Enjoyable February Festivities – Jackson County Library District

Now that the vacations have handed us and all of us returned to the merciless harsh actuality with out jolly tunes or visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads, I feel that we may nonetheless use a bit whimsy and pleasure.  

So, I’ve made the chief resolution to run again the vacation cheer this February! But I’m not simply speaking about foolish little love songs for Valentines Day, or visions of everybody’s favourite president William Henry Harrison to bop of their heads…as a result of actually that may be terrifying. What tune would he even dance to? I wish to think about he’d be actually into Ska.  

Anyway, so what sort of vacation cheer are we speaking about? I’m so glad you requested, pricey reader, as a result of very like how I need to run again the whimsy and levity of the vacation season, I’m additionally going to reheat my very own nachos from final September and discuss some enjoyable, really feel good, and possibly a bit fantastical February holidays. Let’s go! 

National Flannel Day 

Whether or not good ole Punxsutawney Phil declares us to be doomed to an extended winter, we should always nonetheless keep in mind to bundle up and keep heat. So why not keep heat AND have a good time the marvel that’s flannel on February 10^th this 12 months! Now it’s frequent to make use of plaid and flannel interchangeably. Honestly, I’ve been responsible of that, too. However, if we have been to get all technical, flannel refers back to the cloth and just isn’t the traditional plaid or tartan patterns. (Or in case you have been on the opposite aspect of the pond, it may additionally simply be referring to a washcloth/face fabric.)  

Speaking of our pals throughout the ocean, whereas the origin of the time period “flannel” is unsure, the oldest use of a cloth much like flannel was used within the 16^th century in Wales, although the material was known as Welsh cotton. Since then, although, it has been popularly used on our shores in the course of the Civil War due to how sturdy and cheap it was, and in addition in the course of the 90s grunge motion. 

World Whale Day 

Making a really easy segue from the nation of Wales, let’s discuss this superior vacation, World Whale Day! Originally, I used to be going to jot down about how February was Humpback Whale Awareness month, however I may by no means restrict my like to only one whale…until they’re Orcas, however that’s neither right here nor there. Held on the third Sunday of February yearly (February 15^th in 2026), we have a good time these superb titans of the ocean from narwhals to pilot whales.  

The origins of this vacation start in 1980 on Maui, when the founding father of the Pacific Whale Foundation, Greg Kauffman, wished to unfold consciousness about the specter of extinction that humpback whales confronted, and honor these stunning creatures that will swim across the coast of the island.  Though now humpback whales have made a terrific restoration from the brink of extinction, we should always nonetheless be conscious to respect nature and attempt to protect the ocean and all of the creatures that inhabit it. 

Library Lovers Day 

From Wales and whales, we now go all the way down to Australia and New South Wales to speak about this implausible vacation that originates from down beneath, although I as a librarian may be a bit biased. Now I’d by no means let you know to chop your Valentine’s Day brief this February 14^th, but when you end up needing a date with a superb e book, make a journey to the library and have a good time Library Lovers Day!  

Originally an occasion held on the State Library of New South Wales in 2006, it rapidly turned a nationwide phenomenon because the Australian Library and Information Association joined within the following 12 months to advertise their very own ardour for books and the love of all of the providers the library has to supply. Some of the enjoyable actions which were held on today embrace having a chosen space stuffed with classic typewriters and pens/paper the place patrons may write love letters. There additionally was a matchmaking kind patrons would fill out, and librarians would then counsel books and authors the patrons would take pleasure in primarily based on the character traits they listed off! But you don’t have to attend for the 14^th to try this at JCLS, as a result of you may at all times ask for ideas from the invention booklist workforce! 

Pluto Day 

Let’s all have a second of silence for our fallen planet, Pluto, who was demoted from planet standing again in 2006. No longer will My Very Excellent Mother Just Send Us Nine Pizzas, however that’s no purpose to not have a good time this very particular day on February 18^th, the day of its discovery. Though not found till 1930, the journey to discovery of this (dwarf) planet started a lot earlier within the 1840s, when Urbain Le Verrier was utilizing the powers of math to foretell the placement of the then undiscovered Neptune. He had seen that one thing was inflicting some irregularities with the planet Uranus’s orbit, however even after discovering Neptune, there remained another disturbances within the power, which led astronomers to hunt for this unknown “Planet X”. 

But I’m certain you might be questioning about one thing much more essential…how is Ethan going to tie in Whales/Wales into this one? Pluto was found in Arizona and named after the god of the underworld, and final I checked Hades/Pluto had a 3 headed canine, not some whale. Well maintain onto your hats, as a result of there really is a whale on Pluto! Well…not a literal whale, however really when NASA was mapping out Pluto they seen a bizarre darkish space alongside the equator that regarded very very like, you guessed it, a whale. 

But how cool wouldn’t it be if there have been house whales on Pluto? 

National Pokémon Day 

Rounding us out for this enterprise into the whimsical, now we have the little pocket monsters themselves, Pokémon! On today again in 1996, the unique video games have been launched and quickly took the world by storm. This 12 months, now we have reached the 30^th anniversary of Pokémon, which solely makes my again ache with age increasingly more to consider. So whether or not you might be out taking a stroll and enjoying Pokémon Go, diving into the most recent sport Pokémon ZA (which you possibly can borrow from us in case you wished to), or replaying a few of your favourite video games from yesteryear, take a second to only relish the nostalgia and attempt to  recapture the fleeting pleasure that may solely come from being a baby.  

But extra importantly, are there whale Pokémon? Well, contemplating there are a complete of about 1,025 Pokémon now (not together with regional variants), it will be shocking if there wasn’t! Firstly, there may be wailmer and wailord, whose designs are primarily based on blue whales. With wailord being the amongst one of many largest Pokémon at 47 toes! Next up there may be Cetoddle and Cetitan, which have their names primarily based off of the infraorder Cetacea, which incorporates whales, dolphins and porpoises. Finally, now we have Finizen and Palafin, that are primarily based on dolphins. I know, I know; dolphins? We’re speaking about whales! But if we need to be technically right, which is the perfect form of right, they do fall beneath the class of Cetaceans within the household Delphinidae, which additionally contains Orcas, Pilot whales, false killer whales and many others., and since I really like orcas they get a point out.  

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Well, that brings us to the tip of our frolic by the fields of February festivities. Of course, these are simply a number of the holidays, foolish or in any other case, that happen in the course of the month. So, I encourage you to have a look at what different holidays are occurring this month and have a good time accordingly! Mainly, I need you to seek out causes for pleasure and celebration as we fight the cruel actuality of day-to-day life.  

Happy Holidays!