Year Dates. January 1 is observed as New Years Day in every country in all Europe except Bulgaria, Greece, Rou- mania, Russia, Servia and Turkey; in all European colonies in Africa and in Liberia and Morocco; in every country and colony in North, Central and South America and in all parts
 of Asia except Asiatic Turkey and in Australasia.
 In Bulgaria, Greece, Roumania, Russia, Servia and Turkey the old style calendar prevails and the Nev
 Year begins accordingly on Janu; q 14.
 The Japanese New Year does, in deed, begin on January 1, but it is also celebrated on the 3d and 5th of !, that month.
 Then there are the Hindu New Year, on April IS; the Chinese New Year, February Il to IA (which, by the way: is legal holiday. in. a part of the United States-Hawaii): the Annamite New Year, February II and IS, and the Second Annamite ! New Year, June 19; the Farsi New
 Year September il; the Persian New Year March 21 to A. the Moham- i medan. New Year, December 10 and Il, and the Jewish New Year, Sep tenber 12, B and 14. It is a sur 1T e to iecrn that the only nation on ,.-'1t T71io;ng the Jewish New Year a -s.1 70 :day IS Turkey.
 >, -r'a Day was celebrated
 ,7 most aHcient nations. The
 i~lfn . New Year began March
 II rt'- '.i-:-f'E the calendar JuIiuf-
 ''i-SA : i:--: &tad January l as tf:: , .eAf'3 h<'s,,lE'':ns.
 Y here Crris'm,as is Not Observed. 7 f'hiistmas Day due to it's religious
 significance, is not so generally cbZ served as Now Years Day. It las moreover. only three different dates. It was not general; observed on De- cember 2 until ti1a fourth century. The early church, lacking any au- thentic knowledge as to the date of Christs birth,g celebrated it without uniformity in May, April and Janu- ary. The. Armenian church still ob- serves January 6. Why the December
 date was finally selected is uncertain.
 Some see in it a displacement of the
 Roman Saturnalia; others declare it a survival of the Feast of the Winter Solstice, and still others point to it's coincidence with the old German
 Yuletide Feast. Countries where the o'd style calendar prevails still cele-
 brate January '.
 In the Puritan days Scotch Presby- terians and English Non-Conformists rejected Christmas Day altogether as
 saVoring of papistry,,' and in New Engiand Thanksgiving Day was de- vlsed to replace it. It seems A clIri
 ous thing that there are today Chris
 tan countries where it is not ob served legally. Such are Norway
 Panama, Peru. Portugal Snd the South African Union.
 The last named, however, still ob serves the old English institution of Boxing Day on December 26. This was the day when the English gentry having had their own Christmas cele- oration the day before, turned their attention to the poor by presenting them with Christmas boxes. The dsy later became the day. for general giy- ing. of" Christmas gifts.
 Portugal Drops Traditions.
 The only country on earth study or whose holidays reveals little of it's political. racial or religious origin is portugal. The first attempt to estab nsn republic in Portugal was made on January S1, 1891. This is reflect ca In It's calendar of holidays, which runs: January l, dedicated to uni versal brotherhood; January 31, ded- icated to the memory of all those who fought and died to establish the re- public in Portugal; May 3, in mem ory of the discovery of Brazil by the Portuguese; June 19, municipal holi- day at Lisbon; June "A, municipal holiday at Oporto; October 5, the date of the establishment of the Por- tuguese republic; December i. Flag Day, to commemorate the independ- ence of the country; December 25, Family Day.
 These brief notations on holidays touch only their distribution and dates. Back of these lies wide field filled with quaint and curious information relating to the manner of celebrating them. From the ancient Olympic games and Dionysian festivals down