spoopy

en-adj

spoopy (comparative more spoopy, superlative most spoopy)

more spoopy (comparative)
most spoopy (superlative)

A photograph of a Halloween sign with the misspelled word “spoopy” (for “spooky”), taken in 2009 and originally uploaded to Flickr, was reposted on Tumblr in 2011, upon which the word become an Internet meme and developed its current sense.

To get into the spoopy spirit, you will exclusively listen to the “Spooky Scary Skeletons” trap remix on repeat from now until Halloween.

2016 October 27, Derek Baker, “Your future is foretold in these spooky horror-scopes”, in The Guantlet, page 17:

It's spoopy season — a time for pumpkin carving, trick or treating and “Hocus Pocus” reruns.

2018 October 24, Amelia Calautti, “Get goosebumps with 'Netflix and Chills'”, in The Rice Thresher, page 8:

Unfortunately, tricks, treats and spoopy shenanigans aren't the only things escalating in the runup to Halloween.

2018 October 29, Sara Serrano, “Where have all the cats gone?”, in The Collegian, page 14:

(Internet slang) Calling upon horror tropes and concepts in cute, nonthreatening or comical ways.


dragon year

/ˈdɹæɡənˌjɜː(ɹ)/

A loan translation from Chinese, equivalent to Mandarin 龍年／龙年 (lóng nián, “dragon year”).

The Dragon takes over from the Rabbit on Feb 17, but according to a prominent astrologer, the Dragon Year actually dawns on Feb 4.

1988 January 29, “The path of the Dragon”, in The Business Times, Singapore, page 18:

The dragon is the symbol of power and wealth, but being born in a dragon year is more the financial equivalent of having a strong tail wind.

2012 January 23, Biz-Community (Cape Town), South Africa; Fierce Financial Management for the Year of the Dragon, Africa News

Last year, there were more than 42,600 live births, boosted by the auspicious Dragon Year.

2013 August 13, Imelda Saad, “S'pore seems on track for similar birth numbers as last year”, in Channel NewsAsia, Singapore:

In 2011 and 2012, prospective parents in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore admitted to consciously timing their pregnancy for a dragon year.

2015 February 24, Rosie Cima, How the Chinese Zodiac Affects National Birth Rates:

(Singapore) A year that corresponds with the fifth animal sign in the Chinese zodiac and occurs once every 12 years.


Hanukkah bush

A Jewish substitute for a Christmas tree formerly commonly used in North America during the holiday season.


first-foot

en-noun

first-foot (plural first-foots or first-feet)

first-foots (plural)
first-feet (plural)

(Northern England, Scotland) The first person to enter the home of a household on New Year's Day.

მეკვლე

first person to enter the home of a household on New Year’s Day


white Christmas slice

white Christmas slice (plural white Christmas slices)

This popular white Christmas slice has been given an Aussie flavour and named after the sulphur-crested cockatoo.

2006, R.I.C. Publications, An Aussie Christmas, page 46:

Describe the changes Cophaᵀᴹ (a shortening agent derived from coconut flesh) makes to the mixture when making White Christmas slice.

2008, Lee-Ann Holmes, Rhymes for big rascals, R.I.C. Publications, page 74:

This version is richer and creamier than regular White Christmas slice.

2011, Sally Wise, Leftover Makeovers: Quick and Fabulous Food From Your Fridge and Pantry, unnumbered page:

(Australia, cooking) A sweet food item made from dried fruits and nuts mixed with copha or white chocolate or similar sweet white binding and allowed to set in a tray to make slices.


Weed Day

From weed being slang for cannabis, and the number 420 being associated with the consumption of marijuana, with the date 4/20 being of similar pronunciation.

(US) April 20th of any year, regarded informally as a time to celebrate marijuana consumption.


Selection Monday

Selection Monday (plural Selection Mondays)

(US, basketball) The Monday in March on which the teams that participate in the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament are selected.

NCAA basketball tournament selection process


X-Day

unconditional surrender
unconditional surrender

(historical) 1 November 1945, the planned date for the Allied invasion of Kyushu in southwestern Japan in World War II (cancelled following Japan's unconditional surrender in September 1945).


ho, ho, ho

A deep, hearty laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus.

ሆ ፣ ሆ ፣ ሆ

a laugh or chuckle, most associated with Santa Claus


Kumbh Mela

Borrowed from Hindustani کُن٘بھ میلَہ (kuṉbh mela) / कुंभ मेला (kumbh melā). Related to kumbha and mela.

Kumbh Mela (The Pot Fair) is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage and a religious festival where millions of sadhus, pilgrims, and devotees come for historical ritual bathing at four sites on the banks of Rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Godavari and Shipra, considered sacrad.

2005, Kartar Sing hBhalla, Let's Know Festivals of India, →ISBN, page 7:

Kumbh Mela is the single largest religious congregation or, in fact, human gathering of any kind on Earth.

2010, Badri Narain, Kedar Narain, Christopher N. Burchett, Kumbh Mela and the Sadhus: The Quest for Immortality, →ISBN:

Once every twelve years a great Kumbh Mela takes place, when the propitious timing is amplified many thousands of times over. And, in keeping with the lunar cycles, every twelfth great Kumbh Mela is the 'Maha' -- held ever 144 years.

2013, Tahir Shah, Three Essays: Cannibalism, The Kumbh Mela, The Legacy of Arab Science, →ISBN:

Kumbh Melas are held every 12 years. The last Haridwar Kumbh Mela was held in 2010.

2021 April 20, Shuddhabrata Sengupta, “Kumbh 2021: Astrology, Mortality and the Indifference to Life of Leaders and Stars”, in The Wire, archived from the original on 2021-01-09:

A Hindu festival, held every twelve years at four locations in India, at which pilgrims bathe in the Ganges and Yamuna rivers for purification from sin.


Julian day

A date expressed as a real number of days counted with GMT noon on 1 January 4713 BCE in proleptic Julian calendar (November 24, 4714 BCE, in the proleptic Gregorian calendar) as zero; used primarily by astronomers and historians to compare events recorded in different cultures.


Dasher

A Visit from St. Nicholas
Santa Claus's reindeer

From dasher.
* (reindeer): First attested in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Dasher.wav


Dancer

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Dancer.wav

From dancer.
(reindeer): First attested in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”


Prancer

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Prancer.wav

First attested in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. From prancer.


Vixen

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Vixen.wav

First attested in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. From vixen.


Comet

First attested in the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas”. From comet.

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Comet.wav


Ghost Festival

A traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival in Asia, when ghosts and spirits are said to emerge from the lower realm, and deceased ancestors are venerated.


September equinox

September equinox (usually uncountable, plural September equinoxes)

(astronomy) The moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator while heading southward, occurring on September 22–23. That would be autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere and vernal equinox in the southern hemisphere.


March equinox

March equinox (usually uncountable, plural March equinoxes)

(astronomy) The moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator while heading northward, occurring on March 19–21. That would be vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere and autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere.


June solstice

June solstice (usually uncountable, plural June solstices)

(astronomy) The moment when the sun reaches the northernmost point of the sky, occurring on June 20–22. That would be summer solstice in the northern hemisphere and winter solstice in the southern hemisphere.


December solstice

December solstice (usually uncountable, plural December solstices)

(astronomy) The moment when the sun reaches the southernmost point of the sky, occurring on December 21–22. That would be winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.


northern solstice

northern solstice (usually uncountable, plural northern solstices)

June solstice, when the sun reaches the northernmost point of the sky.


southern solstice

southern solstice (usually uncountable, plural southern solstices)

December solstice, when the sun reaches the southernmost point of the sky


northward equinox

northward equinox (usually uncountable, plural northward equinoxes)

March equinox, when the sun crosses the equator while heading northward.


southward equinox

southward equinox (usually uncountable, plural southward equinoxes)

September equinox, when the sun crosses the equator while heading southward.


In what they termed “a call to arms,” an organization of American university astronomers said last week that NASA should begin planning now to launch a sort of supersize version of the Hubble Space Telescope in the 2030s to look for life beyond Earth.

2015 July 13, Dennis Overbye, “The Telescope of the 2030s”, in The New York Times:

Today, the world is seeing record-shattering storms in California and catastrophic drought in places like East Africa. But by the 2030s, as temperatures rise, climate hazards are expected to increase all over the globe as different countries face more crippling heat waves, worsening coastal flooding and crop failures, the report says.

2023 March 20, Brad Plumer, “Climate Change Is Speeding Toward Catastrophe. The Next Decade Is Crucial, U.N. Panel Says.”, in The New York Times:

The first summer on record that melts practically all of the Arctic’s floating sea ice could occur as early as the 2030s, according to a new scientific study — about a decade sooner than researchers previously predicted.

2023 June 6, Raymond Zhong, “Arctic Summer Could Be Practically Sea-Ice-Free by the 2030s”, in The New York Times:

teens · twenties · thirties · forties · fifties · sixties · seventies · eighties · nineties

Gay Nineties · Naughty Nineties · Roaring Twenties · Dirty Thirties · Swinging Sixties


Now, three scientists from the Met Office, the British weather agency, have concluded that human-caused global warming is going to make European summer heat waves “commonplace” by the 2040s.

2014 December 8, David Jolly, “Heat Waves in Europe Will Increase, Study Finds”, in The New York Times:

The census has lumped African-Americans, Latinos and Asian-Americans together, projected their numbers to the 2040s and decided that the sum should be labeled a majority.

2017 May 11, Herbert J. Gans, “The Census and Right-Wing Hysteria”, in The New York Times:

The research, which examined daily temperatures and data from nearly 450 Sierra Nevada fires from 2001 to 2020 and projected the analysis into the future, found that the number of fires could increase by about 20 percent or more by the 2040s, and that the total burned area could increase by about 25 percent or more.

2021 November 17, Henry Fountain, “Hotter Summer Days Mean More Sierra Nevada Wildfires, Study Finds”, in The New York Times:


The new paper analyzed the drought and heat that killed millions of aspens in Colorado and nearby states a decade ago. Such conditions could become routine across much of the West by the 2050s unless global emissions are brought under control, the study found.

2015 March 30, Justin Gillis, “Climate Change Threatens to Kill Off More Aspen Forests by 2050s, Scientists Say”, in The New York Times:

There is still one last chance to shift course, the new report says. But it would require industrialized nations to join together immediately to slash greenhouse gases roughly in half by 2030 and then stop adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere altogether by the early 2050s.

The Amish are another: By the 2050s their population may be shooting past a million.

2024 March 30, Ross Douthat, “It’s Easter 2050. Here’s What American Religion Looks Like.”, in The New York Times:


I’ll be 90 years old then, so my own lifetime will cover nearly half the distance between the 1860s (a past that we think of as distant) and the 2060s (a future that still feels remote).

2015 June 10, The Editors, “Disunion: The Final Q & A”, in The New York Times:

The time is somewhere in the 2060s, 20 years after the powerful search engine Information (think Google on meth) has helped the world achieve Thomas Jefferson’s optimal condition for democracy: a citizenry that is not just well informed but perpetually informed, and more connected than ever thanks to ubiquitous translation software.

2016 June 17, N.k. Jemisin, “The Latest in Science Fiction and Fantasy”, in The New York Times:

But I do believe the estimates that project a plunge to fewer than 35 million people by the late 2060s — and that decline alone may be enough to thrust Korean society into crisis.

