BANNERS: First Day of Fall | September 22

Before the 16th century, harvest was the term usually used to refer to the season, as it is common in other West Germanic languages to this day.  However, as more people gradually moved from working the land to living in towns, the word harvest lost its reference to the time of year and came to refer only to the actual activity of reaping, and autumn, as well as fall, began to replace it as a reference to the season.

Source(s): wikipedia

BANNERS: National WHITE CHOCOLATE Day! | September 22

Although not technically chocolate, white chocolate wasn't part of the chocolate family until 2004 when the FDA finally eased up on its definition of “chocolate” and accepted it into the family. The first white chocolate, Milkybar, was launched in Europe by Swiss company Nestlé in the 1930s.

Regulations govern what may be marketed as "white chocolate": In the United States, since 2004, white chocolate must be (by weight) at least 20% cocoa butter, 14% total milk solids, and 3.5% milk fat, and no more than 55% sugar or other sweeteners.  Before this date, American firms required temporary marketing permits to sell white chocolate.

The European Union has adopted the same standards, except that there is no limit on sugar or sweeteners.

Happy National White Chocolate Day!

Source(s): punchbowl | wikipedia

BANNERS: International Day of Peace | September 21

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

Source(s): un.org

BANNERS: National PUNCH Day | September 20 (#NationalPunchDay)

Punch is a wide assortment of drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice. The drink was introduced from India to the United Kingdom in the early seventeenth century, and from there its use spread to other countries. Punch is typically served at parties in large, wide bowls, known as punch bowls. #NationalPunchDay

The word punch is a loanword from Sanskrit, meaning "five", as the drink was originally made with five ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.

The drink was brought to England from India by sailors and employees of the British East India Company in the early 17th century. From there it was introduced into other European countries. When served communally, the drink is expected to be of a lower alcohol content than a typical cocktail.

The term punch was first recorded in British documents in 1632. At the time, most punches were of the wassail type made with a wine or brandy base. But around 1655, Jamaican rum came into use, and the "modern" punch emerged. By 1671, documents make references to punch houses.

Today, soft drink manufacturers distribute many types of "fruit punch" beverages. These are usually red-colored drinks. Despite the name, most brands contain only a small fraction of actual fruit juice, the major constituents being sugar or corn syrup, citric acid, and artificial flavors.

Source(s): wikipedia | punchbowl

BANNERS: TALK LIKE A PIRATE Day | September 19 #TalkLikeAPirateDay

Want to add a bit o' swagger to your everyday conversation? Well today's the day to do it! Aarrr!! #TalkLikeAPirateDay

International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD, September 19) is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy), of Albany, Oregon, U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with "Ahoy, matey!" The holiday, and its observance, springs from a romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy.

According to Summers, the day is the only known holiday to come into being as a result of a sports injury. During a racquetball game between Summers and Baur, one of them reacted to the pain with an outburst of "Aaarrr!", and the idea was born. That game took place on June 6, 1995, but out of respect for the observance of the Normandy landings, they chose Summers' ex-wife's birthday, as it would be easy for him to remember.

At first an inside joke between two friends, the holiday gained exposure when Baur and Summers sent a letter about their invented holiday to the American syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry in 2002. Barry liked the idea and promoted the day. Growing media coverage of the holiday after Barry's column has ensured that this event is now celebrated internationally, and Baur and Summers now sell books and T-shirts related to the theme on their website. Part of the success for the international spread of the holiday has been attributed to non-restriction of the idea or non-trademarking, in effect opening the holiday to creativity and "viral" growth.

"Cap'n Slappy" and "Ol' Chumbucket",
the founders of Talk Like a Pirate Day
Source

The association of pirates with peglegs, parrots, and treasure maps, popularized in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island (1883), has had a significant influence on parody pirate culture. Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated with hidden easter egg features in many games and websites, with Facebook introducing a pirate-translated version of its website on Talk Like a Pirate Day 2008 and publisher O'Reilly discounting books on the R programming language to celebrate. Minecraft also features this language (en_PT) since January 5, 2012. In September 2014, Reddit added a pirate theme to their website.

Happy Talk Like a Pirate day!

Source(s): wikipedia | talklikeapirate