Real milk takes the spotlight on World Milk Day, always on June 1. The day is intended to bring attention to activities connecting the dairy sector.
The annual observance is marked with events across the globe: milking demonstrations and farm visits; games and competitions; concerts; distribution of milk products; and conferences, seminars and information sharing.
Did you know: The dairy sector supports more than one billion people’s livelihoods. More than six billion people globally consume dairy products, making it a $413.8 billion market.
China is the fastest-growing dairy market. Europe, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina are the primary dairy-producing countries.
However, drinking milk in the U.S. has been on the decline since about 2000. In the 1980s, more than 50 percent of the dairy products regulated by the USDA was beverage milk. By 2015, that had dropped to 33 percent. Prompting the downward trend, according to market watchers, is the annual decline in the market consumption of ready-to-eat cereals. (source: American Farm Bureau)
WORLD MILK DAY HISTORY
In 2001, the United Nations selected June 1 as World Milk Day to celebrate the essential contributions of the dairy sector to sustainability, economic development, livelihoods, and nutrition.
Watch for local promotions of dairy products in your area and take advantage of specials. Visit the website https://worldmilkday.org/ to learn more about the day. Use the social media tags #WorldMilkDay, #RaiseAGlass to be part of the trending popularity on World Milk Day.
National Dairy Month in June celebrates the many contributions of the dairy industry to our health and economy.
Dairy products contribute to our health in numerous ways. An 8-ounce glass of milk has more nutrients than the same serving size of juice. It’s packed with protein, too. And cheese is udderly delicious!
Here’s a list of popular dairy products you might find during Dairy Month:
Milk (whole, skim, 2%, lactose-free, flavored)
Cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, provolone, feta, blue cheese)
These are just a few examples of the dairy products you might come across during Dairy Month. Keep in mind that availability may vary depending on your location and personal preferences.
Beyond the benefits that go into our bodies, the dairy industry fuels our economy. From the farmer and cheese production to distribution and the grocers who stock their shelves with products there’s a non-stop demand for all the delicious ways we enjoy dairy products.
HISTORY
National Dairy Month began in 1937 to promote dairy products. The Dairy Council sponsors the month.
Savor the recipes made with dairy all month long. Visit a dairy farm and thank a farmer. Pick up your favorite cheeses or have some frozen yogurt. Learn the difference between whipping cream and half and half. Take a tour of an ice cream factory. What’s your favorite dairy?
Nearly the entire world recognizes New Year’s Day on January 1st. It’s also one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.
Celebrations will begin in the Pacific Ocean with Samoa celebrating the New Year before the rest of the world. The latest stroke of midnight will occur in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near Baker Island, which is halfway between Hawaii and Australia.
The new year has been celebrated for millennia. The earliest record of new year’s celebrations occurred during Babylonian times. However, January 1st wasn’t always the designated day. For example, the first new moon after the vernal equinox ushered in the new year at one time. These festivities occurred in Martius (March), the first month in the early Roman calendar, which only had ten months.
King Pompilius later added the months Januarius (named for Janus, the pagan god of gates, doors and beginnings) and Februarius bringing the calendar to 12 months. It was Julius Caesar who created the Julian calendar, which most closely resembles the Gregorian calendar a majority of the world follows today.
Celebrating the first day of the year in the appropriately named month of January, Romans made sacrifices to Janus, giving gifts and general revelry. With his two faces, the god Janus was able to look toward the past and forward to the future.
HOW TO OBSERVE #NewYearsDay
Traditions around the world:
Kiss at midnight the one person you hope to keep kissing the rest of the year.
Making noise, either in the form of fireworks, ringing bells, horns, blasting, or pistol shots are traditional around the world.
In Holland, they toast to the new year with spiced wine, wassail in England, or champagne in the United States.
Resolutions are not a modern tradition. The Babylonians made commitments to return borrowed objects and to pay old debts.
For me New Years Day is about renewal. I spend my time reflecting on how lucky I am and looking forward to the new adventures and growth. It’s time to update, plan, envision, and bring order to everthing I know about for the year to come.
I try to plan for those unexpected situations as well. Money, work, birthdays, and new surprises both good and bad. It’s easier to have better reactions if you plan ahead. Nothings fool proof but, how I deal with it helps set the tone for the experience.
Every year on December 31st, people around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year. It’s a day to say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new.
Also known as Old Year’s Day or Saint Sylvester’s Day, New Year’s Eve is one of the most exciting holidays of the year. Some countries, such as the Philippines and Latvia, celebrate New Year’s Eve as a public holiday. In Japan, it’s a government holiday. In other countries, many businesses let their employees off of work early so that they can partake in the many festivities.