2023 December 2, Ross Douthat, “Is South Korea Disappearing?”, in The New York Times:


Moderate reductions in emissions of heat-trapping gases — sufficient to stop global emissions growth by 2040 and bring emissions down to half their current levels by the 2070s — can avoid those paralyzing extremes and limit the expected late-century experience of the average American to about 18 dangerously humid days a year. And strong reductions — bringing global emissions to zero by the 2080s — can cap the growth of humidity extremes by the midcentury.

2015 June 6, Robert Kopp, Jonathan Buzan and Matthew Huber, “The Deadly Combination of Heat and Humidity”, in The New York Times:

It’s the 2070s, sea levels have risen and war stalks the land, but government — and government’s fussy linguistic style — endures.

2019 March 14, Ben H. Winters, “What Do the Make-Believe Bureaucracies of Sci-Fi Novels Say About Us?”, in The New York Times:

The first beneficiaries will be people living in the 2070s because of what’s already in the system.

2022 April 22, David Marchese, “This Eminent Scientist Says Climate Activists Need to Get Real”, in The New York Times:


If the population hits around 10 billion people in the 2080s and then begins to decline, it might still exceed today’s eight billion after 2100.

2023 September 18, “The World’s Population May Peak in Your Lifetime. What Happens Next?”, in The New York Times:

Demographers expect the world’s population to peak in the coming decades — likely around 10 billion in the 2080s, according to experts at the U.N.

2024 March 20, German Lopez, “An American Slowdown”, in The New York Times:


There has been an increase in the number of women in energy leadership positions in the past 10 years, but there's still a long way to go. In fact, it could take more than 70 years, or until the 2090s, to close the gender gap in global energy C-suites, based on the current growth in women’s leadership in the energy sector, according to new research by S&P Global.

2019 September 9, Renee Morad, “It will take this many years to close the gender gap in the global energy sector”, in MSNBC:

Yeah, I think it was a Brookings Report that showed that those institutions wouldn't really be under majority-minority rule, and more majority Black and brown country until the 2090s.

2022 August 17, Why Is This Happening?, “Sharing the first live #WITHpod mailbag with Doni Holloway: podcast and transcript”, in MSNBC:


Wildlife biologist Stanley Temple hypothesised that perhaps the dodo tree was dependent on its seeds passing through the digestive system of dodos in order to properly germinate and that the handful of individuals in the 1970s were the last remaining trees from seeds that passed through a dodo in the 1690s-1700s when they went extinct.

The years 1700 to 1709, almost the same period as the 1st decade of the 18th century (which, however, was from 1701 to 1710).


After the 1600s, the discourse on affects becomes confused with musical rhetoric: think of the first list of musicorhetorical figures published by Burmeister (1599), […]

2013, Tom Cochrane, Bernardino Fantini, Klaus R. Scherer, The Emotional Power of Music:

However, one could make a strong correlation to her success ruling Europe in the 1600s to her having a snatched waist while strutting around the castle in heels. Come on, you know the world bends to a woman with 36-24-36 body measurements.

2020 January 7, Chloé Hilliard, F*ck Your Diet: And Other Things My Thighs Tell Me, Gallery Books, →ISBN, page 131:

Beer as a cocktail ingredient isn’t a revolutionary idea. It’s long played a part in drinkmaking. The original flips, concocted in the late 1600s, were made with beer, rum, sugar and whole egg, and served hot.

2020 August 14, Rebekah Peppler, “Beer Truly Is the Champagne of Cocktails”, in The New York Times:


However, after the 1980s, the "North-South dipole" disappeared and snowpack declined across the entire range, indicating temperature is playing an increasingly important role in snowpack levels. This West-wide decline appeared to occur only one other time in the tree-ring record during the 1350s and early 1400s when temperatures were nearly as warm as today.

2011 June 9, Laura Petersen, “1,000-Year Record Shows Unusual Snowpack Declines -- Study”, in The New York Times:

Another people, the Surinen, lived near the coast. Like the Arawaks and the Caribs, they had migrated northward into Suriname. The Arawak and Carib peoples greatly outnumbered the Surinen. The Surinen were disappearing by the late 1400s.

2009 January 8, Thomas Streissguth, Suriname in Pictures, →ISBN, page 20:

If you have time to go farther afield, the artist invites you to visit Kam Tin. Away from the bustle and grind of the main city, the district is made up of small villages including Kat Hing Wai, a walled village built in the middle to late 1400s.

2023 March 22, Christy Choi, “Hong Kong Locals on Where to Eat, Drink and Play During Art Basel”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-22, Travel:


Giving Tuesday

(US, marketing) The Tuesday after Thanksgiving Weekend, promoted as a day for donations, after the consumerism of Black Friday/Black Week/Cyber Monday


Thanksgivukkah

Blend of Thanksgiving + Hanukkah. Coined for 2013, when the first day of Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving.

We’re still 24 hours away from Thanksgiving 2012, but it’s never too early to start thinking of next year, right? Apparently not, at least, not for the folks behind Thanksgivukkah. You see, next year Thanksgiving falls on the first night of Hanukkah, and well, “Thanksgiving” + “Hanukkah” = “Thanksgivukkah”. Get it?

2012 November 21, Rafiss, “Well, This Exists: Thanksgivukkah”, in Heeb:

Thanksgiving and the first day of Hanukkah — the Jewish Festival of Lights — fall on the same day this year, creating what many celebrants have dubbed “Thanksgivukkah.” And it’s opened up a whole new world of culinary opportunities.

2013 October 21, Jim Romanoff, “Thanksgiving and Hanukkah — together at the table”, in Houston Chronicle:

The pairing of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah as Thanksgivukkah works so well, it raises the question among us daters -- why not pair up even more things in your life that can benefit you romantically?

2015, Mark Miller, 500 Dates: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Online Dating Wars, →ISBN:

My mother requested that I make sufganiyot" -- Hanukkah jelly doughnuts -- "and did hear that some people are filling them with cranberry jam, which I think is a great idea for Thansgivukkah," Bialik chuckled.

2016, Vance Lehmkuhl, V for Veg: The Best of Philly’s Vegan Food Column, →ISBN:

This recipe is based on one of my contributions to Thanksgivukkah that has lived on past all of that jazz.

2016, Molly Yeh, Molly on the Range: Recipes and Stories from an Unlikely Life on a Farm, →ISBN:

(Judaism, US) A combined celebration of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah.


Michaelmas term

Michaelmas term (plural Michaelmas terms)

Michael (archangel)
Royal Courts of Justice

From Michaelmas + term; Michaelmas is from Michael (“the name of the biblical archangel”) + -mas (suffix indicating a holiday or sacred day), meaning the feast day of St Michael. Michael is derived from Late Latin Michahel, from Koine Greek Μιχαήλ (Mikhaḗl), from Biblical Hebrew מִיכָאֵל (mîḵāʾēl, “who is like God?”); while -mas is from mass, from Middle English masse, from Old English mæsse (“mass (celebration of the Eucharist)”), from Vulgar Latin *messa (“Eucharist; dismissal”), from Late Latin missa, a noun use of the feminine past participle of Latin mittere, the present active infinitive of mittō (“to dispatch, send; to discharge, release; to dismiss”), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- (“to exchange”). The Christian feast day of Michaelmas, 29 September, occurs a few days before the start of this term.

der

A Rule was made for the Plaintiff to ſhew Cauſe why the Trial ſhould not be reſpited till Michaelmas''' Term next upon Affidavits that a material Witneſs for Defendant was gone to Sea, and was not expected home till Auguſt next. […] Per Cur[iam]: Let the Rule be abſolute, it being ſworn that the Witneſs is not expected to return till Auguſt next. The Trial muſt be put off till Michaelmas''' Term, without farther motion.

1772, Henry Barnes, “Stratford against Marshall”, in Notes of Cases in Points of Practice Taken in the Courts of Common Pleas at Westminster; from Michaelmas Term 1732, to Hilary Term 1756 inclusive. […], 2nd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan and M. Woodfall, […]; for William Owen, […], →OCLC, pages 440–441:

In Robinson v. Taylor, 5 Dowl. 518, which was a country cause, and issue had been joined in Easter vacation; no notice of trial for the summer assizes; it was held that it was not too early to move in the following Michaelmas term.

1839, Charles [Favell Forth] Wordsworth, “Cases Determined upon the New Rules and Statutes since the Publication of the Last Edition”, in Supplement to the Rules of Court, from Michaelmas Term, 1830, to the Present Time, including those on Pleading; […], London: A. Maxwell, […], →OCLC, page ccccv:

[Order] XIX. That whenever the time allowed for any of the following purposes, that is to say, for amending any bill, for filing, delivering, and referring exceptions to any answer, or for obtaining a Master's report upon any exceptions, would expire in the interval between the last seal after Trinity term and the first seal before Michaelmas term, or between the last seal after Michaelmas term and the first seal before Hilary term, such time shall extend to and include the day of the general seal then next ensuing.

1845, R. Levinge Swift, “Appendix. Lord Lyndhurst’s Orders of 3rd April, 1828, (Amended by Lord Brougham’s Orders, 23rd November, 1831.)”, in The Orders of the High Court of Chancery, from Hilary Term 1828 to Trinity Term 1845, as at Present Applicable to the Practice: […], London: Owen Richards, […], →OCLC, pages 8–9:

(law) The first term of the legal year, running from October to December, during which the upper courts of England and Wales, and Ireland, sit to hear cases.

There are four terms in the year, viz. 1. Michaelmas term, which begins on the 10th of October, and ends on the 17th of December.

1813, “University Terms, and How Many are Required to be Kept for each Degree”, in The Oxford University Calendar, for the Year 1813, Oxford: […] Munday and Slatter, for J. Parker; and F[rancis] C[harles] and J[ames] Rivington, […], →OCLC, page 65:

Archbishop King's Lecturer lectures, for the two first Terms, upon the Evidences of Natural and Revealed Religion, with a special reference to the objections against them, and in the third Term, upon the Socinian Controversy. The course of his Assistants is— / Michaelmas Term.—The Gospel of St. Luke, in Greek, as the basis of a harmony. […]

1838, James Thomas O’Brien, “Note F.—Page 5.”, in An Introductory Lecture Delivered in the Divinity School in Trinity College, Dublin, on the First Lecture Day of Michaelmas term, 1837, Dublin: Milliken and Son, […]; London: Longman, Orme, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 71:

(Oxford, Dublin)

(Cambridge)

(education) The first academic term of the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from October to December; the term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates.


Easter term

Easter + term. The word Easter is from Old English ēastre, apparently from Ēastre (“the name of a goddess whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox”), from Proto-Germanic *Austrǭ. The Christian feast day of Easter, which falls between 22 March and 25 April, often occurs during this term.

There are four terms in the year, viz. […] 3. Easter term, which begins on the tenth day after Easter Sunday, and ends on the day before Whitsunday.

1813, “University Terms, and How Many are Required to be Kept for each Degree”, in The Oxford University Calendar, for the Year 1813, Oxford: Printed by Munday and Slatter, for J. Parker; and F[rancis] C[harles] and J[ames] Rivington, London, →OCLC, page 65:

(education) The summer term of the University of Cambridge, and other educational institutions, running from April to June; equivalent to Trinity term at the universities of Oxford and Dublin. The term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates.


Trinity term

The Christian feast day of Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Whitsunday or Pentecost, occurs during this term; it falls at the end of May or in early June.

