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12/19 - Look for an Evergreen Day [1]
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Date: 2022-12-19
Minneapolis
Look for an Evergreen Day isn't supposed to be a "Where's Waldo" reprise, but that does seem to depend upon where one lives. Per checkiday.com,
Look for an Evergreen Day can be about one of two things. On one hand, it can be a day for going out into nature and finding evergreen trees to admire. It raises awareness about their beauty and is for learning about different types, like spruces, firs, and pines. On the other hand, it can be a day to look for and cut down evergreens to be used as Christmas trees. Many people have already cut theirs down, but for those who haven't who still plan to, they have just six days left until Christmas.
This is based on the misapprehension that "evergreen" means "coniferous tree", while it really means nothing of the kind. An evergreen is simply any plant that has green foliage all year long. My orange tree, lemon tree and Italian bay tree are non-coniferous evergreen trees as are live oaks, California Bay Laurels, and many others. My Camillas, salvias, ceanothus, coffeeberry, and flowering currents are all nonconiferous evergreens that aren't even trees.
That brings us to Holly Day, per checkiday.com
Today celebrates holly, the evergreen plant long associated with Christmas, and used in wreaths, boughs, and other trimmings. Before being connected to Christmas, it had many other associations, and has been used as a winter decoration since ancient times. Holly was identified with winter solstice festivals, which celebrated the lengthening of days. In Norse mythology it was associated with Thor, and was grown around the home as a way to prevent lightning strikes. It was used in the Roman festival of Saturnalia, dedicated to the planet Saturn, and the god of agriculture, creation, and time. The festival celebrated the darkest time of the year, but also the movement towards a time of sunshine and Spring. In ancient Gaul, Celtic people wore holly sprigs and wreaths as a way to ward off evil spirits.
Ahem, note: "Evergreen". The inventor of Holly Day wanted it to represent "all things Holly", for example women named Holly and a town by that name in Michigan.
It is also National Emo Day. Why we even have such a thing is beyond me, and I originally put it on the list because I thought it was a typo for Emu. I have never heard it used non pejoratively and am simply going to let this drop.
Lastly In 2022 this is the First Day of Hannukah. This is a mobile holiday, so it probably won't fall on this date next year.
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/19/2141452/-12-19-Look-for-an-Evergreen-Day
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