May 2nd Sunday - Cat Festival
It is a well known fact that during the middle ages many cats were sacrificed in Europe.The cats were burnt, beaten to death or simply thrown to their death. It is not know whether the people in the middle ages wanted to punish the cat as disturber of the peace, renounce evil or simply continue the ritual of cat sacrifices …? Be that as it may, it is a historical fact that the Cat Festivities find their roots in age-old customs.
During the middle ages the Grote Markt in Ypres became overcrowded on Cat Wednesday (the last day of the annual fair). The city jester would throw live cats to their death from the belfry tower. With a few short or long interruptions Ypres, Belgium, has observed this cat throwing custom for centuries. The last time live cats were thrown was in 1817. In 1938 the tradition was revived by throwing velvet cats from the tower. However, the war threw a spanner in the works. From 1946 onwards the cat throwing was introduced by a small parade resulting in the condemnation of the cat on the Grote Markt. In 1955 the first major Cat Parade was introduced to the public. After 1958 the traditional date of the second Sunday in lent was switched to the second Sunday in May.
The Cat Parade became an annual tradition with many milestones: important, even royal guests, guest appearances of twinned cat towns, the introduction of the Snoezepoezen (Cuddly Kitties), Eurovision broadcasts, new floats and new groups. In 1985 there was no parade as Ypres welcomed the Pope in May 1985. The 1991 parade was the last annual parade and the first of the three-yearly editions. From 1959 through 1989 a Cat Queen and her maids of honour were elected. The giant cats Cieper and Minneke Poes have been given new costumes.
May 2nd Sunday - National Veal Ban Action Day
National Veal Ban Action Day was created to to help hundreds of activists throughout the United States and Canada call attention to the plight of the veal calf.
May 2nd Weekend - World Migratory Bird Day
World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) is a global initiative devoted to celebrating the beauty of migrating birds and promoting their conservation worldwide.
Visit the World Migratory Bird Day website to locate events in your area and to see how you can be part of this initiative.
May 2nd Weekend - Rooster Days
Rooster Days is the Oldest Festival in Oklahoma. In the spring of 1931, there was a thriving poultry industry on the farms and acreage surrounding Broken Arrow. Secretary-Manager of the chamber at that time, for the salary of $35 a month was Leo S. Wortman, who also was vocational agriculture instructor at the high school. He came up with the idea of establishing a special day for farmers to bring to market their excess roosters. The roosters, you see, were messing up plans to establish an infertile egg market there. Keep in mind, those were the days when farm families usually depended upon the flock to provide the groceries. Most local grocery stores (there were no supermarkets then), traded staple goods from their shelves, and sometimes even clothing and shoes, for fresh eggs.
O.L. Patterson, owner of one produce house, found a market for the roosters if farmers could gather as many as two tons. They offered five cents a pound above the market price, which was then eight cents. To this premium, the chamber offered another two cents, to make a top price of 15 cents for this one day only.
On that first Rooster Day, about 5,000 pounds of roosters, more than two tons, were sold. There were prizes for the best rooster, the biggest, noisiest, etc. A highlight of the day was a sound system, something almost unheard of then, which played music noisily all day. People gathered to visit and to enjoy each other's company.