Like,
don't you just love it when an entire town turns out to watch giant
puppets lit up on fire? And when the town is noisy 24 hours a day,
for a week or more? When they explode fireworks every day at noon,
and hold street parties, and have huge light displays that rival Las
Vegas?
That
is Las
Fallas,
the period of time leading up to and including St. Joseph's Day, in
Valencia, Spain. (There “St. Joseph” is translated to “San
Jose.”)
In
Sicily, Italy, people have huge banquets in St. Joseph's honor; they
give food to the needy, wear red, and build and decorate special
altars to St. Joseph. (There “St. Joseph” is translated to “San
Giuseppe.”)
In
various places in the world, St. Joseph's Day is celebrated as a
special day to honor people named Joseph or Josephine, and
carpenters, and fathers—because Joseph was a carpenter and a
father. St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of Canada, Mexico,
China, and Belgium—so this Feast Day is celebrated by many in those nations.
One
of the places that celebrates St. Joseph's Day as a sort of informal national day is
Liechtenstein. This is a teeny, tiny country located in the Alps, in Europe. It
is one of only two nations in the world that is doubly landlocked,
which means Liechtensteiners have to go through two countries to get
to an ocean or sea! (You can travel from Liechtenstein to landlocked
Switzerland, and from there to either France, Germany, or Italy. Or
you can travel from Liechtenstein to landlocked Austria, and from
there to either Germany or Italy.)
Liechtenstein
is about as large as a city near me, Long Beach, California. The
36,000 Liechtensteiners
speak German and enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the
world. Neutral during World War II, a tax haven, a financial center,
and a perfect spot for ski resorts, this nation has a lot going for
its economy.
Learn
more about Liechtenstein here.
Also
on this date:
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