There are many reasons this day is one of the biggest nights of the year. Not just because it’s a time of big parties and celebrations all around the world. New Year’s Eve can be a significant turning point in your life. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and all of the lessons you have learned. It can be a time you decide to start making better choices. If you have had a rough year, New Year’s Eve offers a feeling of relief. You can be thankful that the year is finally over
New Year’s is also a time to forgive past mistakes and form new habits. Many people make New Year’s resolutions. Although, only 8% of people actually accomplish them. Instead of making resolutions that you’re not going to keep anyway, it’s better to set three or four goals. Breaking down goals into actionable steps, and reviewing your progress daily helps to keep them. It’s also a good idea to find a friend or mentor that can hold you accountable.
NEW YEAR’S EVE HISTORY
The first New Year’s celebrations were thought to be held in ancient Mesopotamia. Because of the calendar at the time, these celebrations took place in March. Ringing in the New Year consisted of an 11-day festival. When the calendar switched from the lunar year to the solar year, the New Year began in January. This occurred in 46. B.C., when an astronomer convinced Julius Caesar to follow the solar year. It seems that since way back then, the coming New Year has been cause for celebration. Through the years, many New Year’s traditions have formed. Some of which include fireworks, parties, and singing “Auld Lang Syne.”
HOW TO OBSERVE #NewYearsEve
As we count down the last hours and seconds of the old year, it is an excellent time to look back at the year and reminisce with friends and family.
Many cities throughout the world go all-out to celebrate this exciting night. Fireworks, concerts, countdowns, and ball drops are usually among the many festivities. Some of the best cities to celebrate include New York City, Sydney, Bangkok, Dubai, Cape Town, London, and Las Vegas.
In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is a tradition to eat 12 grapes during the countdown to midnight, symbolizing hopes for the new year. Around the world, eating anything in the form of a circle or ring symbolizes coming full circle and is considered good luck.
As a Christian observance, it is traditional to hold an evening Mass the night before a Holy Day. New Year’s Day in the Roman Catholic Church honors the Virgin Mary. In some countries, St. Sylvester, Pope of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335, is celebrated on New Year’s Eve.
Other ways to participate:
Host a party to ring in the New Year
Champagne toasts are a common tradition, so please drink responsibly
Set some achievable goals
If you can’t be at a celebration, watch one live on television
Have a game night with your family and see who lasts until midnight
Go for a midnight run
Attend a concert that goes past midnight
Go ice-skating at a nearby park or indoor rink
Kiss your spouse or significant other at midnight
Enjoy a quiet evening at home journaling
Think about what you can do to make next year the best one of your life
No matter what you decide to do to ring in the New Year, share it on social media with a picture and #NewYearsEve.
On the second Saturday in November, Wine Tourism Day features wineries and wine-related events across the globe. It is also a day that highlights the economic impact of wine tourism.
Wine is big business. In the United States alone, people spend over 17 billion dollars on wine tourism. The wine industry in America brings 43 million visitors to over 10,000 wine producers all over the country. Wine is so popular that all 50 states have winery facilities. On a global scale, wine tourism accounts for more than 50 billion euros of direct revenue to the world economy. That equals about 57 billion U.S. dollars.
Dedicated wine tourists travel to wineries and vineyards all over the world. The most popular countries for wine tourism include France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United States, Australia, and Argentina.
Some of the world’s best vineyards for wine tourism include:
Vik in the Cachapoal Valley, Chile
Antinori, Italy
Quinta do Crasto, Portugal
Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, France
Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, California
Bodega Garzon, Uruguay
Zuccardi in the Uco Valley, Artentina
But besides drinking wine, what exactly do wine tourists do? Some people enjoy learning about the wine-making process. Others like to spend the day cycling on wine roads through the vineyard. Wine tourists also enjoy the scenery and learn about different cultures.
WINE TOURISM DAY HISTORY
In 2009, the European Network of Wine Cities organized the first European Day of Wine Tourism. Since other countries began to join the movement, the event became known as Wine Tourism Day.
On Wine Tourism Day, wineries and vineyards around the world promote the wine they make and offer special tours. Many liquor stores offer discounts on bottles of wine. Wine tasting events, wine-making demonstrations, and educational workshops are also popular events on this day. To participate:
Research various vineyards around the world and also in your state.
Go out with friends for a glass of wine.
Plan a future trip to a vineyard in another country.
