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Sunday, June 21, 2015

The Midsummer Festival and NYC Tradition

On Friday, June 19, 2015 my family and friends attended the annual Swedish Midsummer Festival in Battery Park City in downtown Manhattan.
Happy, relaxed and a bit retrospective
At this unique celebration, adults and children come together to picnic in the grass, decorate the midsummer pole, make flower wreaths, play traditional games and Polska dance to authentic fiddle music.
Midsummer, also known as St John's Day, or Litha, is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the Northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 19 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures. The Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr StJohn the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening before, known as St John's Eve.
In Sweden the Midsummer is such an important festivity that there have been serious discussions to make the Midsummer's Eve into the National Day of Sweden, instead of June 6. It may also be referred to as St. Hans Day.
The program presented at the Battery Park featured traditional music by Paul Dahlin and fiddlers from the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis, folk dances from Barnklubben Elsa Rix and Swedish Folkdancers of New York, and pole dancing led by Scandinavian folklorist and singer Ross Sutter. Food stands offered delicacies from New York's finest Swedish restaurants and food purveyors.
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Sunday, June 14, 2015

June 19th 2015 – 130th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty arrival to New York Harbor

Statue of Liberty officially is known as Liberty Enlightening the World

Statue of Liberty facts for kids
  1. The Statue of Liberty is holding a tablet inscribed with the date of the Independence of America in her left hand and a raised torch in her right hand representing knowledge and enlightenment
  2. Construction of the Statue of Liberty started on September 1875 and the monument was completed in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885.
  3. The Statue of Liberty was built by France to celebrate America's first 100 years as a nation and the tablet is inscribed with the date of American Independence. The monument commemorates the alliance between the United States and France during the Revolutionary War.
  4. Bartholdi selected Bedloe's Island as the site for the statue because he considered it's location as the "Gateway to America." The island measures 10 acres (4 hectares)
  5. Her spiky hat is symbolic. Yes, each of the seven spikes on her crown represent the seven oceans and the seven continents of the world. This is said to represent the universal concept of liberty. It’s not only about fashion!
  6. She escaped her chains. Although you cannot see, at the statues feet there are broken shackles symbolizing the country moving forward from oppression and slavery. She is also moving her right foot towards a new, free era.
  7. On February 22, 1877, Congress voted to accept the gift, and set apart Bedloe's Island for the site.
  8. She was transported from France on board the French frigate "Isere". Whilst in transit, she was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. Its official presentation to the minister of the United States took place July 4, 1884.
  9. The Statue was erected a large granite pedestal inside the courtyard of the star shaped walls of Fort Wood,  built for the War of 1812 against the British
  10. The dedication of monument took place October 28, 1886 during the presidency of Grover Cleveland.  The Dedication celebration was a great event attended by President Cleveland, General Sheridan, the members of the President's cabinet and the sculptor Bartholdi together with thousands of people with parades, music, flags and gunshot salutes. Every bell in New York harbor was rung.
  11. It would later become the iconic landmark for all European immigrants on the last leg of their journey from Europe to EllisIsland and a new life in the United States.
  12. Liberty Island, with nearby Ellis Island, became part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1984. A museum is housed in the base of the monument
  13. Between 1984 - 1986 restoration work was completed and some parts of the statue had to be completely replaced with exact replicas of the original. It's centennial was celebrated on July 4, 1986.
  14. Liberty Island was hit by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy on October 28, 2012. It was closed for eight months Liberty Island and reopened on July 4, 2013. 
More Facts for Kids
To learn about the Statue of Liberty history we reached for a book “LILY AND MISS LIBERTY”, by Carla Stevens.
This historical novel for children is set during the time when the French people
presented the Statue of Liberty to America. The statue was ready, but there was no base on which to set it. The people of America had to supply the base for the statue. Even the schoolchildren helped and Lily did her part by making paper crowns and selling them.
Activities with the book http://gardenofpraise.com/lesson6.htm
PDF Activities Booklet
Emma's Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty, by: Linda Glaser
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free."
Every schoolchild in America has heard Emma Lazarus' poem and sees the State of Liberty as a beacon for incoming immigrants. But when Emma Lazarus wrote her poem, the Statue of Liberty, then being designed in France, didn't have anything to do with immigrants yet. This fascinating picture book tells the story of Emma's care for immigrants as well as the impact her poem would have on the new statue-and the people who passed under her torch.
"The Statue of Liberty", by: Lucille Recht Penner, Juda Rowland
Engaging, simple text presents the construction and symbolism of the skyscraper-sized "Lady Liberty," France's unique gift to the United States, who watches over New York Harbor.
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Fun at 37th Annual “Museum Mile” Festival, NYC

37th Annual “Museum Mile” Festival took place at Fifth Ave from 82nd to 105th Streets on Tuesday, June 9th, 2015, from 6 to 9 pm.
The first festival, held in June of 1978, was an instant success.
New York City has officially designated Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th streets “Museum Mile” because of the vast richness and cultural diversity of the nine museums found there.
The Africa Center, 1280 Fifth Avenue (at 110th Street)
www.theafricacenter.org
El Museo del Barrio Museum, 104th Street and Fifth Avenue
www.elmuseo.org 
Museum of the City of New York, 103rd Street and Fifth Avenue
www.mcny.org
The Jewish Museum, 92nd Street and Fifth Avenue
thejewishmuseum.org/
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 91st Street and Fifth Avenue
www.cooperhewitt.org 
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Avenue
guggenheim.org
National Academy Museum and School, 90th Street and Fifth Avenue
www.nationalacademy.org
Neue Galerie New York Museum, 86th Street and Fifth Avenue
www.neuegalerie.org
Metropolitan Museum of Art, 82nd Street
www.metmuseum.org
“Museum Mile” promoted public awareness through increased visibility, accessibility and attendance at all the museums, and brought many New Yorkers to upper Fifth Avenue for the first time.
See more at: http://museummilefestival.org/index.php/museums/#sthash.JbufvSoV.dpuf

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