In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly passed resolution 36/67 declaring an International Day of Peace. In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution 55/282 declaring 21 September of each year as the International Day of Peace. The intention of the resolution is to have the entire world observe a day of peace and nonviolence.

In the Netherlands, children are told that Black Peter will enter the house through the chimney and leave a bundle of sticks or salt in their shoes instead of candy if they have been bad. Extremely bad children, they are told, will be put into Black Peter's gunny bag and carried off.

The practice of decorating eggshells as part of spring rituals is ancient, with decorated, engraved ostrich eggs found in Africa which are 60,000 years old.

Valentine's Day is rooted in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day.

Approximately 600 million pounds of candy are sold in the U.S. each year for Halloween, with 90 million pounds of that being chocolate.

The whole purpose of I Forgot Day is to make amends for those things you've forgotten.

During Carnival people wear masks and costumes and celebrate in the streets, allowing them to lose their everyday individuality and experience a heightened sense of social unity. Excessive consumption of alcohol, meat, and other foods proscribed during Lent is extremely common.

On September 5, 1882, ten thousand New York workers marched from City Hall to Union Square.

Every year, Linus sits in a pumpkin patch on Halloween night waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear. Invariably, the Great Pumpkin fails to turn up, but Linus always vows to wait for him again the following Halloween.

If you see a spider on Halloween, it is considered good luck, as it means the spirit of a loved one is guarding you.