Change a Pet’s Life Day is about keeping your eyes open for distressed animals. Examples include a dog chained outside that never gets off its chain, a cat abandoned by the side of the road, and a horse neglected and starving. Worldwide, animals are suffering, and you can do something about it. Even if you can’t adopt, you can alert animal rescue in your area to distressed animals or offer to foster one until its forever home is found. Change a Pet’s Life Day promotes the work of animal rescue groups and the well-being of the animals they save.

Africa

Jan

Cheese Lover's Day: January 20

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Cheese Lover's Day celebrates cheese. Cheese is one of those foods found globally, created from various mammals' milk. The origin legend features an Arabian traveler accidentally making cheese when he stored milk in a sheep's stomach pouch. It separated into curds and whey, and he decided he liked it. From Arabia, it spread to Europe. From Europe, it traveled with the pilgrims to the New World. Today one-third of the milk produced in the US each year goes to create cheese.

Africa

Jan

Cheesy Sock Month, Ntl.: January

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A Cheesy Sock Month care package includes whimsical warm socks, cheesy popcorn, toiletries, and a funny note of support and encouragement. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless, unaccompanied minors, and children in foster care, many of whom lack the most necessities (like warm, clean socks) to make it through the winter.

Africa

Jan

Chilcano Week (PE): January 10-17

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CELEBRATING PERU'S NATIONAL DRINK

CHILCANO WEEK

Chilcano Week in Peru is a celebration dedicated to one of the country's most beloved cocktails, the Chilcano. The event gained popularity in the early 2010s. Its inception is a testament to the growing interest in Peruvian cuisine and beverages nationally and internationally.

The Chilcano cocktail, traditionally made with Pisco (a Peruvian grape brandy), lime juice, ginger ale, and a few drops of bitters, is a staple in Peruvian bars and restaurants. Chilcano Week began to celebrate this classic drink and to promote Pisco, an essential component of Peruvian cultural heritage.

Throughout the week, participating bars and restaurants across Peru, especially in cities like Lima and Cusco, offer special menus and promotions featuring various versions of the Chilcano. These establishments often experiment with new flavors and ingredients, showcasing Pisco's versatility and Peruvian mixology's creativity.

In addition to enjoying Chilcanos, people participate in a variety of events organized during the week. These can include mixology classes, Pisco tastings, and workshops where attendees learn about the history of Pisco and the art of cocktail making. Some events also focus on pairing Chilcanos with traditional Peruvian dishes, providing a comprehensive experience of Peru's rich culinary culture.

HOW IS GRAPE WINE DIFFERENT THAN GRAPE BRANDY?

Grape brandy and grape wine are products derived from grapes, but they are distinct in their production processes, characteristics, and consumption.

GRAPE WINE

Fermenting crushed grapes using yeast creates wine. The yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This fermentation process usually lasts a few days to a week.

Wines typically have an alcohol content ranging from about 8% to 15%. There are numerous varieties of wine, including red, white, rosé, and sparkling, each with its specific production method and grape variety. Wine does not require a distillation or aging process to alter its alcohol content or flavor profile significantly.

GRAPE BRANDY

Distilling fermented grape juice creates brandy. The distillation process involves heating the wine to create steam, which is then cooled to form a liquid. Brandies typically have a higher alcohol content than wine, usually around 35% to 60% alcohol by volume.

After distillation, brandy is traditionally aged in wooden casks. The aging process can last several years, significantly influencing the brandy's flavor, color, and quality. Brandy is usually consumed in smaller quantities than wine, often served as a digestif or used in cocktails.

Both grape wine and grape brandy originate from grapes; wine is a fermented beverage, and brandy is a distilled beverage with a higher alcohol content.

Chilcano Week plays a significant role in supporting local businesses, particularly boutique producers of Pisco. It boosts tourism and fosters a sense of pride in Peru's national products and traditions. The week-long event has become a fixture in Peru's cultural calendar, attracting locals and tourists eager to explore the flavors and traditions of Peruvian cuisine.

Africa

Jan

Child Inventor's Day (1706): January 17

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Child Inventor's Day marks the anniversary of Benjamin Franklin's birth on January 17, 1706. Franklin completed his first invention at 11 in 1717 (a set of swimming fins for the hands). By the age of 17, Franklin became a publisher. He would become one of the founders of the United States, a prolific writer and inventor. Today, children are encouraged to reach for their dreams by experimenting, trying new ideas, and looking at things differently.

Africa

Jan

Child-centered Divorce Awareness Month, Intl.: January

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If you’re a parent coping with divorce-related issues, professionals worldwide are here to provide free products and services to you all through January. Recognizing International Child-Centered Divorce Month, we’ve enrolled child-centered divorce attorneys, mediators, divorce coaches, therapists, financial planners, and other professionals on four continents to join this educational campaign. They aim to share insights, advice, tips, and tools to help you create the most favorable outcome for your family as you transition through divorce.

