2 mins read

The History of Labor Day

In modern society, Labor Day marks a day off from work and school, full of BBQs and family picnics and touch football games. But the real history of the holiday has largely been forgotten. It’s not always taught in schools, nor does it have a clear meaning in popular culture. So, why are you getting the day off of work? It all stared in Canada, a country that featured an annual festival to honor workers long before the United States.

1 min read

Celebrating Fat Tuesday? Check out the History of Mardi Gras!

We all know that Mardi Gras involves parades, fatty foods and colorful beads. But not all of us know its actual history. In the U.S., Mardi Gras has evolved to become a worldwide recognized holiday with people traveling from all over the globe to take part in the week-long celebration in New Orleans that includes masks, dancing, beads, parades and traditional foods like gumbo, King Cake and Paczki.

1 min read

The History of Valentine’s Day

The history of Valentine’s Day is still a little bit of a mystery. In fact, the Catholic Church recognizes that there were a few guys named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend says that Valentine was a priest during third century Rome. When Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage because he thought single men made better soldiers than married ones, Valentine continued to marry couples in secret. He was put to death when Claudius III discovered what he had been doing.