June Holidays, share your favorite....

My favorite holiday is Juneteenth.  I would like to share a little about Juneteenth as being African American, my mom being from Texas, means a lot to me and why I celebrate.  The following is some information about Juneteenth.....please share your favorite holiday in June...also known as June gloomy here in Califorinia because it is gloomy during the day, even today it is gloomy.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday in 37 states of the United States.

The state of Texas is widely considered the first U.S. state to begin Juneteenth celebrations with informal observances taking place for over a century, it has been an official state holiday since 1980. It is considered a "partial staffing holiday", meaning that state offices do not close, but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off.[3] Its observance has spread to many other states, with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries.[4][5]
As of May 2011, 39 states[1] and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or state holiday observance; these are Alaska,[5] Arizona, Arkansas, California,[5] Colorado, Connecticut,[5] Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,[2] Kentucky,[6][7] Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,[8] Minnesota,[9] Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey,[5] New Mexico, Nevada, New York,[5] North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,[1] Vermont,[1] Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Ashton Villa, from whose front balcony the Emancipation Proclamation was read on June 19, 1865 Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in the Confederate States of America. Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation, and though slavery was very prevalent in East Texas, it was not as common in the Western areas of Texas, particularly the Hill Country, where most German-Americans were opposed to the practice. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”:
The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.[11]
That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name derived from a portmanteau of the words June and nineteenth.
Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year.[11] Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities’ increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.[11]
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A very important holiday then Dazzlingdebra.

Enjoy your Juneteenth holiday.

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Father's Day

The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910 as a result of the efforts of Sonora Dodd, of Spokane, Washington, who was inspired by her father, William Smart, a widower and Civil War veteran, who had single-handedly raised all six of his children.

Soon, the idea of Father's Day caught on throughout the rest of the country to became an unofficial US holiday, However, it would be decades before President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation in 1966 designating the third Sunday in June to be Father's Day, and it only became a national holiday when President Nixon signed the official proclamation in 1972.

Today, Father's Day is celebrated in various ways and on different days around the world. The German tradition for honoring fathers, for example, is on Ascension Day in May (with lots of wine and beer!) and in some Roman Catholic countries St. Joseph's Day on March 19 is the customary day to honor all fathers. In Russia, fathers are customarily honored on "Defender of the Fatherland Day" on February 23.

However, worldwide - from the US, Canada, and Europe to countries as far-flung as China and Zimbabwe. - the third Sunday in June remains the most traditional day to celebrate Father's Day. In 2011, Father's Day is celebrated on Sunday, June 19.

Thanks for that info Debra! I love reading the historical values behind important days or events.

You have just made some nice conversation pieces for me!

Lips

Flag Day in United States
Quick Facts
Flag Day is annually held on June 14 to honor the United States flag.
Local names
Name Language
Flag Day English
Día de la Bandera Spanish

Flag Day 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Flag Day 2012
Thursday, June 14, 2012
See list of observations belowPeople across the United States celebrate Flag Day on June 14 each year to honor the United States flag and to commemorate the flag’s adoption.

Flag Day honors the United States flag. iStockphoto.com/Jim JuricaWhat do people do?
Flag Day falls within National Flag Week, a time when Americans reflect on the foundations of the nation’s freedom. The flag of the United States represents freedom and has been an enduring symbol of the country’s ideals since its early days. During both events, Americans also remember their loyalty to the nation, reaffirm their belief in liberty and justice, and observe the nation’s unity.

Many people in the United States honor this day by displaying the American flag at homes and public buildings. Other popular ways of observing this holiday include: flag-raising ceremonies; Flag Day services; school quizzes and essay competitions about the American flag; musical salutes; street parades; and awards for special recognition.

Organizations such as The National Flag Day Foundation are actively involved in coordinating activities centered on the event and keeping the flag’s traditions alive. Following Flag Day is Honor America Days, a 21-day period through to Independence Day (July 4) to honor America. During this period, people hold public gatherings and activities to celebrate and honor the nation.

Public life
Although Flag Day is a nationwide observance, it is not a public holiday in many parts of the United States. It is a legal holiday in a few areas in the USA, such as Montour County in Pennsylvania.

Background
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress replaced the British symbols of the Grand Union flag with a new design featuring 13 white stars in a circle on a field of blue and 13 red and white stripes – one for each state. Although it is not certain, this flag may have been made by the Philadelphia seamstress Betty Ross, who was an official flag maker for the Pennsylvania Navy. The number of stars increased as the new states entered the Union, but the number of stripes stopped at 15 and was later returned to 13.

In June 1886 Bernard Cigrand made his first public proposal for the annual observance of the birth of the flag when he wrote an article titled “The Fourteenth of June” in the old Chicago Argus newspaper. Cigrand’s effort to ensure national observance of Flag Day finally came when President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling for a nationwide observance of the event on June 14, 1916. However, Flag Day did not become official until August 1949, when President Harry Truman signed the legislation and proclaimed June 14 as Flag Day. In 1966, Congress also requested that the President issue annually a proclamation designating the week in which June 14 occurs as National Flag Week.

The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation to: call on government officials in the USA to display the flag of the United States on all government buildings on Flag Day; and to urge US residents to observe Flag Day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.

