December - You’re amazing! Happy Birthday.

 

As promised, on the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of literary author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

 

• 09 Dec 1608 – John Milton, author of Paradise Lost
• 12 Dec 1821 – Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary
• 16 Dec 1775 – Jane Austen, author of Pride & Prejudice
• 30 Dec 1865 – Rudyard Kipling, author of Jungle Book

 

December Facts:

• The first day of Winter, the Winter Solstice, is December 21 or 22 and is the shortest day and the longest night.
• In 700 BCE, December was shortened to 29 days. It was changed to 31 days with the advent of the Julian calendar.
• December’s full moon is known as the Cold Moon, a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year.
• Folklore: December changeable and mild, the whole winter will remain a child.

 

This is the end of the year. It’s been fun. Have a wonderful New Year!

 

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php

November - Today’s your birthday–time to celebrate!

 

As promised, on the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of literary author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

 

• 08 Nov 1847 - Bram Stoker, author of Dracula
• 11 Nov 1821 - Fyodor Dostoyevsky, author of Crime and Punishment
• 13 Nov 1850 - Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island
• 29 Nov 1898 - C. S. Lewis, creator of Narnia
• 30 Nov 1835 - Mark Twain, author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

 

November Facts:

• Most, if not all, of the leaves have fallen off the trees in the Northern Hemisphere by the end of November.
• Throughout much of history, November has often been thought of as a somber month because it signaled the start of winter. People would spend the month storing up their harvest and preparing their food and homes in order to survive the winter.
• Folklore: If there’s ice in November that will bear a duck, there’ll be nothing after but sludge and muck.

 

See you next month!

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php

October - Happy, happy birthday! Time to blow out the candles and make a wish.

 

As promised, on the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of literary author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

 

• 04 Oct 1884 – Damon Runyon, author of Little Miss Marker
• 16 Oct 1854 – Oscar Wilde, author of The Happy Prince and Other Tales
• 27 Oct 1914 – Dylan Thomas, the stormy Welsh poet

October Facts: 

• In the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves on trees begin to change color.
• The Saxons called October Wintirfylith because it had the first full moon of the winter season.
• Halloween, celebrated on the last day of the month originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. Samhain marks the end of the harvest season and beginning winter.
• Folklore: A warm October means a cold February.

 

See you next month!

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php

July - Wishing you all the best on your special day!

 

As promised, on the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of literary author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

 

• 21 July 1899 - Ernest Hemingway, author of A Farewell to Arms
• 28 July 1866 - Beatrix Potter, author of Peter Rabbit
• 30 July 1818 - Emily Bronte, author of Wuthering Heights
• 31 July 1965 - J K Rowling, author of Harry Potter

 

July Facts:

• July is the warmest month in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Sometimes the long, hot days of July are called the “dog days of summer.”
• The ruby, July’s birthstone is associated with contentment, love, passion and integrity.
• Originally call Quintillis on the Roman calendar, the name was changed to honor Julius Caesar who was born July 12.
• Folklore: As July, so next January.

 

See you next month!

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php

June - Happy Birthday! May today be filled with laughter and joy.

 

As promised, on the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of literary author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

 

• 13 June 1865 – William Butler Yeats, author of The Second Coming
• 11 June 1572 – Ben Jonson, author of The Alchemist
• 14 June 1811 – Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin
• 26 June 1892 – Pearl S. Buck, author of The Good Earth

 

June Facts:

• It is the first month of the summer season.
• June is known as a great month to get married.
• June has the distinction of the longest day of the year June 21^st or 22^nd.
• There were only 29 days in June on the early Roman calendar until Julius Caesar adding a day giving June 30 days.
• Folklore: If June be sunny, the harvest comes early.

 

See you next month!

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php

Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy this special day.

 I will. It's my birthday!!

And I am not the only birthday girl. I share the day with Mariska Hargitay, Chita Rivera, Gil Gerard, Nora O’Donnell, and others.

Celebrating this year may be a bit different. No lunching with the women, or dinner with the family. There will be time enough for that in the Spring. 

Here are ten happy facts about birthdays.

Where it all began… Romans were the first people to celebrate the day of their birth. The special date was celebrated with banquets, gifts and prayers.

Children’s Birthdays… Birthdays were mostly celebrated by adults. It wasn’t until the 19^th century that celebrating children’s birthdays came into fashion. 

Milestones… In the 20^th century, recognizing life rituals and birthday’s in particular helped children adapt to the changes in their body and relationships as they grew older.

Cakes and Candles… Various cultures lay claim to the origin of this ritual. In ancient Egypt candles were used in their coronations. They raised the status of the human to a god. To honor the goddess Artemis, ancient Greeks put candles on moon-shaped honey cakes. They believed the smoke from the blown-out candle lifted their prayers to the top of Mount Olympus.

Happy Birthday to You… The sisters, Mildred and Patty Hill wrote the song Good Morning to You in 1893. They were part of the progressive education movement. New lyrics Happy Birthday to You with the familiar melody appeared in 1912.

Every person has one. On the 23^rd of every month I will post a list of author birthdays. I came across the list on Book Lover Gifts website. Feel free to add your favorite authors special day. Put it in the comments section, just wait for their birth month.

January Birthdays    

• 01 Jan 1919 - J. D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye
• 03 Jan 1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings
• 08 Jan 1824 - Wilkie Collins, author of Woman in White
• 14 Jan 1898 - Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
• 19 Jan 1809 - Edgar Allan Poe, author of The Tell Tale Heart
• 27 Jan 1832 - Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland

January Facts:

• This full moon this month is called the Wolf Moon. It appears wolfs howl at this moon more than others.
• A dreaded day, Plough Monday in the fifteenth century marked the start of the agricultural season and time to go back to work after a reprise from the last harvest.
• This month is named for the Roman god Janus, the protector of gates and doorways.
• Folklore: A favorable January brings us a good year.

See you next month!

Sources:

http://projectbritain.com/year/march.htm

https://www.almanac.com/content/month-january-holidays-facts-folklore

https://www.ducksters.com/history/decemberinhistory.php