Every Day Is Special: Federated States of Micronesia

Showing posts with label Federated States of Micronesia. Show all posts

December 24 - Yap Constitution Day in Micronesia

Posted on December 24, 2021

This is an update of my post published on December 24, 2010:

Micronesia is the name given to a group of thousands of small islands in the Pacific Ocean. Nearby are the many islands of Melanesia, Polynesia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Many of the islands included in the region called "Micronesia" make up the sovereign nation of the Federated States of Micronesia. One of the country's four states is Yap, which celebrates the writing of its constitution on this day.

One of the things Yap is notable for is its stone money or Rai stones. These disks of calcite are pretty big, compared to most currency such as U.S. coins and bills. The Rai stones wouldn't fit in a wallet or purse. That's because they are from 1 to 12 FEET (30 centimeters to 4 meters) in diameter!!!

The value of the Rai stones depends on their size and their history (most stones were brought from other islands many, many years ago). The least valuable are the smallest - still, a foot-wide disk of stone is not a convenient coin to jingle in one's pocket!

Most of the time, these stones are not moved when ownership changes. People just know who each of the 6,500 stones belong to!

Of course, nowadays the people of Yap use Western-style money. As a matter of fact, they use actual Western currency: the Federated States of Micronesia uses U.S. dollars as its official currency! Still, the Rai stones are used in traditional and ceremonial exchanges and are seen as national symbols.

Also on this date:

Santuranticuy

Trailblazer Kit Carson's birthday

Anniversary of the first radio broadcast

Anniversary of the first performance of Silent Night

Christmas Eve / Nochebuena

Anniversary of first solar-heated home

National Eggnog Day

Birthday of composer Libby Larsen

Birthdays of a variety of artists

Christmas season gift bringers

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest pages on:

December holidays
December birthdays
Historical anniversaries in December

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

May 10 – Constitution Day in Micronesia

Posted on May 10, 2017

I have to admit that I thought that I had already written about Constitution Day in Micronesia. But, when I checked, I discovered that I'd already written about it TWICE! Once, on December 24, and another time, on November 8. What's going on?

It turns out, I was mixing up the days celebrating the state constitutions ("The Federated States of Micronesia" has four states, each with its own Constitution Day) with the day celebrating the constitution for the entire nation of Micronesia (or, to be more proper, of the Federated States of Micronesia).

Four states - but more than 600 islands scattered over an area of more than one million square miles of the Pacific Ocean! A lot of the landscape of this nation is really seascape!

This is the sort of nation that could lose big with global warming, since so many of the islands and islets are low-lying and may entirely disappear with rising seas. However, each of the four states is centered around one or more "high islands." Some of the islands are made up of volcanic peaks that built up high enough to poke up from the ocean surface, and that are now surrounded by fringing coral reefs. Other islands are atolls, rings or partial rings of coral reefs and land whose volcanic peak has now sunk beneath the surface.

Even though all of the states of FSM enjoy year-round warm temperatures and lots of rain or moisture, there is still considerable diversity in plants and and landscapes, and there is also a surprising diversity of peoples, languages, and cultures. English is the official language of the government, business, and trade. The eight major indigenous languages are Yapese, Ulithian, Woleaian, Chuukese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean, Nukuoro, and Kapingamarangi. Another language that is frequently spoken among elderly people is Japanese.

Today, enjoy some of the diversity of Micronesia:

Chuuk

Pohnpei

Kosrae

and Yap

Also on this date:

Día de la Madre

Anniversary of Supreme Court ruling: tomatoes are not fruit

Astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin's birthday

Windmill Day

Anniversary of Palindrome Day

National Miniature Golf Day

Fullmoon Day of Kason in Myanmar

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

March 31 – Culture Day in Pohnpei

Posted on March 31, 2017

In the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) are four states - one of which is Pohnpei State - and 607 islands - one of which is also called Pohnpei. This is the island on which FSM's capital city, Palikir, and Pohnpei State's capital city, Kolonia, are both found.

Pohnpei is one of the wettest places on Earth, and it has a ton of biodiversity (different species of plants, animals, and other organisms). It has all the usual South Seas beauties of lush forests and turquoise waters and frequent rainbows...