By their very nature, holidays are steeped in tradition, folklore, and mythology. Here we present some of the more common legends and superstitions associated with our special days.
11 October 2018 - A viral image of one municipal ordinance regarding Halloween activities left viewers wondering whether police were going to be hauling off bigger youngsters for trick-or-treating.
5 May 2018 - The Cinco de Mayo holiday is not a celebration of Mexico's achieving independence from Spain, nor is it a major holiday in Mexico.
7 November 2012 - A spurious Wikipedia edit led to the rumor that a tradition of celebrating Veterans Day with ravioli dinners was initiated by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919.
22 April 2015 - The date of Earth Day was not chosen as April 22 by a murderer to coincide with Vladimir Lenin's birthday.
5 March 1999 - A compendium of superstitions and lore associated with the holy day of Easter.
17 February 2003 - What are we celebrating on the holiday known as 'Presidents Day'? Is it really a holiday at all?
1 January 2003 - Ring in 2019 with a compendium of superstitions associated with New Year's Day.
7 November 2000 - Does the name of Boxing Day come from the need to rid the house of empty boxes on the day after Christmas?
18 December 2001 - The image of Santa Claus as a jolly large man in a red-and-white suit was the standard long before Coca-Cola co-opted it for their advertising.
7 December 2000 - Despite modern religious legends, candy canes were not created as Christian symbols representing the blood and purity of Jesus.
1 December 2013 - The term 'Black Friday' did not originate with the practice of selling off slaves on the day after Thanksgiving.
27 October 2016 - Unreliable web sites spun a news story about the Swedish Transport Administration nixing Christmas lights on street poles into a fictional tale about kowtowing to Muslim immigrants.
