This week we celebrate pretzels, dance, horses, superheroes, and more

UNDATED – If you love pretzels, then you can celebrate today during National Pretzel Day.

Pretzels got their start in the Catholic Church. Sometime around the 7th Century A.D., monks presented their students with treats of baked dough twisted in the shape of crossed arms. At the time, crossing one’s arms was the traditional posture for prayer. Not only that, but pretzels, made from water, flour, and salt, were also the perfect food for Lent — when meat, dairy, and eggs were prohibited.

So there you have some National Pretzel Day history — with a twist.

Today is also National Help A Horse Day.

Back in 2013, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) launched an equine campaign in the form of Help a Horse Day to create awareness and promote the protection of neglected and abused horses across the country.

National Help a Horse Day has more than one purpose. This day also serves as a national day of acknowledgment for equine organizations to highlight the work they do to save at-risk horses. Moreover, it even showcases how people can join them to make a difference in the equine community.

Thousands of horses across the country are abandoned and face poor care. Although rescues and shelters work round the clock to take care of them, these organizations still need adequate support to sustain their efforts. Thus, ever since the launch of National Help a Horse Day, many programs have been and continue to be conceptualized to build a better life for horses.

On Tuesday fans all over the USA and the world, will celebrate Babe Ruth Day.

Babe Ruth was and still is known as one of the best baseball players of all time. From hitting record after record and receiving many accolades, Ruth came to be known as ‘The Colossus of Clout’ and ‘The Sultan of Swat.’

He was a big star and inspiration to many youngsters but, when he was a youngster himself, he was rebellious and would constantly get into trouble. Due to this, he was sent to a Catholic reformatory and orphanage at the age of seven.

Jack Dunn, the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, took notice of Ruth’s baseball skills. He adopted the prodigy, and at 19, Ruth joined Dunn’s team. Whilst there, Ruth came to be known as Dunn’s ‘Babe’ since he was still a minor. As years went by, Ruth rose among the ranks and major leagues, going on to become part of the New York Yankees. The Yankees won 4 World Series with Ruth on their team.

We believe everyone fighting pediatric cancer is a brave warrior, and National BraveHearts Day on Wednesday, April 28 perfectly captures this sentiment.

This day was founded to honor the strength and bravery of people affected by pediatric cancer, including the kids, their parents, families, loved ones, and everyone else who cares.

Marvel employees created National Superhero Day on April 28, 1995, to celebrate everyone’s favorite superhero. This is for superheroes only — we all know villains aren’t deserving of their own day.

Still, the idea behind superhero day is to honor those who serve and protect while fighting evil. No matter who your favorite hero is, honoring the real or fictional people that inspire us is a worthwhile cause.

Thursday is International Dance Day, so put your dancing shoes on and get ready to step out.

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire 

The Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) established April 29 as International Dance Day in 1982 to highlight the amazing diversity and talent of dancers all over the globe. This date was chosen because it marks the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), the creator of modern ballet.

The International Theatre Institute created this holiday to promote dance across the world, to make people aware of the value of dance, and to enable the dance community to promote their work on a broad scale. 

The whole truth and nothing but the truth? Sure, we’ve spared someone’s feelings or fudged the truth just a little — or yes, maybe told an all-out lie. Still, Honesty Day on Friday reminds us to pay attention to our words.

The Top 5 Lies American Tell

  • White lie (a harmless lie) 27 percent
  • Lie by omission (only revealing parts of the truth) 18 percent
  • Lies to yourself (e.g. I like my job; my friend’s actions didn’t hurt me) 16 percent
  • Appearance lie (e.g. that dress looks good on you) 15 percent
  • Relationship lie (e.g. lying about having cheated) 5 percent

Saturday is Kentucky Derby Day. The Kentucky Derby is just a horse race, however, it has gained legions of fans over the past 147 years that it has been running.

As one of America’s oldest sports, the Kentucky Derby is also known as the ‘Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports’. Spectators wear the most elaborate and unique outfits and indulge in a drink of mint julep. The winners of the race are awarded a trophy and prize money, as well as a huge garland of roses that weighs approximately 40 pounds.

Saturday we can also get swept back to memories of our childhood by celebrating National Mother Goose Day.

From Humpty Dumpty’s clumsy fall and the Three Little Pigs’ scramble for houses to Pinnochio’s elongated nose, fairy tales, and nursery rhymes endlessly entertained us as kids whilst providing us with important life lessons.

Charles Perrault, a French author, is thought to have been the first writer to establish fairy tales as a separate genre in 1695. Fast-forward a little further into the future, the Grimm fairy tales, which were published during the 19th century, have now become quite famous worldwide. Thanks to Disney, the Grimm fairy tales have become more child-friendly but, originally, they were gruesome in their details. For example, in the original version of “Snow White,” her stepmother died after being cursed to dance in glass heels forever.

Information resourced from nationaltoday.com.