All - Leep Calendar

Jim Webster created Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day over a decade ago to celebrate his affinity for the crackle and pop associated with the shipping material created by the Sealed Air Corporation, bubble wrap. This invention was trademarked in 1957 and introduced to the public in 1960. This event puts the fun into the workweek. Therefore it always occurs on the last Monday in January and provides the perfect excuse to stomp on some bubble wrap and annoy your coworkers. Happy Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day!

Africa

Jan

Comics Festival, Angouleme (FR): January 30 - February 2

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The largest comics show in Europe, Angouleme Comics Festival attracts over 200,000 enthusiasts each year. The event began in 1974. PLEASE NOTE: Treat all televised and venue-specific events (sporting, concerts, trade shows, etc.) as estimated. Several factors can cause an event to move dates at the last minute, including weather, strikes, natural disasters, political upheaval, conflicting programming, pandemics, and current events. Because of this, always verify the event with the promotor before committing resources. LEEP often estimates dates based on the previous year's schedules, as the final dates are only a few months, weeks, or days before the event. If the date is known to be estimated, you will see an (est) following the date in the title.

Africa

Jan

Croissant Day, Ntl.: January 30

06:20 AM | -

National Croissant Day celebrates the airy pastry called the croissant. A popular legend says croissants first appeared in 1683 in Austria. At that time, the Ottoman Empire besieged Vienna, Austria. Austria outlast the siege. Tall tales suggest they celebrated victory over the Islamic empire with crescent-shaped pastries. Why a crescent? It's the symbol of Islam—or is it? Here's the problem with that legend. The crescent and star were not associated with Islam until the late 1700s when the Ottoman Empire emblazoned their flag with the symbol. Before that, there was no universal symbol for Islam like the cross or fish in Christianity. The Star of David, likewise, is not an ancient symbol for Judaism. The star was adopted by the Zionist movement at the turn of the last century and represents a political movement associated with the faith. The star and crescent exist on artifacts dating back to the Bronze Age (3300 BC to 1200 BC). It is found on Roman coins, within the symbols of the Knights Templar, and in various Christian iconography. So if the legend about 17th-century bakers in Austria is incorrect, where did croissants come from? Croissants are the children of a 13th-century bread called the Kipferi, a crusted yeast bread baked in a 3/4 circle. The baking style required to make a croissant incorporates layers of yeast bread with butter folded on each other, then twisted. This technique first appeared in the late 1830s in France at August Zang's Pastry shop in Paris, the Boulangerie Viennoise. Zang was Austrian, so Austria is part of the story. Zang took his light-layered creation and folded its ends toward each other, forming the now iconic crescent shape. By 1869, the croissant made its way to breakfast tables throughout France and had become a staple. The puff pastry received one more boost in popularity when Charles Dickens mentioned it in his periodical "All the Year Round" in 1872. Now you know the brief history of one of the world's favorite carbs, the croissant, and the origins of religious trademarks. With today being Croissant Day, why not indulge in one yourself?

Africa

Jan

Escape Day, Ntl.: January 30

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National Escape Day is your license to escape from what you are doing to do whatever you want to do. Situated at the end of January in the doldrums of winter, it is also the perfect time to plan your next vacation. Where would you like to be right now? Skiing down a mountain? Sailing Croatia? Basking in Bali? Today is your day to plan your escape and live it—even if it is only within your mind. There are many ways to celebrate this day, but the most important thing is to have fun.

Africa

Jan

Inane Answering Message Day, Ntl.: January 30

06:20 AM | -

Inane Answering Message Day eradicates the earth of boring electronic greetings and spicing things up—brought to you by the people at Wellcat.

Africa

Jan

Kings Birthday, (JO)(1962): January 30

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The King's Birthday in Jordan marks King Abdullah II's birth on January 30, 1962. The King's Birthday is a national holiday.

Africa

Jan

Tax Identity Theft Prevention Week, National: January 30 - February 3

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Beginning in 2014, the Federal Trade Commission launched an awareness campaign under National Tax Identity Theft Prevention Week. Tax identity theft happens when someone uses your Social Security number to get a tax refund or a job. Find out what you can do about it and how you can help others during Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week. The FTC has set up several resources for Americans to learn how to protect themselves from identity theft at: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

Africa

Jan

Tropical Diseases Day, World Neglected: January 30

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Beginning in 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) created World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day to raise awareness and resources to treat and prevent many tropical diseases. From WHO "Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of 20 conditions1 that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas, where they mostly affect impoverished communities and disproportionately affect women and children. These diseases cause devastating health, social and economic consequences to more than one billion people. The epidemiology of NTDs is complex and often related to environmental conditions. Many are vector-borne, have animal reservoirs, and are associated with complex life cycles. All these factors make their public-health control challenging. ------------------------------------- 1. NTDs include: Buruli ulcer, Chagas disease, dengue and chikungunya, dracunculiasis (Guinea-worm disease), echinococcosis, foodborne trematodiases, human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness), leishmaniasis, leprosy (Hansen’s disease), lymphatic filariasis, mycetoma, chromoblastomycosis and other deep mycoses, onchocerciasis (river blindness), rabies, scabies and other ectoparasitoses, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiases, snakebite envenoming, taeniasis/cysticercosis, trachoma, and yaws and other endemic treponematoses."