There are four terms in the year, viz. […] 4. Trinity term, which begins on Wednesday after Whitsunday, and ends on the Saturday after the Act, which is always on the first Tuesday in July.

(education) The third and final academic term of the universities of Oxford and Dublin, and other educational institutions, running from April to June; equivalent to Easter term at the University of Cambridge. The term was modelled after the legal term, but does not begin and end on the same dates.


unholiday

Yet the most touching gifts are often the ones that come as unbirthday or unholiday or unanniverary gifts.

2013, Patricia Spadaro, Honor Yourself: The Inner Art of Giving and Receiving, →ISBN:

I guess this unholiday is exactly what we all needed today, she thought as she pulled into the driveway.

2014, Lorraine Turner, Calico Horses and the Patchwork Trail, →ISBN:

It being your unbirthday then you must be invited to boogie at the bank unholiday.

2015, Douglas Gilbert, Alice In Wunderkinderland With a Hedgehog, →ISBN:

Today we declare an unholiday. We'll take a break from all our play.

2015, Douglas Evans, Children's Games, page 122:

A day or period of time which is not a holiday, but is celebrated as if it were one.


Lantern Festival

en-noun

the Lantern Festival (plural Lantern Festivals)

the Lantern Festival (canonical)
Lantern Festivals (plural)

From the carrying and displaying of lanterns during such festivals.

A festival marking the end of the Chinese New Year period, celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the Chinese calendar when the first full moon of the year is seen (in February or early March).


evennight

From Middle English *even-night, from Old English efnniht, from Proto-West Germanic *ebnanaht (“equinox”), equivalent to even- + night. Cognate with Old Frisian evennacht, ivinnacht, Old Norse jafnnætti. Compare also Dutch nachtevening (“equinox”).

inh

Ostara's Day is the first Sunday following the Spring Evennight, which means it can never be later than March 31, even when March 24 is the previous Sunday, and the old date is used, March 25, for the beginning of spring.

1992, Stephen A. McNallen, Maddy Hutter, The Runestone - Volumes 1-12:

"I have told the leaders of Kaar that wolves will only come back to the village if a krianan brings them. They are choosing a new krianan at their Spring Festival on Even Night."

2015, Dorothy Hearst, Spirit of the Wolves:

"I'll be there. At the even-night." Five months away.

2016, Victoria Whitworth, Daughter of the Wolf:

Belly round now with the child. Please bring Grandmother to me. The harvest had been gathered less than a month ago and in three days folk would be celebrating the 'even night', the feast of Mabon, when day and night were equal in length, and beer and wine would be drunk in huge amounts in thanksgiving of the safe bringing in of the earth's bounties.

2016, Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Annie Whitehead, 1066 Turned Upside Down:

(rare, historical, Germanic paganism) Equinox.


Darwin Day

The date of February 12, an annual celebration of the birth of Charles Darwin in 1809.


Raya

I will be back home for Raya.

Raya traffic jams, Raya makeover

Hari Raya Aidilfitri
Hari Raya Aidilfitri#English

(Malaysia, informal) Ellipsis of Hari Raya Aidilfitri., Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival that marks the end of the Ramadan fast.


Double Ninth Festival

en-noun

Double Ninth Festival (plural Double Ninth Festivals)

Before the double ninth festival [ninth day of ninth lunar month], Hsiangfen County, Shansi Province, saw a promising year--the output of all autumn grain crops increased 10 percent.

1978 October 24 [1978 October 15], Ma Ho-ching, “Shansi Commune Rejects County Directive, Earns Greater Income”, in Daily Report: People's Republic of China, volume I, number 206, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, sourced from Peking NCNA Domestic Service, translation of original in Chinese, →ISSN, →OCLC, People's Republic of China: North Region, page K 3:

A traditional Chinese holiday falling on the ninth day of the ninth month in the Chinese calendar.


en-verb

think<,,thought> all one's Christmases have come at once

think all one's Christmases have come at once (third-person singular simple present thinks all one's Christmases have come at once, present participle thinking all one's Christmases have come at once, simple past and past participle thought all one's Christmases have come at once)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-think all one's Christmases have come at once.wav

(informal) To be delighted with one's good fortune.


Twelfth Day

From the fact that Epiphany is the twelfth day after Christmas Day.

A Sermon preached by Maiſter Hugh Latimer on Tvvelfth day, at Grimſtrope. Anno. 1553.

1607, Hugh Latimer, “A Sermon Preached by Maister Hugh Latimer on Tvvelfth Day, at Grimstrope. Anno. 1553.”, in Fruitfull Sermons Preached by the Right Reuerend Father, and Constant Martyr of Iesus Christ, M. Hvgh Latimer, Newly Imprinted with Others not heeretofore set forth in Print, to the Edefying of All which will Dispose Themselues to the Reading of the Same. Seene and Allowed according to the Order Appointed in the Kings Maiestes Iniunctions, London: Printed [by William Jaggard] for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC, chapter title, page 290:

A Preſbyter of the Church of England has long officiated in a Meeting Houſe of this ſeceding deſcription, in London; but that is not all, he ordains too: […] But I would ſay both to the ordainer and the ordained, by what authority doſt thou theſe things, and who gave thee this authorty? […] [A]s to any legality to be derived from ſuch pretended orders, without the permiſſion I have alluded to, thoſe who draw Kings and Queens over a twelfth-day cake, have as good claims to the Crown of England!

1799, Edward Barry, The Friendly Call of Truth and Reason to a New Species of Dissenters, Reading, Berkshire: Printed for the author, and sold by Elmsley & Bremner, in the Strand, London; Smart & Cowslade, Reading, & all other booksellers, →OCLC, footnote, pages 12–13:

The Epiphany is called Twelfth Day, because it falls on the twelfth day after Christmas Day. Epiphany signifies Manifestation, and is applied to this day because it is the day whereon Christ was manifested to the Gentiles.

1828, William Pulleyn, “Section X. Eras, Months, Weeks, Days, &c.”, in The Etymological Compendium, or Portfolio of Origins and Inventions; …, London: Printed for Thomas Tegg, 73, Cheapside; Glasgow: R. Griffin and Co.; Dublin: J. Cumming, →OCLC, page 185:

It is indeed remarkable that the twelfth day nearly coincides in the time of the year with the Saturnalia; and Fosbrooke even finds that the king of the Saturnalia was elected, like the king of the twelfth night, by a bean. […] As all the various customs of different countries on this day concur in the common object of commemorating the visit of the three wise men, or kings, to the birthplace of Christ, a king is in some way or other always a conspicuous personage in the entertainments which take place. In France, previously to the revolution, this mode of celebrating twelfth day prevailed as well at court as among the people in general. At the former, one of the nobles was chosen king, and at the entertainment which followed, the twelfth-day monarch was attended by the king and courtiers.

1847, Robert Sears, “France”, in Scenes and Sketches in Continental Europe: Embracing Descriptions of France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Sicily, Switzerland, Belgium, and Holland, together with Interesting Notices of Their Principal Cities and Towns. Carefully Prepared from the Best and Latest Sources, New York, N.Y.: Published by Robert Sears, 128 Nassau Street; J. S. Redfield, Clinton Hall, →OCLC, page 38:

[W]e fell into a discussion upon the merits of those family meetings which this season brought with it; and it was agreed that the celebration of Christmas, of New Year's and Twelfth-days, the birthday and saint's day of the head of the family, and other festivals, were favourable to the maintenance of domestic harmony, and were therefore worthy of being preserved.

1855, Duchess D'Abrantes (Madame Junot), chapter LXXVII, in Memoirs of Napoleon, His Court and Family. … In Two Volumes, volume I, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, 346 & 348 Broadway, →OCLC, page 533:

[…] Epiphany is a Christian feast, also known as Twelfth Day, as it is the twelfth day after Christmas. Traditionally, this coincides with the visit of the Magi. The day is marked by feasting and celebration.

2008, Susan Wiggs, “Epiphany”, in Snowfall at Willow Lake (The Lakeshore Chronicles; 4), Don Mills, Ont.: Mira Books, →ISBN:

(Christianity) Synonym of Epiphany (“an annual Christian feast on the twelfth day after Christmas Day (6 January) celebrating the appearance of Jesus Christ to the Magi”).


Belsnickel

Borrowed from Pennsylvania German Belsnickel.

bor+

[Describing a market scene of the 1780s] Spotted throughout the marketplace, too, were piles of greens—cedar and pine trees—awaiting purchase by the German burghers, who would dress them gaily in candles on Christmas Eve while their kinder watched—some quaking from fear of the Belsnickel Man, who was prone to seize and carry off in the dead of that very night all wee transgressors of the year just past.

1973, Samuel Redsecker II Slaymaker, Captives' Mansion: An American Family Chronicle Covering Nine Generations and Two Hundred Years in a Pennsylvania Rural Manor, Harper & Row, →ISBN, page 39:

A companion of St. Nicholas in some Germanophone regions, with various cultural roles, including rewarding well-behaved children with gifts and punishing ill-behaved children by corporal punishment or by spiriting them away from their homes. Homologous with Krampus in other regions.


Star of Bethlehem

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(biblical) The bright star in the Gospel of Matthew that lead the "wise men from the East" to travel to Bethlehem.


Hock Monday

(historical) The Monday of the old festival of Hocktide.


π Day

en-proper noun

<i class="Grek mention" lang="mul">π</i> Day

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As Quakers, we do not as a matter of religion celebrate any holidays (more accurately, all days are to be considered holidays because they have equal potential for revealing the Divine to us), but as a cultural matter we celebrate all kinds: Hindu, Christian, Jewish, ethnic, birthdays of famous composers, artists, writers, and scientists, π Day (March 14th – we bake several pies and divide them into fractions before eating), even some we just make up ourselves.

1999, David H. Albert, “Exits and Entrances”, in And the Skylark Sings with Me: Adventures in Homeschooling and Community-based Education, Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers in cooperation with Holt Associates/Growing Without Schooling, →ISBN, page 128:

Likewise, March 14 in North America has been π Day, since in the USA the month is written before the day ('314'). In schools throughout North America, it has become a reason for mathematical projects, especially focussing on π.

2012 June 19, Jonathan M[ichael] Borwein, “The Life of Pi: From Archimedes to Eniac and Beyond”, in David H[arold] Bailey, Jonathan M. Borwein, Pi: The Next Generation: A Sourcebook on the Recent History of Pi and Its Computation, Switzerland: Springer Nature, published 2016, →DOI, →ISBN, page 446:


Lunar New Year

en-noun

Lunar New Year (countable and uncountable, plural Lunar New Years)

Photos obtained by CNN from an attendee at a village funeral in Cheng'an County in Hebei Province show mourners of all ages, including children, watching the performance.
The attendee, who asked not to be identified, said he was visiting family during the Lunar New Year holiday. While he was there, one of the elderly villagers died so he went to the funeral.

2015 April 24, Euan McKirdy, “What a send-off: China's funeral strippers told to cover up”, in CNN, archived from the original on 2015-04-24:

An annual holiday of several cultures that marks the beginning of a new year according to a lunar or lunisolar calendar, as opposed to a new year dictated by a solar calendar such as the Julian or Gregorian calendars.


namahage

A demon-like being in Japanese folklore, portrayed by men in ogre masks and traditional straw capes during a New Year's ritual of admonishing badly-behaved children.


white Easter

An Easter Sunday on which there is a ground covering of snow or snowfall.


