Today is the Independent Czechoslovak State Day, commemorating the day when the state of Czechoslovakia declared independence from the Austro-Hungarian empire at the end of World War I, in a bloodless revolution in Prague. It’s worth noticing that even though 20 years ago this year, Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Czechs […]
And so it wasn’t the end of the world
23/10/2013 by Leave a Comment
The US government shutdown finally ended last week after sixteen days of interparty squabbling. However, considering there is no debt ceiling in place, there is the potential for another shutdown come February of next year. Even so, what’s it all mean to the regular folk who punch the proverbial clock day in and day out? […]
Let’s hear it for Spain!
12/10/2013 by Leave a Comment
Today is the Fiesta Nacional de España (sounds a lot better in Spanish, doesn’t it?). There’s a very historical reason why it is celebrated today; it commemorates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ first arrival in the Americas, on October 12 1492.
Let’s hear it for Germany!
03/10/2013 by 1 Comment
Most of us probably have some kind of memory of the time when East- and West-Germany was reunited. In November 1989 – when the “Berliner Mauer” came down – the whole world was watching. Less than a year later, on October 3 1990, the two sides were finally officially one again. The regions; Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, […]
The secrets of a pipe organ
28/09/2013 by Leave a Comment
Restoring the pipe organ of the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, turned out to be quite a time travel. Öttingen, Bavaria, Germany. January 8, 1930. August Sieber is an organ builder for G. F. Steinmeyer. A huge pipe organ is almost ready to be shipped by railroad to Norway, where it will be the pride of […]
Let’s hear it for the U. S. of A.
04/07/2013 by 1 Comment
“Hey baby, it’s the 4th of July” goes the chorus line of a song by X, an L.A. punk band from the 1980’s. Indeed it is. Also known as Independence Day, July 4th commemorates America’s liberation from that pesky British rule. The original Thirteen Colonies legally split from the Empire two days earlier and on July 4th, 1776 […]
Let’s hear it for Canada!
01/07/2013 by Leave a Comment
July 1st is Canada Day, celebrating the anniversary of Canada’s confederation. The Constitution Act of 1867 joined Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Canada province (now Ontario and Quebec) into one country, granting Canada a substantial amount of independence from England. Not until 1982 did Canada become a completely independent country though, and this was also […]
Let’s hear it for Luxembourg!
22/06/2013 by Leave a Comment
A bit of a head start, the National Day of Luxembourg being tomorrow, but not really since the big party is tonight. Hence, today is a good day to talk about why and how we celebrate. Which most of you already know anyway, so let’s be brief. Tomorrow, we are celebrating the birthday of Grand […]
Let’s hear it for Sweden!
06/06/2013 by Leave a Comment
CLEW takes a closer look at national days around the world. How and why are they celebrated? And we throw in a recipe or two from that country for you to try. The first country is Sweden, by Lisa Fuchs. If you ever find yourself visiting Stockholm, the beautiful capital of Sweden, you absolutely must […]
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