Symbols
The American flag, also nicknamed as “Old Glory” or “star-spangled banner”, has changed designs over the centuries. It consists of 13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars. Each of the 50 stars represent the 50 states in the United States and the 13 stripes represent the original 13 colonies that became the first states in the Union.

  Jun 6, 1944:
D-Day
Previous Day June 6 Calendar Next Day .
Although the term D-Day is used routinely as military lingo for the day an operation or event will take place, for many it is also synonymous with June 6, 1944, the day the Allied powers crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, beginning the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control during World War II. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.

With Hitler's armies in control of most of mainland Europe, the Allies knew that a successful invasion of the continent was central to winning the war. Hitler knew this too, and was expecting an assault on northwestern Europe in the spring of 1944. He hoped to repel the Allies from the coast with a strong counterattack that would delay future invasion attempts, giving him time to throw the majority of his forces into defeating the Soviet Union in the east. Once that was accomplished, he believed an all-out victory would soon be his.

On the morning of June 5, 1944, U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious military operation in history. On his orders, 6,000 landing craft, ships and other vessels carrying 176,000 troops began to leave England for the trip to France. That night, 822 aircraft filled with parachutists headed for drop zones in Normandy. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion.

By dawn on June 6, 18,000 parachutists were already on the ground; the land invasions began at 6:30 a.m. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where 2,000 troops were lost and it was only through the tenacity and quick-wittedness of troops on the ground that the objective was achieved. By day's end, 155,000 Allied troops--Americans, British and Canadians--had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches.

For their part, the Germans suffered from confusion in the ranks and the absence of celebrated commander Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who was away on leave. At first, Hitler, believing that the invasion was a feint designed to distract the Germans from a coming attack north of the Seine River, refused to release nearby divisions to join the counterattack and reinforcements had to be called from further afield, causing delays. He also hesitated in calling for armored divisions to help in the defense. In addition, the Germans were hampered by effective Allied air support, which took out many key bridges and forced the Germans to take long detours, as well as efficient Allied naval support, which helped protect advancing Allied troops.

Though it did not go off exactly as planned, as later claimed by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery--for example, the Allies were able to land only fractions of the supplies and vehicles they had intended in France--D-Day was a decided success. By the end of June, the Allies had 850,000 men and 150,000 vehicles in Normandy and were poised to continue their march across Europe.

The heroism and bravery displayed by troops from the Allied countries on D-Day has served as inspiration for several films, most famously The Longest Day (1962) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). It was also depicted in the HBO mini-series Band of Brothers (2001).

Getting to Know Flag Day – the Flag Day History, Flag Day Etiquette and Flag Day Celebrations
Posted By Dupont on June 13, 2011
in Our Holiday

Flag Day (on June 14)
Monday is always being remembered as the first day of one-week work. Next Monday is the Flag Day, do you know that?

Flag Day History
Getting to Know Flag Day - the Flag Day History

We all know Fourth of July is celebrated as America’s birthday and on that happy day there surely will be streets of National Flags. But do you know one month before there is a Flag Day for all Americans to celebrate and show respect for the national flag, its designers and makers and this day will always fall on June 14. Flag Day now is not an official federal holiday, but Pennsylvania became the first and only US state to celebrate Flag Day as state holiday since June 14, 1937.


Getting to Know Flag Day - the Flag Day Etiquette

In the early 1920s, when people got together in D.C., everyone had different ways to handle the flag. Now, there are regulated ways of displaying the flag. The American flag should be held in the highest of regards. It represents the nation and the many people who gave their lives for the country and the flag.

    * The flag is normally flown from sunrise to sunset.
    * In the morning, raise the flag briskly. At sunset, lower it slowly. Always, raise and lower it ceremoniously.
    * The flag should not be flown at night without a light on it.
    * The flag should not be flown in the rain or inclement weather.
    * After a tragedy or death, the flag is flown at half staff for 30 days. It’s called “half staff” on land, and “half mast” on a ship.
    * When flown vertically on a pole, the stars and blue field, or “union”, is at the top and at the end of the pole (away from your house).
    * The American flag is always flown at the top of the pole. Your state flag and other flags fly below it.
    * The union is always on top. When displayed in print, the stars and blue field are always on the left.
    * Never let your flag touch the ground, never…period.
    * Fold your flag when storing. Don’t just stuff it in a drawer or box.
    * When your flag is old and has seen better days, it is time to retire it. Old flags should be burned or buried. Please do not throw it in the trash.


Getting to Know Flag Day - the Flag Day Celebrations

    * 1. Fly the Flag on June 14. Follow the right flag etiquette when displaying the flag.
    * 2. Attend Flag Day ceremony in your town. Flag Day ceremony will be another way to express your patriotic emotion to the country other than Memorial Day.
    * 3. Hold your own festivities. Have a party, an outdoor tour or so, but don’t forget to display the flag in a prominent location.

      Flag Day Party
    * 4. Read the history of the flag and play flag games.
    * 5. Attend a flag burning ceremony. There is a very special ceremony for retiring the flag by burning it. Most Boy Scout troops or other community organizations knows the proper ceremony and performs it on a regular basis and you can attend their ceremony.