Hello, today is Memorial Day in the United States. Memorial Day is a holiday we celebrate the last Monday of May.

It was created to honor the fallen Union soldiers in the American Civil War. Nowadays, we remember fallen soldiers from any war or family members we have lost.

Memorial Day is commonly known as the start of the summer season. We like to get together with family members to do outdoor activities such as barbecuing, having picnics, and going to beach. Sometimes, I like going camping, but I did not do that this year. Perhaps I will go camping for Labor Day, which is the first Monday of September.

From Wikipedia-

In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also a time for picnics, family gatherings, and sporting events. Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season. The national Click it or ticket campaign ramps up beginning Memorial Day weekend, noting the beginning of the most dangerous season for auto accidents and other safety related incidents. The USAF “101 Critical days of summer” also begin on this day as well. Some Americans use Memorial Day to also honor any family members who have died, not just servicemen.

I like Memorial Day because I don’t have to work :)

Mother’s Day is a day to honor our mothers and thank them for their sacrifices and everything they have done for us. Children in the United States, like in Brazil, make or buy their mother presents and/or cards. Children traditionally begin the celebration by making their mother breakfast in bed, which they prepare themselves. They may take their mother out for lunch or to a movie. According to Wikipedia, on Mother’s Day more families eat at restaurants than on any other holiday. They spoil her on her day and do the dishes for her, and make a fuss about her to let her know how special she is to them. Dads take the children shopping so they can buy her perfume, a pretty blouse, chocolates, flowers, jewelry, bubble bath, books, art, CDs, DVDs, or something else they know she will like. Kids may help Dad make a bar-b-que or picnic lunch and enjoy the beauty of nature with Mom by taking a walk together or visiting somewhere special. My kids took me to Longwood Gardens one year and the National Forest another time.

President Wilson declared Mother’s Day an official holiday in 1914 after Anna Jarvis initiated efforts to commemorate motherhood. One can read about the origins of Mother’s Day in many articles on the internet, for example Mother’s Day , so I would like to give you a more personal account, an insider’s view so to speak, of how we celebrated Mother’s Day in my family.

In my family, we would take the family out to IHOP (International House of Pancakes) for breakfast when the children were small. One year they surprised me by making me pancakes themselves from scratch, using their grandmother’s recipe, and serving me and my husband in bed. With freshly squeezed orange juice, which they squeezed with their tiny precious hands. They were excited about the new computer software we had just gotten, which makes holiday cards, and they composed me the following card. “To our honorable, mineral water mother! love, M—and C—“. It was illustrated by clip art that they lovingly chose. You may well be wondering what in the world mineral water has to do with mothering. Children learn languages differently than adults. When I had taught them the words “honorable and venerable” as words that show respect, they had remembered them as “mineral water, which was the kind of water we ordered in restaurants when we went out.” I treasured that card which showed the tender hearts of loving children eager to show their mother their special, innocent love in the most respectful manner possible.

Another time each of my children composed me a song and performed it for me. They would invite their friends over to perform skits for us mothers and share cake that the children had baked for the occasion.

When I was young, I wrote my Mother a card using the letters of the word Mother to begin each line of the message, like this:

M - because you’re Marvelous
O - your’re Oh so beautiful
T - This card is to show you how much you mean to me
H - Hugs to show you how much I love you
R - youré Really wonderful.
S - So, Happy Mother’s Day—I love you!

In school the students prepare presentations for their mothers to attend: skits, recitations of poetry, songs, art work, or giving a speech they researched and wrote for the holiday. The teachers often devote some class time to gift making. When I was young, we made our mothers elegant silhouettes of our profile by tracing onto black construction paper, the outline of our shadow, cast by a projector onto the classroom wall. My daughter’s class was still making these classic silhouettes for a new generation of mothers, and it filled my heart with a mother’s pride to receive this precious and unique gift of my daughter’s profile cut out with care by her young hands.

Teachers plan their lessons around the development of tiny motor skills. Learning to cut with scissors and how to string beads is very difficult for young students. So, it meant so much more to me than any store bought gift could have meant to see how my daughter had succeeded at cutting out the difficult shape of her profile by herself. (Maybe the teacher helped a little).

