Canada Day, or Dominion day, marks July 1, 1867 when the British colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada formed the federation of four provinces. Canada didn’t formally become independent from England until 1982, when they adopted their own constitution. a dominion is a state that governs itself but still accepts the sovereign authority of the British Empire. These included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State. After 1948, the term was also used for independent nations that kept the British monarch as head of state. These nations included India, Pakistan, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and Kenya.

National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) is an annual campaign produced by the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US) to encourage at-risk individuals to receive voluntary HIV counseling and testing. The event coincidently coincides with a new campaign aimed at getting every adult in the Bronx to take an HIV test within three years. According to New York City health officials, Manhattan has the highest incidence of HIV and AIDS and the Bronx has the highest AIDS-related death rate.

No matter where you live, if you are sexually active and have had sex with someone whose history of sex partners and/or drug use is unknown to you or if you or your partner has had many sex partners, then you have more of a chance of being infected with HIV. Both you and your new partner should get tested for HIV, and learn the results, before having sex for the first time. For testing sites, visit, the National HIV and STD Testing Resources website.

Siebenschläfertag, or Seven Sleepers Day, is a sort of German Groundhogs Day. The legend says that whatever the weather is like on Siebenschläfertag, that’s what it will be for the next seven weeks. Siebenschläfertag is also the name of a small mouse in germany, the dormouse, but the Seven Sleepers were real people, Maximillian, Jamblichos, Martin, John, Dionysios, Exakostodianos, and Antoninos. They were shepherds who were prosecuted by the Roman Emperor Decius for being Christians. They were given one night before they had to turn themselves in, and so they went to a cave in Ephesus (known these days as Selcuk, Turkey) to pray and prepare fore death. Decius came back after a journey and found out that the seven were gone. They heard of Decius’ return, said their last prayer in the cave and then fell asleep. The emperor told his soldiers to find them, and when found asleep in the cave he ordered it to be closed up with huge stones and sealed. They were buried alive.

A Christian came and wrote on the outside the names of the martyrs and their story. Years passed, the empire became Christian, and the cave was opened up. There the seven were, alive! after telling there story, the martyrs fell into the eternal sleep of death and were declared saints. Their feast day is July 27.

Midsummer’s Eve is, as it’s name implies, the night before Midsummer Day. A national holiday in Nordic countries, this holiday celebrates what was formally the longest day of the year, June 24 (Midsummer’s Day).

According to ancient European traditions, this is a time for fairies and fortune telling. Today, each Scandinavian country celebrates this tradition in their own unique way. According to the website Genuine Scandinavia the Swedes dance around a maypole, a symbol of fertility, that is trimmed with garlands of flowers. The celebrants join hands and dance around it to tunes played on an accordion and a fiddle. In Finland midsommar is known as Juhannus and is celebrated with a bonfire by the lakeshore with dancing into the morning hours. Juhannus is also Finland’s Flag Day.

In Norway and Denmark bonfires are also an important part of the celebration. The customs date back to pagan times when tribute was paid to the powers of the sun god with bonfires signifying the defeat of darkness. The Norwegians also form processions early in the evening, usually led by a musician.

There is a bit of a controversy over who invented the ice cream soda. Two versions exist, with either Robert M. Green of Philadelphia or Fred Sanders of Detroit being the wizard behind this new 19th century treat. Green is said to have invented the concoction so his soda fountain would stand out among the competition in Philly. Sanders is said to have substituted ice cream for sweet cream when he found his supply of cream had gone sour. No matter which story is true, the ice cream soda has stayed popular, with root beer floats being the number one choice. You can enjoy a Grown-up Ice Cream Soda to celebrate this sweet.
INGREDIENTS:
4 scoops coffee ice cream
4 shots coffee liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
4 shots Irish cream liqueur (recommended: Bailey’s)
Soda water, to top

DIRECTIONS:

Put a scoop of coffee ice cream in 4 large glasses. Drizzle into each glass 1 shot Kahlua and 1 shot Irish cream. Top with soda water. Serve with a straw and sundae spoon.

