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cards/flowers : Halloween originated from a Celtic festival called Samhain, which was celebrated 2,000 years ago and revolved around lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to ward off spirits and fairies— yes, Halloween began because people truly believed that it was a time when dead spirits would rise again, and walk among them. Back then, costumes acted as protection, not just an excuse to show off your Pinterest skills. Not much is known about the ancient holiday since there are no written records, though per Encyclopedia Britannica, it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes.

School holidays : In England and Wales, term and holiday dates may differ by local authority, but the majority are following this pattern:

For Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Cornwall, please scroll to relevant region
br> find all local school calendars here: https://www.gov.uk/school-term-holiday-dates

Secular holiday : The world's most widely celebrated holiday, New Years was set on January 1 by Julius Caesar because that was the date the Roman consuls took over their duties. Paid holiday when falling on Saturday or Sunday

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cards/flowers : At New Year during the night, the Jade Emperor conveyed all animals. Only 12 showed up. To thank them, Buddha dedicated one symbolic year per visitor. Each new born would inherit the relevant animal's characteristics.

Culture : Shrove Tuesday gets its name from the shriving that English Christians were expected to do prior to receiving absolution immediately before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is the last day of shrovetide , somewhat analogous to the Carnival tradition that developed separately in countries of Latin Europe. [Wikipedia]

Culture : The first day of Lent and occurs 46 days before Easter. According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke; Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert before the beginning of his public ministry, during which he endured temptation by Satan. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads of adherents as a sign of mourning and repentance to God. [Wikipedia]

cards/flowers : Introduced by Pope Gelasus in 498, perhaps in response to a local Roman tradition of lovers writing their names on an urn in February

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cards/flowers : Mother’s day has evolved in many countries in different ways. This is because mother’s day has different origins in different countries and therefore occurs on different days in the year. One school of thought claims that this day emerged from the custom of mother worship in ancient Greece. Mother worship which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of gods, and Rhea, the wife of Cronus, was held on March 15 to March 18 around Asia Minor. They insist that this custom spread around the world. Mothering Sunday is the celebration of motherhood in the United Kingdom. It is also known as Mid-lent Sunday, Rose Sunday and Laetare Sunday. It originally comes from the Victorian practice of allowing servants to return home to visit their mothers on this day. In the United States, Julia Ward Howe (May 27, 1819 - October 17, 1910) was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet. Howe’s Battle Hymn of the Republic was first published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862 and quickly became one of the most popular songs for the Union during the American Civil War. After the war she focused her activities on the causes of Pacifism and women’s suffrage. In 1870 she was the first to proclaim Mother’s Day, with her Mother’s Day Proclamation. Called "Mothering Sunday" in the UK

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Catholic or protestant : The First Council of Nicaea (a gathering of bishops in the early days of Christianity) wanted to find a day to commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. This commemoration had to be linked to Jewish holiday traditions, since the last supper of Christ was believed to be a Jewish Passover meal. But the Jewish calendar is based on lunar and solar cycles, so the Easter celebration had to follow the same calendar.

Special Events : At 1:00 am local times