Ember day

From Middle English ember-dai, imber-dai, imbre-dai (“Ember day”), from Old English ymbren-dæg. Ymbren is possibly a corrupted form of Old English ymbryne (“period, revolution of time”), from ymb (“around, about”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi (“around, about”)) + ryne (“path along which motion occurs; course”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(H)r ̊-nw- (“to flow, move, run”)). Alternatively, Ember could be a corruption of Latin quatuor tempora (“four periods”), from which German Quatember (“Embertide”) is derived.

der

Days of Faſting or Abſtinence. [...] The Ember-days at the four Seaſons, being the Wedneſday, Friday, and Saturday after #92;#123; the First Sunday in Lent. / The Feaſt of Pentecoſt. / September 14. / December 13.

1662, Thomas Cranmer [et al.], compilers, “Tables & Rules for the Moveable and Immoveable Feasts; together with the Days of Fasting and Abstinence, through the Whole Year”, in The Book of Common-Prayer, and Administration of the Sacraments, […], London: […] John Bill, and Christopher Barker, […], →OCLC:

Saints Days, &c. [...] 9 [...] Ember-week [...] 11 [...] Ember-day [...] 12 [...] Ember-day

1715, Job Gadbury, “MARCH hath xxxi Days”, in ΈΦΗΜΕΡΙΣ [EPHEMERIS]: Or, A Diary Astronomical, Astrological, Meteorological, for the Year of Our Lord, 1715. […], London: Printed for T. W. for the Company of Stationers, →OCLC:

St. Lambard's day (Auguſt 15) the feaſt of the dedication of Ryerſh church happening frequently in the Ember days (in diebus iiiiᵐ temporum) and alſo in harveſt, the biſhop ordered that it ſhould be kept on the tranſlation of St. Martin in the ſummer, which was July 4th.

1784 May 6, Rev. Mr. Denne, “XXIX. Memoir on Hokeday.”, in Archaeologia: Or Miscellaneous Tracts Relating to Antiquity, London: Printed by J[ohn] Nichols, printer to the Society [of Antiquaries of London]; […], published 1785, →OCLC, pages 253–254:

47. When does the third Ember day happen? On the first Wednesday after the Holy Cross. 48. When does that day happen? The Holy Cross always happens on the 14th day of September. 49. Why is that day named Holy Cross? Because that day was instituted in consequence of Queen Helena finding a piece of the Cross on Mount Calvery,^([sic – meaning Calvary]) about the year A.D. 615.

1848, Joel Spyker, “Almanack. Containing 169 Questions and Answers.”, in A Collection of Geographical, Moral, Religious, Biblical, Political and Other Chapters, in the Form of Questions and Answers, […], Brookville, Pa.: Brady & Wilson, printers, →OCLC, page 115:

The Ember-days are periodical fasts originally instituted, it is said, by Pope Calixtus, in the third century, for the purpose of imploring the blessing of Heaven on the produce of the earth; and also preparing the clergy for ordination, in imitation of the apostolic practice recorded in the 13th chapter of the Acts.

1864, “December 13”, in R[obert] Chambers, editor, The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar: […] In Two Vols., volume II, Edinburgh: W[illiam] & R[obert] Chambers, →OCLC, page 687, column 2:

You must not butcher beef on an Ember day but you may cut it up.

1915, Edwin Miller Fogel, “Special Days and Seasons”, in Beliefs and Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans, Philadelphia, Pa.: American Germanica Press, →OCLC, paragraph 1305, page 252:

I then drove to the Red Lion, here I met one of the fathers the first thing he said to me was, I dispense you from eating fish today (an ember day) so I got some meat soup I found the stockport bus, and drive here.

2008, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Schoolboy (1867–1876)”, in Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower, Charles Foley, editors, Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters, London: Harper Perennial, →ISBN, page 49:

These are the Ember Days, the name derived from the German Quatember, a corruption of quattuor tempore, "the four times," four groups of three days (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), marking the seasons by fasting and abstinence.

2013, Philip H. Pfatteicher, “Advent”, in Journey into the Heart of God: Living the Liturgical Year, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 67:

Western Christianity
Western Christianity

(Christianity) Any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, that are set aside for fasting and prayer. In Western Christianity they are usually the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent, Whitsunday, Holy Cross Day (14 September), and Saint Lucy's Day (13 December).

Suché den

any of the three days within the same week, four separate sets of which occur roughly equidistant in the circuit of the year, set aside for fasting and prayer


Christmas light

en-noun

Christmas light (plural Christmas lights)

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(chiefly in the plural) One of the electric lights, often arranged in strings, used at Christmas to decorate a Christmas tree, outdoor trees or bushes, a house, etc.

luz de Natal (usually in the plural "luzes de Natal")

solas Nollaige (usually in the plural "solais Nollaige")

luz de Navidad (usually in the plural "luces de Navidad")


young moon

The phase of the moon when it is waxing, especially before quarter moon.

Fred Schaaf (1983) Wonders of the Sky: Observing Rainbows, Comets, Eclipses, the Stars and Other Phenomena, page 70: “Thus you can know that it would be impossible to to see a young moon at sunset if new moon had occurred just a few hours earlier.”

John E. Westfall (2000) Atlas of the Lunar Terminator, page 61: “The young Moon is best observed shortly after a springtime sunset, as is the case here.”

Chet Raymo (2005) The Soul of the Night: An Astronomic Pilgrimage, page 26: “There is a legend that Johannes Kepler, the Renaissance astronomer, once saw the old moon one morning and the young moon on the evening of the same day, but the story is hardly credible.”


Charlie Brown Christmas tree

Charlie Brown Christmas tree (plural Charlie Brown Christmas trees)

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My friends have wives that I'd be happy to take home to Mom, but I've only met the Charlie Brown Christmas trees of the dating world.

1999, Peter Bartula, “Well Then, Where the Hell is She?: Where to Look for the Perfect Woman”, in The Complete Male Handbook for Sex, Dating, and Other Trivial Stuff, Lincoln, Neb.: toExcel Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 27:

We had a little tree in our den area with a few little lights on it. It reminded me of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree a little bit and I kind of felt sorry for us because I realized we were poor by society's standards.

2009 July 6, Doneareum S. Winston, “Born into the Struggle”, in Panning for Gold, Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 24:

[H]e spotted an abandoned tree near a dumpster at the back of the lot. It was a scrawny little thing, not much to look at. But it was a tree—and apparently it was free. Bob took it home to their little apartment, and Jayne nearly smothered the little tree in blinking lights and ornaments and garlands and tinsel. The baby was spellbound by the little Charlie Brown Christmas tree—and thus began a Ritter tradition.

2010, Delilah Scott, Emma Troy, “’Tis Better to Give … Or Why Beauty is in the Eye of the Gift Giver”, in The Upside-down Christmas Tree and Other Bizarre Yuletide Tales, Guildford, Conn.: Lyons Press, Globe Pequot Press, →ISBN, page 115:

It was a humble little plant, fragile, a fledgling shrub with a few sprays of leaves—a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

2014, Lev Grossman, The Magician’s Land (The Magicians Trilogy; 3), New York, N.Y.: Plume, published 2015, →ISBN, page 389:

Charlie Brown tree
Charlie Brown tree#English


Charlie Brown's Christmas tree

Charlie Brown's Christmas tree (plural Charlie Brown's Christmas trees)

Charlie Brown's Christmas trees (plural)

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Oh yes, 'twas the night before Christmas, / and it was a horrible site to see. / Things were looking sadder than Charlie Brown's / Christmas tree. / But hark! There was hope, and all was not lost.

2002, Wendell J. Powell I, “’Twas the Nite before Christmas – 1997”, in 12 Spiritual Voices, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 23:

When Rick laughs near me, the ground quakes because he is a California redwood, and I am Charlie Brown's Christmas tree. Now that I have won, he will not laugh. He will instead quietly pay for a very expensive dinner in a restaurant with no prices on the menu … and I will laugh. Though the story of the bet is true, beyond that has been Rick's earnest encouragement for me to move this book forward.

2009, Steven L. Layne, “Acknowledgments”, in Igniting a Passion for Reading: Successful Strategies for Building Lifetime Readers, Portland, Me.: Stenhouse Publishers, →ISBN, pages xv–xvi:

Walking around the dwarfed trees with bare spots throughout their branches, I commented that they reminded me of Charlie Brown's Christmas trees.

2017, Marilyn Peake, chapter 14, in Blood and Ashes: A Paranormal Romance Novel, [s.n.]: Marilyn Peake:


bonfire toffee

(British) A hard and brittle toffee associated with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night (or Bonfire Night).


neep lantern

A third was a two-headed spectre, the upper one being a fiery head, that bore a suspicious resemblance to a neep lantern, and his body, or what should have been his body, was wrapped in a while sheet.

1873, Thomas Watson, Homely Pearls at Random Strung, page 270:

A neep lantern bobbing by the end of the palisade, near the Smith house, where a clutch of bairns stood in the footpath waiting for him.

2003, Heather Spears, The Flourish, page 347:

He always finished first in the annual Hallowe'en neep lantern competition though it was meant to be done by the pupils themselves.

2013, David M Addison, Confessions of a Banffshire Loon, page 288:

(Scotland) A lantern made from a hollowed-out turnip, traditionally used as decoration at Halloween.


Madaraka Day

From Swahili madaraka (“responsibility, power”).

bor

(Kenya) A national holiday celebrated on June 1, commemorating when Kenya gained self-rule.


Jamhuri Day

(Kenya) A national holiday celebrated on December 12, commemorating when Kenya became independent.


Mashujaa Day

(Kenya) A Kenyan national holiday celebrated on October 20.


Kenyatta Day

(Kenya) Former name of Mashujaa Day, official until changed in 2010.


Christmasish

en-adj

Christmasish (comparative more Christmasish, superlative most Christmasish)

more Christmasish (comparative)
most Christmasish (superlative)

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Refection Sunday

From the relaxation of Lenten vows of abstinence customarily accepted on this Sunday midway through the season.

Mothering Sunday
Mothering Sunday#English

(dated) Synonym of Mothering Sunday: the fourth Sunday in Lent.


Regifugium

From Latin [Term?], literally "Flight of the King".

(historical) An annual festival on February 24 in Ancient Rome, commemorating the expulsion of the last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, in 510 BC.


Fugalia

Synonym of Regifugium (“ancient festival”)


International Women's Day

A holiday celebrated on March 8, with a focus on women's liberation, rights, class struggle, and femininity in general.


Lenten fare

(Christianity) Food that is fit to be consumed during Lent (in other words, food that does not contain meat).


heavenly birthday

en-noun

heavenly birthday (plural heavenly birthdays)

From the religious belief that the souls of the departed unite in heaven in the afterlife.

A birthday of a person after his or her death.


Old Style

The banded ones were all dressed in white gowns — a gay survival from Old Style days, when cheerfulness and May-time were synonyms — days before the habit of taking long views had reduced emotions to a monotonous average.

1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 16:

As the [Manx] people reckon this festival according to the Old Style, Hollantide in the Isle of Man is our twelfth of November.

1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 10, page 244:

(historical) The Julian calendar system, especially with reference to Russia, where it continued to be used until the early 20th century.

(historical) A dating system in which March 25 is the New Year's Day.


rushbearing

(historical) A rural festival when the parish church was strewn with rushes, between haymaking and harvest.


