Lesotho Edition
Ano Viejo leads today's complete edition for Lesotho.
Daily Edition
Official observances, world days, local context, and everyday celebrations for people who need something worth reading, sharing, or talking about today.
Not an official holiday, but try finding someone at work. The country gathers at the coast to watch the Valparaiso fireworks, eats twelve grapes at midnight for twelve wishes, and toasts with champagne. The Valparaiso show is three kilometers of fireworks over the bay and it is spectacular. The grapes are mandatory.
The fireworks over Sydney Harbour are watched by a billion people worldwide and by a hundred thousand people standing in the Domain with warm champagne and sore feet. The countdown is shouted. The kiss at midnight is given. And someone has already set off illegal fireworks in the suburban backyard and the dog is under the bed.
Another midnight celebration with the whole family. The leftover pan dulce from Christmas reappears, the sidra is still flowing, and someone counts down from ten. Paper fireworks in the street, hugs all around, and the unshakeable feeling that next year, surely, things will be better. "El ano que viene si," the eternal Argentine hope.
The last day of the year is celebrated with church services, fireworks, and the tradition of staying up until midnight to greet the new year. The Basotho are a religious people, and the church service is the most important event of the evening. After the service, the families gather for the last meal of the year, and the tradition is to eat meat (because the new year should begin with abundance). The joala is passed around, the famo music plays, and the children run through the villages blowing whistles and beating drums. The mountains are dark and cold, but the villages are bright with firelight and song.
A day for trust, conversation, mirrors, clippers, scissors, and leaving a little sharper than you arrived.
A day for turning yesterday into something good enough to look forward to.
You observe green sea turtles, frigatebirds, and Antillean crested hummingbirds as the distinctive wildlife native to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. You find that dogs, cats, and colorful tropical fish are the most popular pets among residents of these Caribbean islands. ACADA celebrates the world's pets, and helps assure better care.
