What to Celebrate April 29 to May 5, 2019
Celebration Ideas for April 29 – May 5, 2019
Welcome to the last Friday in April!
Another month may be ending, but the celebration choices never end!
There is, as usual lots of deliciousness to be found, along with some animals, a lack of clothing, meditation, and more. There’s some seriousness too, as we learn about some medical conditions and think about reason, honesty, and love.
So take a moment out of this beautiful day to take a peek and plan your week.
And as always …
Enjoy!
Celebrate All May Long
You still have a few days left to celebrate poetry, grilled cheese, straw hats, and pets, among other things. And we’ll leave you with one final April holiday that gets you outside to finally putter & enjoy the weather.
National Lawn Care Month: The month may be almost over, but there’s still time to get celebrating! For many of us the weather is only just beginning to cooperate anyway. So learn how to create a healthy landscape in your yard this spring and all the way through the rest of the year.
And then we start May by learning about some rare and/or misunderstood medical conditions.
Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month: We’re only just beginning to understand this rather bizarre condition with its vague, non-specific symptoms that can look like lots of other conditions. At one time many people even thought it wasn’t real, it was all in the patients’ heads. But it is real, and if you’d like to learn more, this website offers lots of resources.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month: This often painful and debilitating condition’s most common symptoms include joint hypermobility (joints can bend farther than normal in the wrong direction) and skin hyperextensibility (it’s extra stretchy). This joint looseness means the joints can pop out of place very easily. Some people with it have multiple dislocations in one day! Start learning more about this condition here.
Huntington’s Disease Awareness Month: This inherited disorder causes people with it to slowly lose mental and physical function. It is always fatal, but most people live for 10-25 years after diagnosis. The “end stage” can also last for many years.
Lupus Awareness Month: The Lupus Foundation of America asks us to “Go Purple to End Lupus” during May. This is another condition that often gets overlooked & misdiagnosed. The average time from the start of symptoms to a diagnosis is 6 years! Six! But we can help change this by spreading awareness of the condition.
Weekly Celebrations for late April/early May
As April comes to a close we put down our electronic entertainment in favor of heading out to enjoy the real world. And understanding air quality can help us enjoy the outdoors portion of the real world a bit more safely.
We also consider our right to privacy, especially online but also everywhere. And we learn about a painful neurological disorder.
Screen-Free Week (April 29 – May 5, 2019): Take a step away from the virtual world and enjoy the real world again! This week is specifically geared toward skipping “entertainment screens.” So pass on movies, social media and video games. Instead take a walk, talk to each other, read a real book, or whatever other (non-screen) activity you love to do. Or see if there are any screen-free events near you.
Air Quality Awareness Week (April 29 – May 3, 2019): Do you pay attention to air quality? You should! We all should. Our health depends on the quality of the air we breathe. We can do our best to keep the air in our homes clean. And when we reduce our energy usage we also help keep the air outside cleaner. We can also check our local Air Quality Index to plan our outdoor activities.
Choose Privacy Week (May 1 – 7, 2019): This week, from the American Library Association, promotes everyone’s right to privacy online and everywhere. According to the site, “…the freedom to read and receive ideas anonymously is at the heart of individual liberty in a democracy.”
Dystonia Awareness Week (May 3 – May 11): Dystonia is a condition where your muscles spasm or contract on their own. This causes involuntary movement of whatever part of your body is affected. If the muscle stays contracted the affected body part can stay frozen in unnatural positions. This is technically a UK celebration, but this condition deserves attention everywhere.
Celebration Days Celebration Days coming up for Apr. 29 thru May 5
From zippers and leis to reason and meditation, this week offers a smorgasbord of celebrations to choose from.
Speaking of smorgasbords, this week you can fill your table with chocolate parfaits, oatmeal cookies, truffles, raspberry popovers, and more. And in between enjoying all those goodies we’ll meditate in the garden, advocate for specially-abled pets, and reconsider our password choices.
All these & more are gonna make for another fun-tastic week!
April 29:
National Zipper Day: Wherever possible, use zippers for this day! Choose clothes with zippers, purses/bags with zippers, even … shoes with zippers? (that actually was one of the zipper’s earliest uses). Fix any broken zippers, too. Just have fun with it.
National Shrimp Scampi Day: This day is for anyone who loves tender shrimp coated in a lemony, garlicky white wine & butter sauce. Add them to linguine (or other pasta) for a simple but mouth-watering meal.
National Peace Rose Day: Celebrate the delicate-looking but quite hardy Peace rose, developed in 1930s France. Although its creator originally named it for his mother, its official name became Peace on April 29, 1945.
World Wish Day: Help the Make-A-Wish Foundation keep making wishes come true for critically ill kids. The day commemorates the wish that led to the creation of the Foundation.
April 30:
National Honesty Day: For this day be honest! Ask for honesty from others too (and don’t get mad when they cooperate!). And take an honest look at your usual approach to honesty. Could you be more honest? Think about why you may tell lies and ask yourself if more honesty could be helpful to you and others.
National Oatmeal Cookie Day: Buy or make oatmeal cookies for this day and enjoy this (reasonably) healthy treat. Oats contain lots of iron & fiber, so they’re good for you!
National Raisin Day: Eat wrinkly, dehydrated grapes to celebrate this day. (You do know that’s what raisins are, right?). As unappetizing as that sounds, raisins are deliciously sweet and even good for you (with lots of iron, antioxidants, and even calcium). And if you add raisins to your oatmeal cookies, you can combine 2 delicious days into one scrumptious day!