When she was in Kindergarten, she made me a necklace. Her 5 year old fingers could not use a normal sized needle to string regular beads. They used huge wooden beads with large holes so the thick string would easily pass through the holes. I still have that necklace and I have received many compliments on it, because it is so unusual. I proudly tell them my daughter made it for me, if they can’t tell.

My children were always very creative and put a lot of love and thought into their gifts.

My son made me a porcelain duck which he painted in art class. In shop class, he made me a wooden clock which he assembled, stained and varnished himself.

My oldest daughter made me a lamp which she carved herself out of wood, and my other daughter made me vases and other pottery in art class.

My children thought of the idea to make me coupons, which I could cash in whenever I wanted. For example, one coupon was good for a free carwash. Or I could cash in a coupon for having the lawn mowed or the dishes done or the vacuuming done by the kids. I always loved celebrating Mother’s Day with my Mom and later when I had my own family, with my kids. In my family, we started celebrating Children’s Day like they do in Japan to reciprocate all their love they showered and their Dad me with, although it is not common in the United States.

Children learn what they live. In my house my children gave me wonderful Mother’s Days, filled with love. I will always fondly remember all they did for me.

Abraços,

Mary from USA

Oi gente! Estou contente por estar de volta.

Hi people! I´m glad to be back.

Dando seqüência, decidi escrever para vocês sobre a grande atração turística que marca a virada do ano no Rio: O Reveillon em Copacabana.

Moving on, I decided to write to you about the great tourist attraction which marks the turning of the year in Rio: New Year´s Eve in Copacabana.

Durante esse verdadeiro festival pela paz, milhares de pessoas se reúnem todos os anos no dia 31 de dezembro, a grande maioria vestidos de branco, para esperar a chegada do ano novo em que é marcado por um intenso e inesquecível espetáculo de fogos de artifícios que acontecem à meia noite. Conjuntamente às comemorações do ano novo estão os aspectos místicos e religiosos de muitos brasileiros em que tem como seus deuses, a rainha do mar Iemanjá, cuja festa acontece na virada do ano. Milhares de oferendas à luz de velas são postas às ondas do mar em homenagem a ela.

During this true festival of peace, several millions of people come together each year on December 31, the vast majority dressed in white, to await the arrival of the New Year which is marked with a massive and unforgettable spectacle of fireworks displayed at midnight. Interwoven throughout the New Year celebrations are the religious and mystic aspect of a number of Brazilians which have as one of their gods, the queen of the sea, Iemanjá whose feast day is celebrated with the turning of the year. Thousands of offering of candlelight are thrown out into the surf to pay homage to Iemanjá.

Todos os hotéis se aprontam para a grande festa, preparando sofisticadas refeições e oferecendo aos turistas o máximo em hospitalidade. Muitos moradores saem às ruas para confraternizar e garantir a sua diversão ao assistir os fogos de artifícios das areias de Copacabana. Na verdade esse é o maior espetáculo de fogos de artifícios do mundo que vale a pena ser visto.

All the hotels get ready for the great party, by preparing sophisticated meals and offering ultimate hospitality to the tourists. Most residents take to the streets to mingle and have fun by watching the fireworks from the beach. Indeed, this is the planet´s greatest fireworks show that is really worth seeing.

Além de Copacabana, a prefeitura do Rio organiza festivais em outras partes da cidade, tal como no Parque do Flamengo, Ipanema, Leblon, praias da Barra, centro da cidade, bem como em outros locais das zonas norte e oeste. Em outras palavras, todos comemoram na rua, com exceção daqueles que vão a festas particulares.

Apart from Copacabana, Rio´s city hall organizes festivities in other parts of the city, such as in Flamengo Park, Leblon and Barra beaches, in downtown, and in the western and northern zones. In other words, all except those going to private parties come out to celebrate in the streets.

A festa continua madrugada a dentro e o clima festivo que começou à meia noite continua até o final do verão.

The party goes on into the early hours and the festive climate which started in mid December, continues until the end of summer.

Read more about this in: Rio Convention Bureau

See you next week.