Pentecost

Pentecost is part of the Moveable Cycle of the ecclesiastical year. According to Christian tradition, Pentecost is always seven weeks after Easter Sunday; that is to say, 50 days after Easter (inclusive of Easter Day). In other words, it falls on the eighth Sunday, counting Easter Day (see article on Computus for the calculation of the date of Easter). Pentecost falls in mid- to late spring in the Northern Hemisphere and mid- to late autumn in the Southern Hemisphere.

Since the date of Easter is calculated differently in the East and West (see Easter controversy), in most years the two traditions celebrate Pentecost on different days (though in some years the celebrations will coincide, as in 2007). In the West, the earliest possible date is May 10 (as in 1818 and 2285), and the latest possible date June 13 (as in 1943 and 2038). In the East, the earliest possible date is May 24, and the latest possible date June 27.

Memorial Day is around the corner again….Start of summer
grilling…no wearing of white and school being out. But the real meaning of Memorial Day is sometimes lost in all the hoopla - it’s a time of rememberance for those we have lost overseas. Please take a moment this year to remember those who have fought for us and lost their lives, for their families and kids. Do some little thing….to help another, to be kind to somebody, to improve a life….in remembrance of those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom and
autonomy as a nation.

Greenery Day

Greenery Day (みどりの日 ,Midori no hi?) is a Japanese holiday. Between 1989 and 2006 it was celebrated on April 29. In 2007 Greenery Day was moved to May 4.

The present observation of Greenery Day as a national holiday in Japan stems from the celebration of the Emperor Shōwa’s birthday on April 29 every year during the Shōwa era. In 1989, following the accession of the current Emperor Akihito to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the name of the holiday was changed from “Birthday of the Emperor” to “Greenery Day”. Officially, as its name suggests, it is a day to commune with nature and to be thankful for blessings. The day was renamed to “Greenery Day” to acknowledge the controversial wartime emperor’s love for plants without directly mentioning his name.[1] However, in practice it is seen as just another day that expands the Japanese Golden Week vacation.

In 2007, Greenery Day moved to May 4, and April 29 was changed to Shōwa Day in accordance with a 2005 revision of the law pertaining to public holidays. The Shōwa Emperor reigned for 62 years and 2 weeks. On May 3, 1947, he became a symbol of Japan by the new constitution of the country.