Since I'm partial to 4-legged critters, I'm looking my little heart out for Ground Hog stuff so I can celebrate his big day.........
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LOL, Karen

Can't wait to see it, Karen...and what's on the menu?? LOL

Here ya go... HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

A friend of mine is from near Punxy and he had this groundhog hat he wore to work on Groundhog Day...

WOW was that funny. It's hard to take a man seriously in a groundhog hat, let me tell you.

--Jenn

Here is a link that might be useful: Punxatawney gifts, for all your groundhog needs!

Hey, I think I have a little ceramic/stone one out in the flower bed! He's kinda green and mossy looking. Maybe I could give him a good hot bath in some bleach water and then use him on the table. That's Feb 2nd, isn't it Kathleen? What would you cook for Groundhog day? And don't tell me ground hog either! Maybe something with ground beef???

Jenn, that hat is too funny. You are right--how could you not laugh at someone with that hat on their head? LOL

I don't do Mardi Gras, and have never done Chinese New Year either. Sure will look forward to seeing what the rest of you come up with for those. ;o)

Luvs

Great hat, Jenn! LOL
Luvs, you can think of something! Maybe I will try Mardi Gras....maybe!

Kathleen, we will be waiting with anticipation to see all your decor for those IMPORTANT holidays! LOL

Lori, in the dead of winter here, every HOLIDAY is impt!! You know that! LOL

whats on the menu?, Kathleen, indeed!!!
I'll tell you (just as soon as I find out the french word for groundhog).
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VBG

Kathleen, I would LOVE to decorate my white tree and do a table for Mardi Gras, but I don't think I will get to do it this year. As for Groundhog Day...are there any traditions for dinners?

Jenn, That hat would terrify me. LOL My DS has hidden little animals and insects (not live thank goodness) around my house since he could walk to scare me. He's 17 and still does it. Imagine pulling your bedsheets back to climb into bed and seeing a little snake! He's done it all.

For Groundhog Day, we have ground pork (not beef) products, for obvious reasons. It is also Candlemas, so lots of candles on the table.

Chinese New Year gets take out food, lots of red decorations, some flowers and oranges.

Mardi Gras sees cheap bead necklaces hanging from the chandelier. We make a king cake by taking refridgerator cinamon rolls, unrolling them, then twisting and braiding them to become a circle. Once cooked and iced it gets green, gold and purple sprinkles.

Don't forget Burns Night (Jan 25) with cock-a-leakie soup - or at least neeps and taties - and reading Robert Burns poetry at the table.

Hey, Duckie, where you been hiding out? Anybody that informed about the holidays needs to be posting ideas and pics on this forum for sure! ;o)

So why pork and not beef? Inquiring minds want to know. Don't know about Candlemas either so please "enlighten" me about that too.

Can't wait to see pics of your Chinese New Year and Mardi Gras decorating.

Burns Night? That's a new one to me too--must have been living with my head in the sand like a ostrich or something. LOL I have a good idea what taties are (I think) but what are neeps?

Luvs

I have a groundhog stuffed animal that one of the kids gave me on groundhog day years ago as a joke. I always put him on the top shelf on the front of my desk with a big dish of "Texas Trash"(chex mix) and some napkins! He "serves" all day and everyone gets a huge kick out of it!!! Unfortunately this year it will be on Saturday, so I won't get to do it. My work gang is all trying to get me to bring the goodies on Friday....I'm telling them they are spoiled!!!

Groundhog = ground hog = ground pig = ground pork
.. It is just a silly play on words. I don't really know a whole lot about Candlemas. I think years ago it was a time that the candles for the church were blessed. February 2 is the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox.

Years ago I realized I dislike mid January to begining of April. Too little light, too much snow, too little money, too few things to look forward to. So, I played around with any and all holidays I could in that time frame. I don't decorate a whole lot for them. But I faithfully make cherry pie for Washington's birthday and someone will probably read aloud his farewell address. We will make neeps (turnips) and taties and read Robert Burns poetry on his birthday. Rent Braveheart if you want to keep going with a Scotish theme. And $3 worth of beads from the party store will be tossed on the chanedelier and table for Mardi Gras. Decorating isn't really my style too much. It is more of an excuse for a proper family dinner and a little fun and memory making.

Loved your postings, Duckie. Hope you will hang out with us and do more.
Holiday or AnyExcuseDay decorating wasn't really my style either, until I stumbled in here a year ago and got "addicted". Never had so much fun either.

Welcome by the way,
Karen

Oops, forgive me, I forgot to welcome Duckie!!! (I was too busy telling my silly story)
I hope you stay around and keep us updated on the holidays that we might miss....yikes!! :^)
Karen we love having you too!!

Duckie, we used to get out throats blessed Feb 3rd
feast of St Blaise...

Such crossed candles (left unlighted for safety reasons) are used for the blessing of throats on the feast day of St. Blaise, which falls on February 3, the day after Candlemas on the Catholic calendar of saints, Blaise is traditionally believed to intercede in cases of throat illnesses, especially for fish-bones stuck in the throat. Indeed, the first reference we have to him is in manuscripts of the medical writings of Aëtius Amidenus, the court physician of Justinian I, where his aid is invoked in treating objects stuck in the throat

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates February 2 as Candlemas Day.
The candles used in the church during the rest of the year are blessed on February 2

In Belgium, we don't celebrate the Chinese New Year - only Chinese people do it and some newspaper put an advertisement on their first page.

As for the Groundhog day... which is what we call "chandeleur" (candlemas), we don't do anything special except eating... pancakes.

On mardi gras, we admire the carnival parades that happen in each town, city and village of Belgium except in the capital (Brussels - don't know why). Elementary schools - including those of Brussels - organize a costume ball.

In what Belgians call "The Province", we organize carnival celebrations that last one, two or three and sometimes four weeks.

For instance, some weeks after carnival Mons citizens organize their "Ducasse"/"Doudou" (special games that come from the Middle Ages) which takes place on May 18th this year.

Binches organizes its "Soumonces" each sunday 7 weeks before Carnival, they even organize "Dimanche et Lundi Gras" (Sunday and Monday). Carnival has to definitely stop before Ash Wednesday sunrise.

In the past, people of Europe celebrated the carnival week by doing anything that they did not do during the year: to eat too much, drink more than too much, to party, dance, parade, assassination, poisoning, and so on. They were seldom punished as people were always disguised.

Fortunately, these times are over ;-)