Juneteenth is the oldest nationally holiday celebrating of the ending of slavery in the United States. It started on June 19, 1865 when soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas and announced that the war was over and the slaves were free. The news was about 2 and a half years late, as President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, but the news was delayed in Texas. There are various theories given for this delay and the wonderful website Juneteeth.com has a great account of the history of the holiday.

The holiday has undergone many transformation in its time, from being an occasion for family reunions and celebrations to a day of education, but no matter how it is celebrated it has survived as a testament to the strength of the African American culture. Help your family celebrate with a traditional taste of Strawberry Soda.
1 (12-ounce) can lemon lime soda
2 1/2 cups frozen strawberries
Place all ingredients into container of electric blender. Hold lid in place and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

June 20 marks a day dedicated to a human condition no one wants to be - that of a refugee. Each year millions of people, many of them women and children, find themselves forced to leave their homeland. People flee their countries for various reason, many time war or persecution. But no matter the reason, all are entitled to the human dignity that everyone deserves. To highlight this idea, the theme this year is “Protecting Refugees: Rebuilding Lives in Safety and Dignity.”

World Refugee Day was introduced in 2001 by the United Nations to bring together several other refugee days, most notably Africa Refugee Day, which was established in 1951.

Thousands of people will gather on the Hawaiian islands to honor King Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands in 1795. Called “Napoleon of the Pacific”, it was this first King of Hawaii who used his British and American allies to unite the islands under his rule. Later he was steadfast in establishing the Hawaiian culture so much so that he did not allow non-Hawaiians to own land.

The day is filled with traditional Hawaiian pageantry, including hula girls and food. The evening draping ceremony is the most famous ritual. The Kamehameha Statue in front of Aliʻiolani Hale and ʻIolani Palace on King Street in downtown Honolulu is draped in long strands of lei. The same is done at the Kamehameha Statue on the former monarch’s home island, the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. Outside of the state, a similar draping ceremony is held at the United States Capitol where the Kamehameha Statue there is also draped in lei in the company of federal officials.

Many countries choose their national holidays based on great leaders or battles. In Portugal they celebrate a poet, Luís Vaz de Camões. Back in the 16th century, Camões wrote an epic poem celebrating Portuguese history and achievements.

The “Lusiads” focuses on the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. The poem is considered to be one of the finest and most important works in Portuguese literature, and so it became a symbol for the greatness of the Portuguese nation. Since they do not know the date of the birth of the author, they celebrate on the date of his death, June 10, 1580. The event is celebrated with food and music in Portugal, as well as in other countries with large Portuguese populations. Celebrate with your family with this great make-ahead dish, Eggs Portugal.
Ingedients

1 lb. bulk sausage, cooked and well drained
3/4 lb. mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. celery seed
6 slices of bread, cubed
6 eggs
2 1/2 c. of milk
2 tsp. of prepared mustard
1 can of cream of mushroom soup

Directions - The night before:
Place bread cubes evenly in the bottom of a greased 13 x 9 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle sausage over top of the bread. Saute or microwave onion and green pepper until crisp-tender and sprinkle over sausage. Add shredded cheese and celery seed. Beat eggs; add milk and mustard and blend well. May add pepper to taste, if desired. Pour eggs-milk mixture over ingredients in pan.

The next morning:

Spread undiluted cream of mushroom soup over top. Bake at 325 degrees for about 1 hour or until set and brown on top.

Queensland, Australia celebrates its statehood with a big bang every June 6, a national holiday featuring barbeques and fireworks.

It celebrates June 6, 1859, the day Queen Victoria signed documents granting Queensland the right to its own representative government and appointing Queensland’s first Governor, Sir George Bowen. From 1859 to 1901, Queensland was a self-governing colony. On January 1, 1901, it became one of the six founding States of the Commonwealth of Australia. But Queensland is still celebrated, with high honors being awarded from the governor for the “Queenslander of the Year” award and the “Young Queenslander of the Year” award.