On This Day: October 28th … Strange Holidays

Plush Animal Lover’s Day

International Animation Day

National Chocolate Day

What’s not to love when it comes to stuffed animals? Hey, I had a teddy bear for almost seven years growing up. Considered him my little brother. Okay, that might seem weird, but at least he did everything I wanted from him and he never talked back to me or called me names.

International Animation Day

This became an international observance proclaimed in 2002 by the ASIFA as the main global event to celebrate the art of animation.

This day commemorates the first public performance of Charles-Émile Reynaud's Théâtre, Optique, at the Grevin Museum in Paris, 1892. In 1895, the Cinematograph of the Lumière Brothers, outshone Reynaud's invention, driving Émile to bankruptcy. However, his public performance of animation entered the history of optical entertainments as shortly predating the camera-made movies.

In recent years, the event has been observed in more than 50 countries with more than 1000 events, on every continent, all over the world. IAD was initiated by ASIFA, International Animated Film Association, a member of UNESCO. During International Animation Day cultural institutions are also invited to join in by screening animated films, organizing workshops, exhibiting artwork and stills, providing technical demonstrations, and organizing other events helping to promote the art of animation. Such a celebration is an outstanding opportunity of putting animated films in the limelight, making this art more accessible to the public.

ASIFA also commissions an artist to create an original art poster announcing the event each year. It is then adapted for each country in order to guarantee a worldwide view of the event. Previous editions involved the work of animators such as Louri Tcherenkov, Paul Driessen, Abi Feijo, Eric Ledune, Noureddin Zarrinkelk, Michel Ocelot, and Nina Paley.

Full length animation films, historical features, animated shorts, and student films, all variety of animation art are shown in the workshops. These films display an extraordinary range of techniques – drawings, paintings, animating puppets and objects, using clay, sand, paper, and computer.

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National Chocolate Day

National Chocolate Day, on October 28th, recognizes one of the world’s favorite tastes. While many specific chocolate related holidays exist throughout the year, National Chocolate Day celebrates all things chocolate.

As America’s favorite flavor, chocolate is well-deserving of its own day of honor. (Some sources designate July 7 or December 28 as Chocolate Day or International Chocolate Day, September 13th, the birthday of Milton S. Hershey.)

Chocolate comes from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia and grows in Mexico, Central America, and Northern South America. The earliest known documentation of using cacao seeds is from around 1100 BC.

Since cacao tree seeds have a very intense, bitter taste, they must be fermented to develop the flavor.

Research has found that chocolate, when eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure.

Once fermented, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted. After roasting, the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The cacao nibs are then ground into cocoa mass, which is pure chocolate in rough form. The cocoa mass is usually liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients. At this point in the process, it is called chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor may then be processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

The National Confectioners Association created National Chocolate Day but the year could not be found, so I will say just sometime in my lifetime and let it go at that.

More Strange Holidays Thursday!