National WHAT Day!?

I’ve seen posts on Facebook, someone saying it’s National This Day or National That Day, so the clan kids and I thought it might be fun to keep up with these crazy holidays. We were supposed to start on Saturday with February 1st. My bad. I had an author event to attend and wasn’t able to post.

So I’ll start with today and back track. Thank goodness today is only the 3rd, National Cordova Ice Worm Day!

When I first read about this day I assumed this was some ginormous worm (one of those nasty worm things from the movie Tremors came to mind). Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be this tiny little thing.

 

See? There it is…up close and personal. Now lets show you how big they really are…

Tiny little things, aren’t they? 

Did you know they have a festival for these little guys every year in Alaska!?

This zany mid-winter festival celebrates the emergence of the ice worm in Cordova, Alaska, where the winters are long and dark and give rise to thoughts of things like ice worms. The highlight of the three-day festival is the procession of a 150-foot-long ice worm (it has a dragon’s head) followed by 500 or so paraders. Other events include variety shows, ski events, a survival-suit race, a beauty pageant, music, and dances.
The celebration began in 1961 as a way to shake off the winter blahs, and the legend was born then that an ice worm hibernates during the winter in the Cordova Glacier but starts to hatch or wake up in early February. The worm has gained international fame, and the festival draws great crowds of people.

 

February 2nd – GROUNDHOG DAY

We all know what yesterday was. The day when either the groundhog saw his shadow and we have to live through 6 more long weeks of winter, or he didn’t, in which case spring is right around the corner…about 6 weeks from now. I don’t know whether he saw his shadow or not, I assume he did, judging by some of the Facebook statuses I’ve read. Not much more I can say about this holiday, so i think a meme is needed.

 

February 1st – NATIONAL SERPENT DAY!

This is a day to celebrate our slithery friends.  Latin for “something that creeps”; serpents are famous throughout mythology.  Commonly used to symbolize guardians and vindictiveness, serpents come in all sizes and shapes from dragons to sea serpents.  One of the most recognized serpents throughout the ages is the snake.  Now, in modern times, snakes are found in homes around the world as cherished pets.

Now, I’m not big on snakes, but the cover of my book City of the Gods: The Descendant does have a serpent on it. The image represents the God, Quetzalcoatl, from the ancient civilization in Teotihuacan, Mexico.

So, how do you celebrate Serpent day? How about writing a story about a serpent, coloring serpent pictures, or writing math story problems about serpents? 

If you’re looking for a game to play, how about “Catch the Serpent’s Tail”?  To play, divide your group into two or more teams with at least 4 people per team.  Have teams line up and hold the waist of the person in front of them.  Tuck a handkerchief into the back pocket of the last player on each team.  On the signal, the front player must try to steal the handkerchief from the back of another serpent.

Or you can just enjoy the following memes…

 

 

 

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