I received some wonderful graphics to celebrate tulip day at january the 19th.
The Day is part of a Swedish Festival.
Annette can tell you more about it.

Well, I crave for spring and this wonderful message of spring brought a light in the dark and dull days we are experiencing.

Sharing Tulips and wishes really brightened my day, and another tradition is born here in the house.

Here you'll find the true history of the first Tulip Day, what tulips mean to me, and a link to the annual Canadian Tulip Day.

Also links the the wonderful gifties I've got, and ofcourse a link to a tulip greeting from me.
Enjoy!!

TULIP DAY

Tulip Day was first celebrated in a city founded by Dutch settlers: Holland, Mich.
High School teacher Lida Rogers had in 1927 the idea to celebrate the city's heritage and she shared her idea at the local women's club.
All immediately got enthousiastic and "Tulip Day" became part of a plan to beautify the city.

Plans were made and in 1928 the city purchased 100,000 bulbs from The Netherlands and they were planted by hundreds of volunteers to decorate parks and borders beside the streets.
The city attracted many tourists and a tradition was born.

The years after, new elements were added to Tulip Day.
In 1930 Tulip Day became a four day festival and in 1930 it had the duration of a week.
As in The Netherlands before festivals the streets are cleaned, street scrubbing was introduced.
It proofed to be a huge success, as were klompen (wooden shoe) dancing, dressing in Dutch Folklore dress and theatre performances.
In 1931 the first parade of children and bands was added and each year more people joined the celebrations, both as volunteers and as tourists.
Sponsoring was needed and in 1938 the Holland Furnace Co. broadcasted the event on national radio and some of the biggest celebrities of those days, like George Raft, Robert Cummings, Fay Wray and Richard Arlen came to the town.

The festival was firmly rooted in the annual agenda, except for two years during WW2.
(The Netherlands were under occupation for 5 years during WW2, and the last two years were very bad. Many people died, and ofcourse almost no tulips were available)

After WW2, starting in 1946, the festival remained an annual event, with more items added.
In 1947 that the people of the city of Amsterdam sent a barrel organ, in 1953 the barbershop quartet program was initiated, and from 1958 to 1972 a national baton-twirling contest was held.
The city even imported a real windmill, De Zwaan (The Swan) from The Netherlands, and it was rebuilt on reclaimed swampland, called "Windmill Island". It was opened in 1965 and got a lot of visitors.
Even a president was among them. In 1976 President Gerald R. Ford and his family participated in the parade of bands.

In 1979 Tulip Day celebrated its golden anniversary as Tulip Time and the debute of The Stars of Lawrence Welk meant a new group of people taking part: professional entertainers.
Among then: The Kingston Trio, Jim Nabors, Tammy Wynette, the Smothers Brothers, Bob Newhart and Christina Aguilera.

1982 was the year another annual item was added: the festival poster: an annual beautiful painting of tulips, even available on internet.

Up till now new elements are added, inclusing those especially for children and those for other ethnic groups.
Due to the change in weather and the change in the time of flowering the festival was shifted one week earlier in 2002.

Today Tulip Day has grown into Tulip Time, being the third largest floral festival in North America, one of the top 10 ethnic festivals in the country and one of the top 20 annual events recognized by the International Festival and Events Association.

In case you want to witness what Lida Rogers has brought about, you can visit Tulip Time in May, from may 3rd to May 13, 2006.

Link:here

TULIPS and ME

Tulips are very special to me.
Not only because so many are grown in my country, but also because they're so interwoven with my life.

My gram always had tulips on her table.
Most of the time red or yellow ones.
She always put them in a vase with water and a teaspoon of sugar.
In the winter they got a chance to get used to the temperature inside. They were wrapped tightly in paper, without crushing them, and they stood in the coldest part of the house during the night.
First thing in the morning they were put on the table. Before fire was made.

Although we knew tulips grow in the vase, we always enjoyed to see it, and I remember us sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, talking, and looking to the tulips.
it was especially fun when they almost touched the table, because then we could see the growth best.

Later new varieties were developed, in all sorts of colors. Even almost black ones.
I love the red ones with the curly yellow sides.




On internet I found these links:


Tulip Day march 1, the Canadian Lung Cancer Association
May 13th at edHelper.com