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Daily Calendar for Saturday, May 25, 2024

Ember Days

Ember Days happen four times a year at the start of each season. Traditionally observed by some Christian denominations, each set of Ember Days is three days, kept on a successive Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. 

Ember Days for 2023
September: 20, 22, 23 
December: 20, 22, 23

Ember Days for 2024
February 21, 23, 24
May 22, 24, 25
September 18, 20, 21
December 18, 20, 21

These three days are set apart for fasting, abstinence, and prayer. The first of these four times comes in winter, after the Feast of St. Lucia, December 13; the second set comes with the First Sunday in Lent; the third set comes after Whitsunday/Pentecost Sunday; the four and last set comes after the Feast of the Holy Cross. Their dates can be remembered by this old mnemonic:

“Sant Crux, Lucia, Cineres, Charismata Dia Ut sit in angaria quarta sequens feria.”

Which means:

“Holy Cross, Lucy, Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, are when the quarter holidays follow.”

In Latin, Ember Days are known as the quattuor anni tempora (the “four seasons of the year”). Folklore has it that the weather on each of the three days foretells the weather for three successive months. 

As with much folklore, this is grounded in some common sense since the beginning of the four seasons cue the changes in weather as well as a shift in how we keep harmony with the Earth and respect our stewardship of the Earth, our “garden of Eden.”“

Question of the Day

What did tornadoes sound like before there were freight trains?
The freight train is the all-purpose simile. Old accounts likened the noise to “10 million bees” or “1,000 cannons.” Perhaps listeners on the Great Plains were reminded of buffalo stampedes.

Advice of the Day

Once daffodils and tulips have gone by, add bonemeal to the soil for next year’s blooms.

Home Hint of the Day

The one tool that every person stripping paint should have is a Hyde molding scraper; it can be resharpened and the blades are interchangeable. The teardrop blade will get you into the few places that the triangle blade won’t reach.

Word of the Day

Florida
The name Florida comes from a Spanish phrase meaning “Feast of Flowers.”

Puzzle of the Day

What do you get when you cross a rooster and a duck?
A bird that gets up at the quack of dawn.

Born

  • Ralph Waldo Emerson (poet) –
  • Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (tap dancer) –
  • Frank Oz (puppeteer, director) –
  • Mike Myers (actor) –
  • Demetri Martin (comedian) –
  • Aly Raisman (Olympic gymnast) –

Died

  • Rosa Bonheur (painter, sculptor) –
  • Ismail Merchant (filmmaker) –
  • Charles Nelson Reilly (actor) –

Events

  • First formal meeting of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, which, in the next few months, ended up writing a new constitution for the United States instead of revising the Articles of Confederation–
  • Father Stephen Badin became first Catholic priest ordained in the U.S.–
  • Grace Annie Lockhart became the first woman in the British Empire to receive a bachelor’s degree in science and English literature. She graduated from Mount Allison College (now University) in Sackville, New Brunswick–
  • At Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Babe Ruth hit the 714th, and last, home run of his career–
  • Andrew Moyer patented method for mass production of penicillin–
  • New York City’s Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel was formally opened to traffic–
  • The first shave in space took place on Apollo 10–
  • Star Wars was released in theaters–
  • Daniel Goodwin climbed Chicago’s Sears Tower using suction cups–
  • Nearly 5.5 million people joined hands to form a human chain across the U.S. The event, Hands Across America, was designed to raise funds for the poor and homeless–
  • Gary Stewart of California set the record for consecutive pogo jumps at 177,737 in 20 hours, 20 minutes–
  • Jay Leno officially replaced Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show–
  • New York Yankees Mariano Rivera became the first major league pitcher to make 1,000 appearances with the same team–

Weather

  • Tornado destroyed Udall, Kansas. 83 people died–
  • A tornado tore through Blackwell, Oklahoma. One survivor claimed that it had an orange, glowing light in its center.–
  • Record high temperatures gripped the Southwest, as Arizona had its 17th consecutive day of temperatures over 100 degrees F–