Got holidays?

You ever get bored and wonder what day it is? I mean, it's easy knowing the date. But what does each day mean to everyone out there? There are people out there having birthdays... having children... having their very first samosa... or their very first smooch...

It may not be so easy to know about the little historic events in people's lives but there are ways of knowing which holidays are being celebrated all over the world. Earth Calendar makes it easy. You can look up holidays by date, country, even religion. I browsed some of the pages and here's some random worldly holidays coming up next month.

• June 4th: Revolution Day (Ghana)


• June 14th: Day of Mourning and Hope (Lithuania)


• June 22nd: Schoolteacher's Day (El Salvador)

So I thought to myself, "Oooooh! What day is today?" Lo and behold! Today is the International Day of Families!

*majestic horn tooting*

I have to admit, I feel all warm and fuzzy here. We all have problems with our families. There are times when family members are made of awesome, and times when they suck soooo bad. I find, though, that even after difficult phases, I can always come back to family.

And speaking of families! (*smooth librarian move here*) You know we have plenty of books at the library on this fascinating subject. Here's just a wee sampling of them-- in 3 words, and with lots of exclamation points.

• Family! Nascar! Music!
  Yellow Flag by Robert Lipsyte
  
• Family! Competition! Religion!
  Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
  
• Family! Adoption! Multiculturalism!
  The Women Who Raised Me by Victoria Rowell
  
• Family! Secrets! Chickens!
  The Chicken Dance by Jacques Couvillon
  
• Family! Witchcraft! Dancing!
  Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
  
• Family! Graphic! Autobiography!
  Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
  
• Family! Heritage! Self-identity!
  It's Not About the Accent by Caridad Ferrer

So get all close and chummy with your family-- whether it's your real family or a family you've created for yourself-- and enjoy a glorious day like today!

~Violeta
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Main