Yesterday we observed Presidents' Day here in the U.S. By "observed" I mean that we didn't do anything special. Instead, we took a break from our routines for a day--the best kind of holiday. Just one such day is enough to make the routine seem treadworn and odious. In Chile, with two national holidays about one week apart in September, it becomes one long, lazy week. Diplomats serving abroad celebrate their own national holidays as well as the local festivities. (That's why it seems the Embassy is often closed--because it is!) Ambassadors often host extravagant celebrations of their national indendence days. (We served popcorn and hot dogs--hilal, of course--in the U.A.E.)
Here in the American Southwest, we celebrate Cinco de Mayo in harmony with our Mexican neighbors and many Mexican-Americans. I recall reading about the men of a Belgian colony celebrating Kismet (?) in the early history of Wisconsin, to keep their wives from getting homesick. Does your holiday observance help you feel at home while far away?
