Today is...

Mardi Gras

Today is Mardi Gras! Mardi Gras (also known as Fat Tuesday) is the last day of the Carnival season—a period of raucous merry-making in the weeks leading up to Lent. In countries all across the world, people will celebrate with extravagant festivals, parades, and feasts. They will don costumes, dance in the streets, and binge on decadent desserts.

The two most famous Mardi Gras celebrations take place in Venice, Italy and New Orleans, Louisiana. At the Carnevale di Venezia the most important event is the contest for the best mask, which is judged by a panel of international fashion designers. In New Orleans, the festivities revolve around the Mardi Gras parades, which are organized by secret societies known as “krewes.” The members of these societies design the elaborate floats and ride them during the event, tossing beads to the crowd below.

To celebrate Mardi Gras, enjoy some delicious king cake, send a free Mardi Gras eCard, or don an exotic Venetian mask! Joie de vivre!

Today is also National Sticky Bun Day & International Mother Language Day & International Pancake Day

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This week is National Pancake Week

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February is Black History Month & Potato Lover's Month & National Weddings Month

mages and text courtesy of MyPunchbowl.com" -- http://www.mypunchbowl.com/

History for February 21  1866 - Lucy B. Hobbs became the first woman to graduate from a dental school. The school was the Ohio College of Dental Surgery in Cincinnati. 1925 - The first issue of The New Yorker was published. 1947 - Edwin Land demonstrated the Polaroid Land Camera to the Optical Society of America in New York City. It was the first camera to take, develop and print a picture on photo paper all in 60 seconds. The photos were black and white. 2000 - David Letterman returned to his Late Night show about five weeks after having an emergency quintuple heart bypass operation.

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"That is happiness: to be dissolved into something complete and great. When it comes to one, it comes as naturally as sleep."

--Willa Cather