Social Science Questions & Answers

Every March 17th, thousands of people don their greenest garb, march in Irish pride parades, eat green clover-shaped cookies, and quaff frosty mugs of green beer in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. But do you really know who St. Patrick was and why he is celebrated? Who is St. Patrick? Patrick was born in AD 387 just south of Hadrian’s …

The day following Lohri is called ‘Maghi’, signifying the beginning of the month of Magh. According to Hindu beliefs, this is an auspicious day to take a holy dip in the river and give away charity. Sweet dishes (usually kheer) are prepared with sugar cane juice to mark the day. Lohri is more than just a festival, especially for the …

The celebration of the new year is actually the oldest of all holidays, but it hasn’t always been observed on January 1. Babylonians first celebrated the beginning of the new year about 4000 years ago around 2000 BC. Unlike our holiday today, the Babylonians marked the beginning of the year on what is now March 23 since that is when …

Every culture has its own way to celebrate New Year’s Day. In the U.S., many people throw parties, and crowds gather in New York’s Times Square and at Chicago’s State Street on New Year‘s Eve. In the American South, people eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the new year. In Spain and some of South America, people get good …

What is the History of Christmas Carols? Carols were first sung in Europe thousands of years ago, but these were not Christmas Carols. They were pagan songs, sung at the Winter Solstice celebrations as people danced round stone circles. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, usually taking place around the 22nd December. The word Carol actually …

Jesus “Christ” is known as the founder or central figure of “Christianity.” Christmas is a Christian holiday on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. Ancient Romans also commemorated Jesus’ birth by marking a division of the calendar still in use today. The years before Jesus’ birth are marked as B.C. (Before Christ), and the years after Jesus’ birth …

A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. It is used during Hanukkah to play a popular children’s game that involves spinning the dreidel and betting on which Hebrew letter will be showing when the dreidel stops spinning. Children usually play for a pot of gelt, which are chocolate coins covered in gold colored …

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar. In Hebrew, the word “hanukkah” means “dedication”. The name reminds us that this holiday commemorates the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem following the Jewish victory over …

When is Hanukkah this year? Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 22, 2019 (Sunday). It ends at sundown on December 30, 2019 (Monday). Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday celebrated for eight days and nights. It starts on the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, which coincides with late November-late December on the secular calendar. In Hebrew, the word “Hanukkah” means …

No, the various species of zebra Burchell’s, mountain and Grevy’s-all have different coat patterns. (So also, do the various subspecies such as Chapman’s.) Thus, although all zebras look superficially the same, scientists can tell them apart by comparing the width of the stripes and the overall patterning. Awkward target but why to zebras have stripes to begin with? You might …