Africa

Jan

Backward Day: January 31

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Backward Day is an organic celebration with no sponsor, celebrated worldwide. The basic concept of today? Do everything in reverse. Eat dessert first. Call people by their last names. Read a book back to front. Back into your parking space. See how many palindromes you can identify (words spelled the same forward and back). You get the idea! Historically there is something called "Backwards Day," but there is no specific reason for designating January 31 to observe it. The original Backwards Day occurred in the Julian Calendar (45BC-1582), the predecessor of the modern Gregorian calendar. Day one of the Gregorian calendar is October 15, 1582 (though it would be the mid-1700s before it became the standard in Europe and the rest of the world). Because the Sun's rotation around the earth is just shy of 365 days, the way the Roman's dealt with this was to shift the calendar backward one day every 128 years. With the rise of Christianity, this became a problem. The vernal equinox determines Easter, and over centuries, the Julian calendar caused the vernal equinox to move backward by ten days. With its leap year every four years, the Gregorian calendar solved this problem. The Gregorian calendar also assured that the vernal equinox would always fall at the same time every year.

Africa

Jan

Bug Busting Day, Ntl. (UK): January 31

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National Bug Busting Day occurs three times per year in the United Kingdom: January, June, and October. It is a concentrated effort to stem the tide of lice infections within schools and the general population. Through the registered charity Community Hygiene Concern, the government teaches parents, educators, and pharmacists how to detect and stop the spread of head lice and provides affordable Bug Busting kits. Community Bug Busting Days were started by the late Dr. RJ Donaldson, affectionately known as Paddy. Dr. Donaldson demonstrated in the 1970s that an intensive detection/treatment campaign dramatically cut the prevalence of head lice. He was the tireless mentor of the Bug Busting Days organized by Community Hygiene Concern, taking a personal interest from 1986 in our development of wet detection methods in preference to less effective dry or damp methods. Today Bug Busting Days are organized in partnership with the Department of Health. Lice are a big problem in schools. Once they infect an individual, these parasites can be very difficult to get rid of. The following are some facts: The eggs of head lice usually take seven to ten days to hatch. Combing dry or damp hair with a fine-tooth comb is not a reliable way to detect lice. Metal combs are not suitable for louse detection because these combs are primarily nit combs. Lice caught between the tightly spaced teeth remain unnoticed against the metal and can be combed back into the hair unharmed at subsequent strokes. No studies prove that wet head lice grasp hairs more tightly, thus hampering their removal with a fine-tooth comb. Head-to-head contact is not necessary to catch lice—close contact is enough. Head lice are a community problem. Approximately 20% of head lice cases occur in people over 16 or under four years old.

Africa

Jan

Hot Chocolate Day, Ntl: January 31*

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What better way to warm up a cold winter day than with hot chocolate? National Hot Chocolate Day is embraced by many restaurants, confectioners, and fast food restaurants throughout the nation. At many, you'll find free hot chocolate by purchasing something.

Africa

Jan

Inspire Your Heart with Art Day: January 31

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Today is Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, which celebrates art in all shapes and forms and its effect on our hearts and soul. Take a moment on this day to appreciate your favorite piece of art or create a new one. Look at it, think about it, feel it; that's how we celebrate Inspire Your Heart with Art Day.

Africa

Jan

Jaya Ekadashi (H): January 31

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Hindus believe fasting (vrat) on Jaya Ekadashi assists in eradicating one's sins and brings them closer to achieving salvation (Moksha). While pious devotees observe a complete fast on this day, some opt for a partial fast. The day before Jaya Ekadashi, people consume a single meal to prepare for the fast. On Jaya Ekadashi, devotees rise early and take a bath, after which they offer their morning prayers to Lord Vishnu. The vrat is observed for 24 hours, either full or partial abstinence from specific foods, including rice, grains, honey, and eating on a metal plate. However, fruits, nuts, milk products, vegetables, and dried fruits can be consumed during the vrat. Firm Vishnu devotees stay awake the entire night and spend their time at Vishnu temples singing hymns and listening to stories devoted to Lord Vishnu. After bathing and offering prayers the following day, a lamp is lit, completing the vrat. PLEASE NOTE: We use the Indian civil calendar, the official holiday calendar in India. The Hindu faith has many calendars, each specific to different regions and tribes, with dates and celebrations marked by differing positions of the sun, moon, and stars. Names of months and holidays and the corresponding dates in the Gregorian Calendar may vary widely from one calendar to the next. Determine the proper calendar before attending local events.

Africa

Jan

Lughnasadh, South: January 31 - February 1

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Lughnasadh is a pagan festival celebrated during the peak of summer in August in the northern hemisphere and in February in the southern hemisphere. Lughnasadh is Irish Gaelic for "Commemoration of Lugh," which can have two meanings, marriage or the gathering of the crops, both celebrated with feasting and dancing. In contemporary times, the festival of Lughnasadh has also grown to celebrate love and marriage.

Africa

Jan

National Day (NR)(1968): January 31

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The island nation of Nauru gained its independence on January 31, 1968, from the trusteeship of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand. National Day in Nauru is a celebration of this anniversary.

Africa