Africa

Jan

Children Impacted by a Parent's Cancer Month: January

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Children Impacted by a Parent's Cancer Month seeks to support children and families where one or more parent is undergoing cancer treatment, living in remission, or has died. This impact on a young life can be devastating, leading to isolation, lower academic scores, and a loss of childhood. Resources are available to help children and families cope. Outreach during the month serves families, schools, health care, and mental health professionals. Created in 2000.

Africa

Jan

Chinese New Year (Snake) (CN): January 29

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Chinese New Year is a significant holiday in China and Chinese communities worldwide. It is treated much like Christmas in the west or the Eid holidays in the Islamic world. Festivities last 15 days and are now known as the Spring Festival in China. Red packets with money in even number denominations and gift exchange remain favorite traditions. Families travel far and wide to be together. Preparation of holiday foods specific to the event occurs the night before the Chinese New Year. This reunion dinner is the primary feast. Retailers pile on the specials leading up to and during the festivities. Activities culminate on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival, marking the end of the annual Chinese New Year Celebration. Chinese companies typically shut down for the two weeks of the Chinese New Year. This time is about celebrating.

Africa

Jan

Chinese Year of the Snake, 4723: January 29, 2025 - February 16, 2026

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2025 IS

THE YEAR OF THE WOOD SNAKE

The Chinese calendar, a unique system based on the moon's phases and running in 12-year cycles, serves as the backdrop of the Chinese year. Each year is denoted by a different animal in the Chinese astrological lineup, with 2025 being the year of the Snake. Numerically, this year would be 4723.

The Year of the Snake is the sixth in this cycle, following the Dragon and preceding the Horse. According to Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Snake are intelligent, mysterious, and wise. Private individuals tend to be analytical and prefer to work at their own pace, in their own way, without sharing their feelings or thoughts. Despite being somewhat introverted, people born in the Year of the Snake usually have many admirers due to their sophistication and subtlety.

Year of the Snake individuals are said to be financially fortunate and good at managing money, with strong intuition and determination. However, they can also be perceived as somewhat jealous and suspicious, a bit stingy and overcautious.
In Chinese culture, the Snake is associated with wisdom, wit, and sometimes mysticism. In terms of yin and yang, the Snake is considered 'yin.'

Recent Snake Years include 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, and 2025.

Africa

Jan

Chocolate Cake Day: January 27

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Love chocolate cake? Then you have James Baker to thank. Baker invented chocolate as we know it today in a form that could be cooked. In 1764 Mr. Baker placed beans between millstones and ground them to dust. As a powder, it could be mixed with liquids or solids to change the flavor, the same way you add salt or other seasonings. However, this process was quite expensive, so only the wealthiest could afford it. By the early nineteenth century (1828), Conrad Van Houten developed a method for extracting cacao liquor from the fat in the cocoa bean making chocolate an affordable ingredient, and its popularity took off. Devil’s Food cake by the Pittsburgh-based Duff Company was the first chocolate cake mix. However, WWII got in the way, and at the end of the war, Duncan Hines and General Mills burst on the scene with their cake mixes and took nearly half the market between them. By the millennium, artisan chocolate cakes, those without flour and closer to the consistency of fudge brownies with less sugar, became the rage. However you like your chocolate cake, today is the day to enjoy it. Indulge!

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (EE)(1918): February 24

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Like many eastern European and Baltic states, Estonia has endured a less than direct path to independence. On February 24, 1918, it achieved its independence from the Russian empire, only to be annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. Fifty-one years later, this little nation, populated since 8500 BC, finally achieved independence again. Today is their national day celebrating the anniversary of their first freedom.

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (GD)(1974): February 7

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Independence Day in Granada marks the anniversary of February 7, 1974, when the nation's rebels gained independence from Great Britain's colonial rule. Independence Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (KO)(2008): February 17

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Howdy! We're working on the description for this event. It's one of over two thousand events added to the calendar this year. We have verified it is an authentic event and have included the organization behind it for our members. In the meantime, we wanted to make sure you were able to include it in your search for events this month and in this category. We appreciate your patience!

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (LC)(1979): February 22

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On February 22, 1979, the island nation of St. Lucia achieved independence from Great Britain. Independence Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Feb

Independence Day (LI)(1918): February 16

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The Baltic nation of Lithuania has seen its independence come and go over the years. It first declared independence on February 16, 1918, only to be swallowed by the Soviet Union in 1940 as part of a land swap deal between Stalin and Hitler. But the Lithuanian people are hearty, and when the opportunity presented itself again on March 11, 1990, this little country became the first to declare independence from the Soviet Union. It would take another year and a half before Moscow finally let them go. Never dissuaded, on August 19, 1991, the Lithuanian people at long last had their independence recognized. Independence Day is a national holiday.

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