Reminiscere Sunday

From Latin Reminiscere (“Remember!”), the beginning of the introit of the day's mass, traditionally drawn from Latin translations of Psalm 25.

(Roman Catholicism) The second Sunday in Lent.


Oculi Sunday

From Latin oculi (“eyes”), from the 1st word of the introit of the day's mass, traditionally a Latin translation of Psalm 25:15.

(Roman Catholicism) The third Sunday in Lent.


Carl Sunday

(British, dated or dialectal) Synonym of Carling Sunday: the fifth Sunday in Lent.


Carle Sunday

From carle, variant spelling of carl, see Carling Sunday for more.

(British, dated or dialectal) Synonym of Carl Sunday: the fifth Sunday in Lent.


Kris Kringel

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The Germans brought to the county not only their skills but customs that we still see followed throughout the area. Some of these were the celebrating of Bels Nichol or Kris Kringel on the eve of St. Nicholas' feast in December; [...]

1977, Norbert Krapf, editor, Finding the Grain: Pioneer Journals, Franconian Folktales, Ancestral Poems, Jasper, Ind.: Dubois County Historical Society and Herald Printing, →ISBN, page 13:

Standing in the reception was a tall older man with a big bushy white beard that looked exactly like Kris Kringel in Miracle on 42nd Street.^([sic – meaning Miracle on 34th Street])

2004, Ballooning, volume 37, San Luis Obispo, Calif.: Balloon Federation of America, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 26:


Kriss Kringel

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In Germany, Santa has long been known as "Kriss Kringel" (derived from Christ Child). In America, the name is still used by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

1976, Good Housekeeping, volume 183, New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazines, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 76:

“I find it appalling that Kriss Kringel’s brother could be so cold-hearted about Christmas,” said Bartoli.

2000, E[ugene] F[orrest] Shelby, “The Antisanta”, in Gothic Alaskan and Other Stories: Bad Horror from the Dark Subcontinent, Lincoln, Neb.: Writers Club Press, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 198:


Anthesteria

From Ancient Greek Ἀνθεστήρια (Anthestḗria).

a Dionysian flower festival in ancient Athens


Punkie Night

From punkie (“lantern similar to a jack-o’-lantern”) + night.

(South West England, chiefly Somerset) A night near the end of October, related to Halloween, observed in parts of South West England by the displaying of punkies (“lanterns similar to jack-o'-lanterns”), and traditionally by children begging for candles for their punkies and threatening people who refuse their requests.


Pongal

Transliteration of Tamil பொங்கல் (poṅkal).

translit

A Hindu harvest festival of South India, particularly in the Tamil community, observed at the start of the month Tai (typically around January 14).


ember months

Comes from the fact that three of the four months end with "-ember".

For as long as can be remembered, the end of every year is believed to be synonymous with increased crime rate and road traffic accidents in Nigeria. The last four months, September to December, popularly referred to as the "ember months" because they end with "ember", fall into this category.

2017 August 26, “‘Ember Months’ of Tragedy: Separating the Myth from the Facts”, in Leadway, archived from the original on 2019-09-21:

(often Nigeria) The final four months of the year: September, October, November, and December.


egg rolling

A traditional Easter game in which decorated eggs "race" by being rolled downhill or pushed along the ground.


Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary

A Roman Catholic feast day celebrated on October 7.


Radonitsa

From Russian Ра́доница (Rádonica), literally "Day of Rejoicing". See also Russian рад (rad, “joyful”).

In the Russian Orthodox Church, a commemoration of the departed observed on the second Tuesday or second Monday of Pascha (Easter).


Christmas bush

en-noun

Christmas bush (plural Christmas bushes)

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Plants, of mostly unrelated species, that bloom around Christmas time.

A New South Wales Christmas bush), a tall shrub from Australia of species Ceratopetalum gummiferum.


Pride Month

(US) The month of June, declared for LGBT pride in commemoration of the Stonewall riots of June 1969.


Pride Day

(US) June 28, declared for LGBT pride, as it is the anniversary of the Stonewall riots of 1969.


menological

From menologium, menologion, &c. + -ical (“forming adjectives”). Equivalent to meno- + logical.

Of or related to a menologium in its various senses.


quadranscentennial

From Latin quadrans, from quadrans (“quarter”) + -ennium (compare annus (“year”)) + -ālis.

It is a year since we marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Journal of Sustainable Tourism, noting then that as we “embark upon the next quadranscentennial… we recognise that the 25 years ahead present a new order of challenges confronting sustainable development and sustainable tourism”.

2017 December 22, James Higham, “Transforming societies and transforming tourism: sustainable tourism in times of change”, in Journal of Sustainable Tourism, volume 26, number 1:

The twenty-fifth anniversary of an event or happening.


Coachella

/koʊˈt͡ʃɛlə/

Coined 1901 as the name of the city in California; origin unknown, but perhaps a misspelling of Spanish conchilla (“little shell”).

Riverside County
Riverside County#English

A city in Riverside County, California, United States.


Halloweven

HALLOWEVEN or Hallowe’en, the vigil of Hallowmas or All Saints’ Day.

1890, The Encyclopædia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences and General Literature, page 398:

She had heard the mystic wisdom / Of the waters of the meer; / There she sought her lover’s picture / ’Mid the Halloweven cheer.

1895, Werner's Magazine, volume 17, Halloweven Cheer, page 763:

659. Dalry.—On Halloweven the fairies rode on cats at the Holme Glen, Dalry. On that night considerate housekeepers shut up their cats, to prevent them from being laid hold of by the fairies.

1898, British Association for the Advancement of Science, Report of the Annual Meeting, volume 67, page 491:


Friendsmas

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Coordinate term: Friendsgiving

Few would have a greater mountain of unwanted Christmas gifts to climb than primary school teacher Kathleen Bevis, who splits her time between four Christmas's and one "Friendsmas" each year. […] "I couldn't get rid of it," Ms Bevis said. "I re-gifted it to a friend at Friendsmas, only to find it left behind."

2014 December 25, Eryk Bagshaw, “Unwanted Christmas gifts: $520 million worth of presents”, in The Sydney Morning Herald:

(informal) A Christmas celebration spent with one's friends.


Dashain

(Hinduism) The Nepali version of the Vijayadashami festival.


Evolution Day

From evolution + day. From being the anniversary day of the day that On Origin of Species by Charles Darwin was originally published in 1859. From On Origin of Species being the seminal work that introduced biological evolution as the origin of the diversity of life on Earth.

evolutionary biology
evolutionary biology#English

(biology, holidays, celebrations) November the 24th; the day that celebrates the publication of On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, and evolutionary biology, evolution science.

holidays; celebrations; holidays; celebrations

en:Charles Darwin
en:Evolution Day
en:On Origin of Species


black Christmas

black Christmas (plural black Christmases)

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D. A black Christmas makes a fat churchyard. D. This is, in effect, the same as A green winter makes, &c., as a 'black Christmas is of course a Christmas without snow.

1882, William Carew Hazlitt, English Proverbs and Proverbial Phrases: Collected from the Most Authentic Sources, Alphabetically Arranged, and Annotated, page 3:

We didn't have any snow up here, that stayed until this year (1918) thus giving us a black Christmas, as they say, but the spirit was anything but black. Colored and white packages prevailed.

1917, The Journal of Electrical Workers and Operators, page 287:

We supposed that we were going to have a black Christmas, but we had snow and cold weather. The week before a storm had swept across the country to the northeastward, which just missed Albany and Boston, but […]

1928, John Van Schaick, Nature Cruisings to the Old Home Town and the Little Hill Farm:

“It was a black Christmas last year. It takes a white Christmas for a good crop year .” (Jesse Stuart, Beyond Dark Hills, 1938) (Snow adds nitrogen to the soil and is widely called “poor man's manure” because it fertilizes the soil, producing better crops.)

2000, Robert Hendrickson, The Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms, Infobase Publishing, →ISBN, page 345:

... the danger to her of travelling at that particular time of the year, the weather and the holiday crowds combined, Dorothy had written. Mrs. Fairlands turned sadly from the fireplace and walked slowly to the window. A black Christmas this year, the wireless report had [forecast].

2017, Martin Edwards, Crimson Snow: Winter Mysteries, Sourcebooks, Inc., →ISBN:

A Christmas Day or Christmas Eve in which there is no snowfall or ground covered with snow.


Christmas's tree

Christmas's tree (plural Christmas's trees)

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Seen today in the Sunday Times (not, it must be said, a British tabloid!) /[…]This will also enable us to once again use the services of Nina, who sang a Bond song that we feel is one that most typifies the series. This 'series' link will be heightened by her rendition of 'Do You Know How Christmas's Trees Are Grown.'

1998 November 22, Rhino, “TWINE Update”, in alt.fan.james-bond (Usenet):

The young man in a mournful cry / “Help me Jesus” or I will die. / He saw the star turning slowly; / He knew he was anew and made Holy. / Someone found the man in the cold. / Placed him under a Christmas’s Tree boldly, / When held did arrive, He was awake and alive.

2005, Charles E. Carr, “A Parable of the Holy Star”, in At the Door: A Book of Writings, Lyrics, Poems & Inspiration Essays, Trafford Publishing, →ISBN:

Smell of cigarettes, trash burning, someone / Cooking oak gumbo with chicken & sausage, and muddy / Brown stew. Barbecue pits set off / Flames dancing into the wind. / Christmas’s tree spreading the smell of / Fresh pine cones.

2011, Ina M. Easter, “Remembering a Moment”, in God, I Wonder, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 59:

Still can't grasp why Moslems oppose Christmas's trees? / In the Middle East were^([sic]) told a tree is a symbol of life. It is spectacular to see after days nothing but sand then in the distance a tree. You can see the Arabs mood change to pleasantry as soon as the "TREE" sighting is made. Once there you find water by the trees and usually a town

2012 December 8, petzl, “Moslems stop Christmass festivities in Campbelltown Shopping Centre”, in aus.politics (Usenet):

My local shopping Mall is not allowed to display Christmas's trees or play Christmas Carols because of Islamic threats

2013 December 1, petzl, “Australian police find 328 guns, 4.2 tons of ammo at farm”, in aus.politics (Usenet):

Table 6 Echocardiography, electrocardiogram and chest X-ray findings in scorpion sting envenomation /[…]/ [“Modality”] Electrocardiogram [“Finding and clinical significance”][…]• In acute myocardial injury: Arrowhead tented T wave look like Ashoka tree appearance / • Recovery of myocardial injury: Tent-shaped look like Christmas’s tree appearance

2015, S Mahadevan, R Ramesh Kumar, “Part III: Intensive Care and Emergencies”, “Section 9: Poisoning and Envenomation”, “7. Scorpion Sting”, in Piyush Gupta, PSN Menon, Siddarth Ramji, Rakesh Lodha (section editor), editors, PG Textbook of Pediatrics, volumes 1: “General Pediatrics and Neonatology”, Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd.: The Health Sciences Publisher, →ISBN, “Management”, page 321:

“Ma, it’s not dads^([sic]) fault. Why are you hollering at him?” “I’ve watched your father go out and kill people for twenty years. He never talks about it, but it’s always there. When the phone rings, your father lights up like a / Christmas’s tree. He likes killing people.”

2019, Don Bourassa, Dee Boer US Marshal, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

(rare) Nonstandard form of Christmas tree.


