April 30th has a bunch of celebrations to consider:
National Oatmeal Cookie Day
National Honesty DayNational Raisin Day
Hairstyle Appreciation Day
Hairstylist Appreciation Day
World Healing Day
National Rebuilding Day
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day
International Walk Days
National Sense of Smell Day (always the last Saturday of April)
National Go Birding Day
Spank Out Day USA
National Child Care Professionals Day
New York World's Fair opens, 1939
George Washington gives first presidential inaugural address, 1789
On this day in 1945, holed up in a bunker under his headquarters in Berlin, Adolf Hitler commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in the head. Soon after, Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allied forces, ending Hitler's dreams of a "1,000-year" Reich.
Louisiana Purchase Day: Louisiana Purchase of 828,800 square miles (2,147,000 km2) of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803 (which later became 14 new states)
Admission Day (Louisiana) 1812
The Vietnam War ends with the fall of Saigon (later renamed Ho Chi Minh City) (1975)
Just Pray No: Worldwide Weekend Prayer and Fasting
(leading up to the "National Day of Prayer," an annual day of observance held on the first Thursday of May since 1952, when people are asked "to turn to God in prayer and meditation")
Christian Feast Day: Honoring various saints
St. Adjutor's Day (patron of swimmers, yachtsmen; against drowning)
May Eve, the eve of the first day of summer
Walpurgisnacht/Walpurgis Night (Central and Northern Europe) named after Saint Walburga and she became associated with May Day, named after Saint Walburga (ca. 710-777/9). As Walburga was canonized on 1 May (ca. 870), she became associated with May Day, this celebration is associated with dancing and with bonfires
Beltane Fire Festival (Calton Hill, Edinburgh)
Eve of Beltane/Beltane Fire Festival (Celtic Druidic holiday)
Colombia children's day (last weekend of April)
National Persian Gulf Day (Iran)
Queen's Day/Koninginnedag (largest one-day holiday in the Netherlands) birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands, started in August 1885 for the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina. Since 1949, after the accession of Queen Juliana, Queen's Day was celebrated today on her birthday. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is on January 31st, she officially celebrates her birthday on April 30th to continue the tradition. People dress in orange in reference to the colours of the House of Orange-Nassau
Mexico children's day (also known as "El Día Del Niño")
Teacher's Day (Paraguay)
Carodejnice (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
King's Birthday: Birthday of the King Carl XVI Gustav/Konungens födelsedag (an official flag days of Sweden)
Consumer Protection Day (Thailand)
Saigon Liberation Day/Reunification Day (Vietnam) 1975
Gahambar Maidyozarem/'mid-spring' feast - Zoroastrian, 2003
Salus (Festival of the Dead) (Portugal & Spain) Feast of Valborg (Sweden)
Vappu Day (Finland)
Maitag Vorabend (May Day Eve) (Switzerland)
Kidsproj - Valborgsmassoafton (Sweden)
Divining Your Future Husband - April 30; to romantic folklore, a young lady may divine the identity of her future husband by washing a handkerchief and hanging it on a stalk of corn, growing wheat, or a rosebush overnight. After the morning sun dries the handkerchief, she will see the initials of the man she is to marry.
The Workers Day (Uruguay)
(Photo credits: Oatmeal Cookie, thimbleanna.com; raisins, iambetterthanyou.info; old historic Cathedrals labyrinth, kaleahlaroche.com; birding, Wikipedia; New York World's Fair, idaho.inetgiant.com; Map of current U.S. states that were completely or mostly located inside the borders of old colonial French Louisiana at the time of Louisiana Purchase, Wikipedia; National Day of Prayer, busybuzzblogging.com; Maypole2, bardelf.blogspot.com; Queen's Day, dutchimport.wordpress.com; King Carl XVI Gustav birthday, King's Day in Sweden, gunnarbjursell.blogspot.com; Walpurgis Night, Walpurgisnacht in Heidelberg, Wikipedia; People at a Vappu picnic in Kaivopuisto in 2008, Wikipedia; ; maypole dancers, aprilmechellesdulllife.blogspot.com; maypole streamers, moonsmuses.com)
Welcome to May tomorrow!