Adopt a Shelter Pet Day: If you’ve been thinking of adding a new furry family member, this is the day to do it! But make sure you find him or her at a shelter. Shelter animals need you to believe in them & give them a second chance to know and give love. Check out Best Friends Animal Society’s 13 cutest reasons to adopt from last year’s celebration.
National Bugs Bunny Day: Celebrate the anniversary of the first time Bugs appeared on screen in 1938. Of course back then he was called “Happy Rabbit,” he was white not gray, and he wasn’t asking anyone “What’s up, Doc?” But it was this bunny who eventually evolved into the Bugs Bunny we know today.
May 1:
Great American Grump Out: This is a day to stamp out grumpiness! Do your best to be cheerful all day. Can you do it?
Global Love Day: This is a day for unconditional love and compassion. For this day let’s all recognize just how interconnected humanity is, and focus on loving unconditionally … on this day and each day going forward.
National Chocolate Parfait Day: Celebrating chocolate and love on the same day is absolutely perfect. Because some call chocolate the “love drug” (or happiness drug) for its ability to make us happy. Certain compounds in chocolate help our brains release a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which makes us feel happy. So after a chocolate parfait you should be prepared to love unconditionally.
Lei Day: This is a Hawaiian holiday that started in 1928 (and became an official state holiday in 1929). The islands hold all sorts of festivities on this day and into May 2. If you’re not in Hawaii, celebrate in spirit by wearing a garland of flowers.
Loyalty Day: Did you know we have an officially recognized day in the US to reaffirm our loyalty to our country and recognize the heritage of our freedom? We do, and it has happened every May 1 since 1955 (official recognition didn’t come until 1958). The president proclaims the day every year.
May 2:
National Day of Reason: This day began as an alternative to the National Day of Prayer for atheists. But reason is important no matter your faith. So the celebrations don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You can celebrate both if you choose!
National Truffle Day: This day is about the chocolate truffles, not the mushroom truffles! So indulge in a little ball of chocolaty goodness in celebration. If you’re feeling ambitious, make some truffles yourself! They’re surprisingly simple to make.
World Password Day: This day reminds us to use strong passwords, especially for our most sensitive accounts (like bank accounts). And turn on 2-factor authentication when you can.
May 3:
National Specially-Abled Pets Day: Just like “disabled” people are just normal people with some unique challenges, so are “disabled” pets. Give them a chance & a little extra help and they’ll be just as sweet, loving, playful, and just plain awesome as any other pet. Really!
No Pants Day: On this day you are supposed to go through life without any pants! No skirts or kilts either. Just underwear. (Please wear underwear! Preferably big, full-coverage underwear). And yes, this day is different from January’s No Pants Subway Ride.
Garden Meditation Day: On this day we get out in the garden and meditate! And by “meditate” we mean whatever relaxes & restores you. There’s no need to sit cross-legged & chant a mantra … unless that’s what you want to do! For many people simply working in their garden is restorative. If that’s you, then do that. Or sit quietly on a bench & watch the birds, butterflies, & other wildlife. Spend your garden meditation time in whatever way works for you.
National Raspberry Popover Day: Also known as National Raspberry Tart Day, this day is all about eating raspberry popovers! Of course, you probably already figured that out. Unless you plan to buy your popovers, you’ll need to make some first!
World Press Freedom Day: On this day we celebrate and defend the principles of press freedom. We also commemorate the journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty. Each year the day has a theme, and this year’s theme is Media for Democracy: Journalism and Election in Times of Disinformation.
May 4:
International Respect for Chickens Day: Do you realize chickens are often mistreated on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, for sport, and for research? This day asks us to think about that and vow to do better. And expect others to do better too. Because all living creatures deserve basic respect.
World Naked Gardening Day: On this day we garden naked! As much as possible anyway. Please don’t get yourselves arrested trying to celebrate!
Start Seeing Monarchs Day: On this day we celebrate the Monarch butterfly in hopes of keeping its populations healthy enough to stay off the endangered species list. And one of the best ways to celebrate and help the Monarch is by planting milkweed in your garden. These are the only plants monarchs lay their eggs on and the only plants the larvae eat! Add some other flowers for the adult butterflies to make a welcoming waystation for these beautiful butterflies.
Bird Day: We have several bird days in late winter & early spring, but this appears to be the oldest. Charles Almanzo Babcock created this Bird Day in 1894 to promote bird conservation, which he considered a moral value. Celebrate by going birdwatching and/or learning more about birds. Maybe start by identifying what birds visit your yard?
Star Wars Day: May the Fourth Be With You!: If you’re a Star Wars fan you no doubt already celebrate this day. For you non-Star Wars fans who’ve never heard of it (what rock have you been living under!?), it’s a play on one of the franchise’s most famous lines: “May the force be with you.”
May 5:
Cartoonists Day: Celebrate the people who draw the cartoons that make us laugh, think, and sometimes both! If you have any favorite cartoonists, send them a quick thank-you in celebration of the day.
Silence the Shame Day: This day is about ending the stigma around mental health issues. Mental illness is a medical issue that’s treatable just like any other. Mental health care should be just as accessible and routine as cancer, reproductive, or any other medical care. Learn more about mental health for this day. And if you think you or a loved one may need treatment for a mental health issue, find links to resources at the Silence the Shame website.
National Hoagie Day: On this day you must eat hoagies! Or heroes, subs, grinders .. Whatever you call these long sandwiches stuffed full of cheesy, meaty (or veggie) goodness.
Revenge of the Fifth: The Star Wars theme continues for another day, as we continue to play with words. This day came about because “fifth” sounds like “Sith,” as in Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith.