Mistress Santa Claus

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[…]And pretty Mistress Santa Claus, / With sugar sticking to her thumbs / And tiny fingers, laughs aloud / To think of that great eager crowd / Of smiling girls and smiling boys / Awaiting for her husband’s toys. / And oh! and oh! the sugar-plums! / And now, sweethearts, when merry Christmas comes, / And you greet Santa’s gifts with loud applause, / Remember who sent you the sugar-plums, / And give one cheer for Mistress Santa Claus.

1882, Margaret Eytinge, “Mistress Santa Claus”, in Harper’s Young People, volume III, New York: Harper & Brothers, […], page 119, column 1:

1. Of all the bu - sy people round, This bu - sy Christmas - tide, None works like Mis - tress /[…]/ San - ta Claus For days and nights be - side;[…]

1890, Alex. Lee, Ada S. Shelton, “Mistress Santa Claus”, in J. P. McCaskey, editor, Christmas in Song, Sketch, and Story: […], New York: Harper & Brothers, […], page 301:

Just as he started for his sleigh / One eve, in old December, / He turned to Mistress Santa Claus / And said, “Did you remember / About that fine new Paris doll / for wee Dot in the city? / I must not fail to take that gift, / ’Twould be a dreadful pity.”

1897, Mabel L. Pray, “A Christmas Gift”, in Alice Maude Kellogg, editor, Christmas Entertainments […]:

The first scene shows several little girls with their dollies enjoying a tea party, and in the act of singing “Go To Sleep, My Little Dollie,” after which they decide to journey North in search of Mistress Santa Claus.

¶ Uncle Sam has a great sack of mail for Santa Claus. There is trouble getting it to him on account of the cold and distance, but Jack Frost, with the aid of the Fairies, Mistress Santa Claus and others, after a strenuous struggle succeed in reaching Snow-land, to the delight of Santa, and the joy of all.

1911, Christian Advocate, volume 86, page 2, column 2:

Telluride held union Thanksgiving services, Montrose had the traditional Christmas program (an innovation was Mistress Santa Claus), Durango held revivals, and Pagosa Springs fought a bitter campaign against “demon rum.”

1977, J. Alton Templin, Allen duPont Breck, Martin Rist, editors, The Methodist, Evangelical, and United Brethren Churches in the Rockies, 1850-1976, Rocky Mountain Conference of the United Methodist Church, page 270:


Mrs. Santa Claus

en-proper noun

Mrs. Santa Claus (plural Mrs. Santa Clauses)

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Now, dear Mrs. Santa Claus, stay your tears. I think we can outwit your cunning husband yet. / Mrs. Santa Claus (seizing Fairy’s hand and kissing them).—O you dear, dear Fairy, I shall love you now better than ever.

1889, Clara J. Denton, “Santa Claus Outwitted: A Drama in One Act”, in Charles O. Shoemaker, editor, Holiday Entertainments Containing Short Dramas, Dialogues, Tableaux, Stories, Recitations, Etc. […], Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Company, “Scene II.—The Same”, page 10:

There was a long table, and around on one side was a big row of Santa Clauses and Mrs. Santa Clauses.

1907, Thornwell Jacobs, Sinful Sadday: Son of a Cotton Mill: A Story of a Little Orphan Boy Who Lived to Triumph, Nashville, Tenn.: Smith & Lamar, page 67:

Mrs. Santa Claus, do you think your husband is going to bring that doll to our house?

1914, Ella H. Clement, “A Christmas Eve Adventure”, in Mrs. J. W. Shoemaker, editor, Choice Dialogues: A Collection of New and Original Dialogues for School and Social Entertainment, Philadelphia: The Penn Publishing Company, published 1919, “Scene III”, page 134:

Mrs. Santa Claus brushed a tear from her eye as she placed a generous bag of toys on the floor and prepared to depart.

1914, The Windsor Magazine, volume 39, page 206, column 2:

So the next day several more prominent women came out, all dressed up like Mrs. Santa Claus with white powdered hair and red skirts and pillows in their stomachs and Santa Claus hats, and they weren’t killed either.[…]But this new generation of kids, who grew up believing in Mrs. Santa Claus, seemed to have a different attitude toward women.

1993, Spencer Holst, “The Santa Claus Murderer”, in The Zebra Storyteller: Collected Stories, Station Hill Literary Editions, →ISBN, pages 92, 93:

Later I saw the stout matriarchs of both families walking together, both wearing bright red robes with white trim, like a couple of Mrs. Santa Clauses.

2004, Pat Hartman, Ghost Town: A Venice California Life, Xlibris, →ISBN, page 102:

Crowd management was improved as female Santa’s helpers and Mrs. Santa Clauses came on the scene to calm children before their visit.

2006, Jan Whitaker, Service and Style: How the American Department Store Fashioned the Middle Class, St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN:

She brought the unpainted ceramic Santas and Mrs. Santa Clauses, reindeer, elves, and gift packages to us by the box load and spent every Tuesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30 or sometimes 9:00 showing us how to properly paint the white figures so that they looked “neat” and “professionally done.”

2015, Aimee Meredith Cox, Shapeshifters: Black Girls and the Choreography of Citizenship, Duke University Press, →ISBN:


Mrs Santa Claus

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The confrontation of urban and rural lifestyles is the major source of fun in the novel which would be incomplete without due references to the WI where "tradition decreed that one should wear a tweedy A-line skirt with a delicious lemony-coloured twin set" (119), where one can get one's hand "on loads of those hand-knitted gnome families they always make" (118) and where new members are introduced into the mysteries of "how to knit Mrs Santa Claus or the Three Bears in lime green wool remnants" (118).

1996, Jens Ulrich Davids, Richard Stinshoff, editors, The Past in the Present: Proceedings of the 5th Annual British and Cultural Studies Conference, Oldenburg 1994, Peter Lang, →ISBN, page 78:

At any rate his mother’s response when she came down, her hair wet and heaped on her head, was not enthusiastic either. ‘Mrs Santa Claus is a white lady. A big fat white lady.’

2009, Evie Wyld, After the Fire, A Still Small Voice, London: Vintage Books, →ISBN, page 39:

You could ask him: / • about Rudolph and the other reindeers in his team. / • if Rudolph is happier, now that all the other reindeers are his friends. / • about Mrs Santa Claus and wish him all the best until next Christmas. / Use the format given below. /[…] Closing line → Give my regards to Mrs Santa Claus. Hope to hear from you soon.

2019, Abha Sahgal, Sandra de Souza, “English”, “3. Rudolph: Santa’s Favourite Reindeer”, in Foundation: A Semester Series; English, Mathematics, Environmental Studies; 3: Semester 2, V-Connect Education, →ISBN, page E-33:


Mrs Claus

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But on the day when I approached her regarding Nazli Akram-Hyder, any resemblance to the jolly old Mrs Claus was only superficial.

2006, Nausheen Pasha-Zaidi, The Colour of Mehndi: A Novel, page 10:

With Mrs Claus (formerly Carol Newman) heavily pregnant, Santa (formerly Scott Calvin) agrees to let Jack Frost help with the Christmas preparations.

2007, Sight & Sound, British Film Institute, page 76, column 2:

KA: No problem Santa. An easy one now – what is your favourite colour? / SC: Red. I used to wear green a lot in the early days, but Mrs Claus says that red is my colour now.

2010, Keith Andrews, “An Interview with the Main Man in the Red Jersey”, in Jonathan Irwin, editor, There’s No Place like Home at Christmas, collected by Shane Lennon, Mercier Press, →ISBN, page 180:

Branson was Branson, Missouri, where you could find the world’s biggest Santa Claus convention with over seven hundred professional Santas, Mrs Clauses and helpers hanging out together for a five-day convention.

2020, William McInnes, Christmas Tales, Hachette, →ISBN:


jobday

The variable jobday probably measures the extent to which different jobs are allocated among different staff members.

1982, Jeffrey A. Alexander, Nursing Unit Organization: Its Effects on Staff Professionalism, UMI Research Press, published 1982, page 49:

Jobdays are used in other projects that call for closer monitoring.

1990, Robert L. Kimmons, Project Management Basics: A Step by Step Approach, CRC Press, page 47:

A measure of time required to do a particular job or set of tasks


jobweek

For very large, lengthy projects, jobweeks may be used.

A measure of time required to do a particular job or set of tasks.


Public Domain Day

First mentioned by Lawrence Lessig in 2004, but it is unclear when observance began.

An annual observance on January 1 of when copyrights expire and works enter into the public domain. Copyrights usually expire every year on January 1 based on the individual copyright laws of each country.


Kaapse Klopse

Directly borrowed from Afrikaans Kaapse Klopse.

A minstrel festival held in the Western Cape on the 2nd of January every year, in which Cape Coloured minstrels dress in bright colours, accompanied by instruments.


Hungry Thirties

The 1930s, regarded as a period of poverty in Britain.


eidgah

From Persian عیدگاه (“place of Eid prayers”). See also English dargah.

(Islam, South Asia) An open-air enclosure used for Eid prayers on certain special occasions.


Zhongyuan

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 中原 (Zhōngyuán).

/ˈd͡ʒɔŋ.juˌɑn/

On the night of 19 April, Hou Zongbin, secretary of the Henan Provincial CPC Committee, Zhang Zhigang. member of the Henan Provincial CPC Committee, and leaders of the Henan Provincial Public Security Department and Zhengzhou City went to Zhongyuan District Public Security Bureau, Ludong Village Police Substation, Zhengzhou Railroad Public Security Bureau, Erqi District Public Security Bureau, Dehua Street Police Substation, and some other police substations in Zhengzhou City to inspect work and see police officers and policemen on duty there.

1990 April 25 [1990 April 20], “Henan's Hou Zongbin Inspects Police Substation”, in Daily Report: China, number 080, sourced from Zhengzhou Henan Provincial Service, translation of original in Mandarin, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 59, column 1:

As early as 2002, the People's Court of Zhongyuan District in Zhengzhou, He'nan^([sic – meaning Henan]) Province, a court at the basic level, issued Several Provisions on the Application of the Precedent Decisions Mechanism (Guanyu Shixing Xianli Panjue Zhidu de Ruogan Guiding), under which the adjudication committee of the court selected and issued precedent decisions.

2012, Zhenbao Jin, “From a Supplementary Legislator to a Legitimate Judicial Lawmaker—On the Role of the Supreme People's Court in Developing the Law in Mainland China”, in Lei Chen, C.H. (Remco) van Rhee, editors, Towards a Chinese Civil Code: Comparative and Historical Perspectives, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, →ISBN, →ISSN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 48:

The lockdown in Zhengzhou began early last week when people in more than a dozen neighborhoods in the central Zhongyuan district, west of the Foxconn factory, were told to stay at home, according to an official notice.

2022 October 27, Chang Che, Amy Chang Chien, “China’s Latest Covid Lockdown Affects a Major iPhone Factory”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-10-27, The Coronavirus Pandemic:


Me Decade

Coined by American author and journalist Tom Wolfe in 1976.

coin

In contrast to some of the pop gurus of the "Me Decade," Starhawk and Margot Adler are both political activists, very much aware off the need to push for political change.

1986 April 12, R. W. Murray, “One Solution: Neo-Paganism”, in Gay Community News, page 3:

The prevailing concept of the Seventies remains the idea of the “Me Decade”—an era of narcissism, selfishness, personal rather than political awareness. […] Pundits and historians portrayed the Me Decade as the antidote to or repudiation of the activist, altruistic 1960s.

2001, Bruce J. Schulman, The Seventies: The Great Shift in American culture, Society, and Politics, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 145:

(US) The 1970s characterized by a rise of self-indulgence and narcissism in American society.


Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

A public holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, and which is also observed by the Armenian diaspora on April 24th, held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915.


Halloweekend

Even if you've missed the Halloweekend memo, putting together a last-minute costume can still be easy and cheap.

2011 October 27, Nissa Ostroff, “Last minute costume ideas”, in The Vanderbilt Hustler, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, page 6:

As it nears “Halloweekend,” we tend to find ourselves scrambling for cheap, last-minute Halloween costumes and if you're currently engaged in some type of partnership, you may find yourself dressing for two.

2015 October 29, Nebraska Lucas, “WU-approved costumes for budgeting couples”, in Willamette Collegian, page 4:

Despite this year's restrictions on social gatherings, Halloweekend was still a great time to have fun while staying within pods.

2020 November 12, Sydney Olinger, “Friars Celebrate Día de los Muertos”, in The Cowl, Providence College, Providence, RI, page 2:

The weekend where Halloween falls on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday; or a weekend before or after Halloween, when Halloween festivities are celebrated, if Halloween does not fall on a weekend.


Halloweek

For a full “Halloweek,” Buzz Lightyear and his Space Rangers battle the ultimate cavalcade of monsters, including the space incarnations of Dracula (“NOS-4-A2,” an energy vampire); the Wolfman (“Wirewolf,” a human who becomes a wolf-like, energy-thirsting creature after being nipped by NOS-4-A2); the Frankenstein monster (“XL,” a self-made robotic monster comprised of stolen parts) and the Mummy (“Ancient Evil,” an entombed “mummy” capable of draining a human's lifeforce); as well as an episode (“Revenge of the Monsters”) featuring the entire quartet of monsters as organized by NOS-4-A2.

2001 October 16, “‘Disney/Pixar’s Buzz Lightyear of Star Command’ Celebrates ‘Halloweek’ On UPN & Syndication”, in PR Newswire:

One of the few times of the year when students are encouraged to pretend to be someone – or something – they are not, Halloweek will feature both on- and off-campus celebrations and attempts to best their peers with creative attire and trickery.

2013 October 31, Corinne Sejourne, “Halloweek haunts College Hill”, in The Brown Daily Herald, Brown University:

Throughout the hair-raising ‘Halloweek,’ bold adventurers can also visit Camel Creek\xE2s scariest residents at the Reptile House and Crocodile Corner and face their fears in the House of Horrors Scare Zone.

2021 October 11, Ryan Morwood, “Family attraction’s spooky ‘Halloweek’ of activities kicks off next Saturday”, in Falmouth Packet:


Christmas City

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Christmas City.wav

So called because the city's name Noel is coincidentally also a synonym for Christmas in the English language (although it was actually named after two people with the surname Noel).

A nickname for the city of Noel, Missouri, United States.


Ask a Stupid Question Day

From the phrase there's no such thing as a stupid question.

(education, chiefly US) A holiday that is sometimes celebrated, usually by school students and teachers, observed on either September 28th or the last school day of September. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage students to ask more questions in the classroom.


August Bank Holiday

en-noun

August Bank Holiday (plural August Bank Holidays)

The fact that rail's August Bank Holiday figures this year were higher than before the virus indicates the potential for growth.

2021 November 17, Anthony Lambert, “How do we grow the leisure market?”, in RAIL, number 944, page 35:

(England, Wales, Northern Ireland) A public holiday on the last Monday in August.


let it snow

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From the song "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", written by lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945.

Christmas season
Christmas season#English

(colloquial) Used around the Christmas season to express anticipation of snowfall.

Jule Styne
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Sammy Cahn


War on Christmas

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(US, politics, US politics, derogatory) An alleged plot by atheists and liberals to remove Christianity from Christmas or ban the festival of Christmas itself.


Santa Paws

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No no not Santa Paws! Bean O'brien. Everyone deserves a second chance maybe he was just being a poophead cuz he need a hug Bessa Phaneuf. You a bad troll...!! Mattie Bissmeyer. He's a very norty Troll. But i don't like to see anyone cry ...

year unknown, Josephine Tuckfield, Saving Santa Paws, Lulu.com

It turned out that Snowy was upset because at Christmas all the animals are left out and he wants to be SANTA PAWS. Well, Ithought what a great idea this was and went back into the room and said to Snowy, “What a kind dog you are ...

2009, Buckham Derek, Santa's Christmas Story Book, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 24:

Duke happily trotted to the main stand Where Santa Paws sat, all dressed in red and looking very grand. The mall was filled with Christmas delight; Mistletoe, holly and Santa were a welcoming sight. Duke happily trotted to the main ...

2011, Blossom Albuquerque, Dashing Duke and His Dodgy Adventures, Strategic Book Publishing & Rights Agency, →ISBN, page 28:

"Santa Paws is always willing to hear Christmas wishes." He winkedat Eva as Savannah buried her head under Eva's arm. "Aww, don't be afraid, sweetie. He won't bite." "Unless you're a cookie." Adam struggled to get the Santa cookie he'd ...

2014, Meda White, Christmas Give: A Holiday Novella, Meda White, →ISBN:

Another True Story About Best Friends...and Siblings Too! Brittni Vega. plate of cookies and a glass of milk. I don't mean to ruin the . . . I am almost twelve in dog years. I stopped believing in Santa Paws a few months ago.

2015, Brittni Vega, Harlow & Indiana (and Reese): Another True Story About Best Friends...and Siblings Too!, Penguin, →ISBN:

Santa Paws knows Santa Claus, because he was his first and favourite pet. Santa Claus loved Santa Paws so much, that every Christmas, Santa Claus would take Santa Paws with him in his sleigh. Santa Paws would look at the beautiful night ...

2017, Hanna L. Farha, Santa Paws, Lulu Press, Inc, →ISBN:

When Belle opened her eyes , she saw Santa Paws. " I got your letter , Belle , " chuckled Santa Paws. " I have to say, when I was a young pup, I also made some mistakes. Look at me now! I grew up just fine!

2020, Sara J J Gunkel, Dear Santa Paws, Page Publishing Inc, →ISBN, page 13:

(humorous, fiction) An equivalent to Santa Claus as an anthropomorphic dog or cat.


Lent term

(education) The second academic term of the University of Cambridge, and other educational institutions, running from January to March; equivalent to Hilary term at the universities of Oxford and Dublin.


Long Vacation term

Long Vacation term (plural Long Vacation terms)

(Oxford)

(Cambridge)

(Oxbridge) A fourth, supplemental academic term of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge during the long vacation, containing no routine undergraduate teaching.


World Freedom Day

I made my first visit to Taiwan in 1974 in order to take part in a World Freedom Day rally in Taipei. The rally was sponsored by the World League for Freedom and Democracy, an organization with 120 national chapters worldwide.

2005, Jesse Helms, Here's Where I Stand: A Memoir, New York: Random House, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page https://archive.org/details/hereswhereistand0000helm/page/n200/:

a memorial day celebrated on January 23 in Taiwan and South Korea


Twosday

Blend of two + Tuesday. Analyzable as two + -s- + day

The deuces are wild today as one of the grandest palindromes of 2022 arrives on Tuesday, unofficially known as "Twosday."

2022 February 22, Jordan Mendoza, “It's 'Twosday!' No matter where you are in the world, today's palindrome date is the same”, in USA TODAY:

Good things come in twos. At least this Tuesday it does.
The date is February 22, 2022. When you write it, 2/22/22, it's a palindrome, meaning it reads the same forward and backward. It also falls on a Tuesday, which is now referred to as Twosday.

2022 February 22, Megan Marples, “Happy Twosday! Don't miss out celebrating the coolest date of the decade”, in CNN:

2/22/22 is a five-digit palindrome. It’s also made up of all twos and falls on a Tuesday, which some are calling Twosday.

2022 February 22, Joseph De Avila, “Twosday’s Many, Many (Too Many?) Twos”, in The Wall Street Journal:

The date of Tuesday, February 22nd, 2022 (2/22/22; 22-2-22)


Laba

From Laba Festival, a partial calque of the Mandarin form of Chinese 臘八節 /腊八节 (Làbājié), q.v.


semicentenary

From semi- (“half”) + centenary (“100th anniversary”), q.v.

prefix

The city celebrated its semicentenary last year.

Synonym of semicentennial: a 50th anniversary.


International Men's Day

Coordinate term: International Women's Day

A holiday celebrated on November 19, commemorating the cultural and political achievements of men.


Sonic 2sday

How about Sonic 2? Came out yesterday (Sonic 2sday). I think it's really well done, although quite a bit easier than Sonic 1 (except for the bonus boards which I find quite a bit harder).

1992 November 25, James 'J' Allard, “Sonic Cheats!”, in rec.games.video.arcade (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-26:

Sonic III wasn't supposed to be out until the Spring, and we've had posts that say it'll be out on Sonic Mania Day (just a year after Sonic 2sday -- where's their clever name this year?).

1993 November 22, D.J. Miller, “Where is the VR headset?”, in rec.games.video.sega (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-26:

If anyone could give me the address of a Sonic page run by anyone around my age (17), then I'd like to hear from them, to find out why tyhey've^([sic]) maintained their interest in Sonic even since the heyday of Sonic 2sday, in November 94, I think.

1997 October 13, "John.McGonagle", “Sonic fans?”, in alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-26:

Hey, not only is today Nov. 24th (Sonic 2's 6th aniversery!)^([sic]) but it's also a tuesday!!! Sonic 2sday once again!! Isn't that just the cooolest?? ^_^ I had a huge message I just lost about my Sonic 2sday so many years ago, so I won't be posting it, but if anyone wants to share, it'd be a cool way to celebrate.. ^_^
(Actually I lied, if this gets any good responce^([sic]) you can see my whale-of-a-tail Sonic 2 post, but I suspect most of you got into Sonic after Sonic 2sday, ne?)

1998 November 25, icky...@hotmail.com, “It's Sonic 2sday!!”, in alt.fan.sonic-hedgehog (Usenet), retrieved 2022-04-26:

(fandom slang) The North American and European release date of the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 2: Tuesday, November 24th, 1992.


Ascensiontide

en-noun

Ascensiontide (usually uncountable, plural Ascensiontides)

(Christianity) The period from Ascension Day (39 days after Easter) until Whitsunday (49 days after Easter).


The Excalibur was introduced to service quite recently as a replacement for the Avalon class BDNs built in the mid-2160s.

1998, Jon Tuffley, Fleet Book, volume 1, Ground Zero Games, page 18:

In the early 2160s, the Alliance began aggressive colonization of worlds in the Skyllian Verge, much to the dismay of the batarians who had been developing the region for several decades. In 2171, the batarians petitioned the Council to declare the Verge a "zone of batarian interest".

2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Batarians Codex entry:

Considering Enterprise was the only starship dispatched to locate the Xindi, it is very likely that Edison even served under Archer aboard the NX-01. On top of all this, two shuttlepods reminiscent of those carried aboard Enterprise also appeared in a recording of Edison’s crew from the 2160s.

2021 May 25, Jay Stobie, “Enterprise’s Legacy, From There to Here”, in Star Trek, archived from the original on 2021-06-19:


These diplomatic setbacks partly explain England’s military ineffectiveness in the 1370s, but equally important were lack of leadership, lack of money, and dissension over strategy. After Poitiers, the king, traditionally expected to lead the nation in arms, became less and less adequately able to do so. In the 1370s he declined into senility and fell under the domination of his mistress, Alice Perrers.

1974, Anthony Tuck, “The Political Community in 1377”, in Richard II and the English Nobility, New York: St. Martin's Press, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 7:

Yang Yunwen died in office as magistrate of Ch'ang-yuan County, Honan, in the 1370s.

1996, John W. Dardess, “The Demography of Family and Class”, in A Ming Society: Tʻai-ho County, Kiangsi, Fourteenth to Seventeenth Centuries, University of California Press, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 105:

Walsingham was not blind to Edward’s failings, and attributed the political problems of the 1370s directly to the old king’s moral depravity.

2000, “Introduction”, in The Reign of Edward III, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 10:


Apaturia

From Ancient Greek Ἀπατούρια (Apatoúria).

(historical) Ancient Greek festivals held annually by most of the Ionian towns, with banqueting, discussions, etc.


Though in many ways cold and remote, Richard was not without a capacity for friendship. From the days of his youth he had always cherished the company of a select group of male friends. His deep affection for Robert de Vere in the 1380s is well known. In the 1390s he apppears to have been on intimate terms with a number of the senior clerks in his service. The Evesham writer says that the bishops of Worcester and Carlisle were prominent among his boon companions in 1398. His friendships with other men were almost certainly close and intense; but it is possible that they were also fickle. His friendship with Thomas Mowbray, for example, in the early 1380s did not last. In the 1390s, as he moved from adolescence to adulthood, there are signs that he took a greater delight in female company.

1999 July 15, Liz Broadwell, “Richard II's licentiousness”, in soc.history.medieval (Usenet), retrieved 2022-07-26:

There is contemporary evidence that Duchess Cecily Neville's father-in-law Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge, was illegitimate, as historian T.B. Pugh discusses. His mother's affair with John Holland was reported in chronicles in the 1380s (when Richard was conceived and born), and Edmund of Langley, Duke of York, curiously makes no mention or provision at all in his will for his younger son.

2007 January 2, Mar...@aol.com, “Richard, Earl of Cambridge (d. 1415) - illegitimate??”, in soc.genealogy.medieval (Usenet), retrieved 2022-07-26:

Some landlords started to make fundamental reassessments of their systems of estate management at varying points in the 1370s and 1380s. The 1380s saw the start of general leasing on the estates of the archbishopric of Canterbury, for example, and the same chronology fits Durham Cathedral Priory.³¹ In this respect, however, 1376 is an imprecise turning point. Most of the literature on this topic stresses the late 1380s and the 1390s, rather than the earlier 1380s, as a period of crisis in estate management. Regional circumstances allowed the recovery to be more prolonged in some regions than others. In the Breckland land values were rising into the later 1370s and 1380s.³²

2008, Ben Dodds, Richard Britnell, Agriculture and Rural Society After the Black Death: Common Themes and Regional Variations, page 26:

In a wave of persecution in the 1380s, an unprecedented number of Jews in Spain converted. Many of these were genuine conversions, or became so over time, but many were not.

2020 November 30, William Hyde, “[tears] The Tenth Planet by Edmund Cooper”, in rec.arts.sf.written (Usenet), retrieved 2022-07-26:

After c.1400 the scale of, and profits from, dairy farming declined greatly.⁶⁹ Similarly, in the 1390s cattle rearing began to level off in many parts of the country, but continued to expand until the early fifteenth century in certain areas of northern and southern England.⁷⁰ Chicken prices fell from the volatile highs of the 1350s and 1360s and remained stable throughout the 1380s and 1390s, albeit at a higher level than in the pre-plague period.⁷¹ In the 1380s demesne poultry rearing contracted and became less commercialized, perhaps due to a transfer of production to the peasant sector.⁷²

2021, Mark Bailey, After the Black Death, page 245:


The datings of great-grandsons, grandsons, etc, pin down it and mean that Vasilei cannot been born much later than the year 1400. Vasilei Hlazyna could quite plausibly been born in the 1390s, for example.

2010 July 8, M Sjostrom, “Puzyna”, in soc.genealogy.medieval (Usenet), retrieved 2022-07-27:

Nonetheless Londoners' share of the credit recorded in the certificates rose in the 1390s to almost 50 per cent of the total as coin became even scarcer in the provinces.

2020, Pamela Nightingale, Mortality, Trade, Money and Credit in Late Medieval England (1285-1531):


naughty list

Certainly connected with, and possibly derived from, the lyrics of a Christmas carol, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town":
He's makin a list / and checkin it twice / He's gonna find out / who's naughty or nice

According to Christmas folklore, a list kept by Santa Claus of children who have been naughty, and who will therefore not be given as many presents.


Qixi

/ˈt͡ʃiːˌʃiː/

From the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 七夕 (Qīxī, “Night of the Sevens”).

bor

A Chinese festival celebrating the mythological annual meeting of Zhinü and Niulang, held on the seventh day of the seventh Chinese lunisolar month.


Chinese Valentine's Day

From a supposed similarity of the Chinese festival with the European observances around Valentine's Day.


Merdeka

Merdeka celebrations

Merdeka parade

(Malaysia, colloquial) Malaysian independence day on August 31


Merdeka Day

(Malaysia, colloquial) The Malaysian Independence Day, on August 31.


Burra Din

Borrowed from Hindustani بڑا دن / बड़ा दिन (baṛā din, literally “great day”).

(historical, Anglo-Indian) Any major European festival, especially Christmas Day.


Kissmiss

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Kissmiss.wav

The saddler, who is also a servant, has brought five trays in honour of kissmiss (Christmas); […]

2003, Fanny Parkes Parlby, William Dalrymple, Begums, Thugs and Englishmen: The Journals of Fanny Parkes, page 95:

“Say 'Merry Christmas,'” I said.
“Merry Kissmiss!” Michael and Mitchell said in unison.

And the little tree, the children's tree, lights up in red, green, blue and yellow, and they gasp and applaud and laugh and say, “Mewwy Kissmiss Mom!”

2016, Neoma Nayrah, The Light Under the Door:

“Yes, we'll bake Christmas cookies for Santa, together.”
“Kissmiss cookies!” Katie exclaimed, clapping her hands and sending berries around the room.

2018, C. F. Frizzell, Crossing the Line:

(nonstandard, childish or pronunciation spelling) Christmas.


Treason Day

In reference to the American Revolutionary War.

I have a British colleague who, at the end of our writing group meeting, wished us all a "happy treason day" 😂

2020 July 3, margaret_emma, Twitter, archived from the original on 2022-09-27:


Christmas comes early

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Christmas comes early.wav

Then he turns to Rhaenys, who, he reasonably argues, is the best authority on what her husband would want. And Christmas comes early for Rhaenyra, because not only has her dad come out to support her family, but her aunt also backs Luke’s claim—and accepts her niece’s offer of a Targaryen-Velaryon double wedding.

2022 October 10, Jenna Scherer, “House Of The Dragon drops its best episode yet”, in AV Club:

A large number of fortuitous events come at the same time.


Andrewmas

There will be deep snow by Andrewmas.

1931, John Buchan, The Blanket of the Dark:

Andrewmas, for example, by which time ploughing should be completed; Martinmas when spare animals were slaughtered; St Luke's Day when the 'tupping' of ewes commenced, or Lady Day and Michaelmas when farm rents were due.

2017, Michael J. Braddick, Phil Withington, Popular Culture and Political Agency in Early Modern England and Ireland, page 96:


Destroy Dick December

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Destroy Dick December.wav

In November, hundreds of men try to go 30 days without masturbating. In December, some are planning to pull a 180 and embark upon a masturbation quest that might be physically impossible. If you thought you’d heard it all after "No-Fap November," get ready for "Destroy Dick December."

2017 November 15, Jay Hathaway, “Destroy D**k December is the absurd new male masturbation challenge”, in Daily Dot:

If you have passed the month with a total of 0 nuts, you are a victor and you shall qualify for Destroy Dick December (Not Recommended)

2018 November 14, Ellen Scott, “What is No Nut November?”, in Metro:

During Destroy Dick December, "you masturbate until completion in a quantity in relation to the date." This means that you must nut once on Dec. 1, twice on Dec. 2, and so on until you reach 31 times on Dec. 31.

2021 November 1, Kelly Corbett, “No Nut November Is Here! Here's How This Bizarre Abstinence Challenge Started”, in Distractify:

(slang, humorous) A jocular challenge following No Nut November, in which participants are encouraged to masturbate excessively: sometimes stated as once on December 1, twice on December 2, and so on until the 31st.


tricks or treats

Every year, Linus misses tricks or treats! And then the Halloween party!

1966, Charles M. Schulz, 8:37 from the start, in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, spoken by Violet Gray (Ann Altieri):

(dated) Alternative form of trick-or-treating.


Thanksgivingtide

en-noun

Thanksgivingtide (countable and uncountable, plural Thanksgivingtides)

From Thanksgiving + -tide (“period around a festival”).

suffix

Seven years had passed, and once more the Thanksgivingtide was in Mapleton.

1876, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “Chapter VII”, in Betty's bright idea; also, Deacon Pitkin's farm, and The first Christmas of New England, Thanksgiving Again:

The wild winds croon of Thanksgivingtide

1901 December 21, Helen Chase, “A Song of Thanksgiving”, in The Connecticut School Journal, volume 7, number 12, The Journal Publishing Co., page 14:

As by this bright fire we sit / At this Thanksgivingtide

1911, P. F. Koontz, “Thanksgiving”, in Santa Fe Employes’ Magazine, volume 6, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway Company, page 131:

Now, therefore, I, George H. Earle, Governor of Pennsylvania, titular successor, so-called, to His Excellency Johan Printz, do solemnly adjure the citizenry of the Commonwealth loyally to consider at this Thanksgivingtide, during 1938 and thereafter, the historical and spiritual significance of events marking this goodly vista of 300 years, and by practice and precept to evolve a concept of simpler, sterner, living in which character is fundamental…

1938, George H. Earle, Congressional Record, United States Government Publishing Office, Appendix to the Congressional Record, page 1975:

This Thanksgivingtide recalls to our hearts the endless and undeserved mercies wherewith thou has blessed us.

1967, James Archibald Jones, Prayers for the People: A Memorial Collection of Pulpit Prayers, John Knox Press, page 100:

Devotees of liberal college education attending the yearly Thanksgivingtide

1975, Joe D. Thomas, Donald E. Morse, Sansculotte: A Nonknickerbocker History of the College English Association (1938–1975) : in Seven Fyttes, Sive Lustra, College English Association Foundation, page 3:

…a so-called rock opera to which Liz dragged me when we were in New York at Thanksgivingtide in 1971

2013 October 29, R. M. Koster, The Dissertation, Overlook Press, →ISBN:

(informal) The season around Thanksgiving.


Chung Yeung Festival

A partial calque of Cantonese 重陽節 /重阳节 (cung⁴ joeng⁴ zit³), from Chinese 重陽 /重阳 (Chóngyáng, “Doubled Yang”), a traditional name for the date of its occurrence, the 9th day of the 9th month in the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar.

der

Double Ninth Festival
Double Ninth Festival#English

(Hong Kong) Synonym of Double Ninth Festival.