Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.  William Dement

Funny Pictures for January

• Arctic Winter Wonderland
• Cat and Dog Feeding Who Wins? – Free video clip
• Children’s Letters to God
• Cockatoo Video – Head-banger
• Dogs Look Like Their Owners
• Eagle Rebirth – Inspirational Presentation
• Franglais
  Funny phrases
• Geographic Pictures – Beautiful
• How to Clear Snow from Your Car
• How to Push Start Your Car – Funny Car Video
• Mari Lwyd – Welsh white horse
• Ostrich Escapes – Funny photo
• Perspective – Interesting photo
• Police
  Slow – Storm Damage
• Shoot Self – Beware AR-50 Rifle!
• Willard Wigan Tiny Art

Origin of January

January is named after the Roman god – Janus.  Doors and gateways are associated with Janus, hence January is a gateway to the year ahead.  It was only in 1752 that January was officially
recognised as the start of the year in England.  Before then other dates such as March 25th were used.

While January can be colder than December and the daylight hours are just as
restricted,  January days bring hope and expectation, whereas December days
bring only dispair.

Will and Guy have selected pictures that remind us of the New Year and the weeks that follow.

Examples of Our January Pictures

Our aim is to capture the essence of each month with our pictures; in a word January means ‘Snow’.

Arctic wonderland at the North Pole.  Can you spot the polar bear
in the above wintry picture?

Maeshowe Orkney Isles (Scotland) Cairn built 5,500 years ago

At the winter solstice, the sun is so low in the Orkney islands that it’s rays light up the back wall of the cairn.  This only happens once a year on the shortest day – weather permitting.
It’s fascinating to think how our ancestors not only calculated what would happen, but had the time and patience to construct the aperture.

January Traditions – Mari Lwyd

A Welsh tradition with a difference.  In a nutshell the Mari Lwyd tradition
is wassail singing par excellence, with mummer animal head costumes, coupled with trick-or-treat menace.

Cat and Dog Fight Over Supper – Who Wins?

Dogs Look Like Their Owners

See what you
think

Franglais Examples

Parke le char – My tea is cold.
Suivez la piste – Never mind, follow that drunk!

January Special Day Events

•  1st New Year’s Day
•  1st Kwanzee ends
•  3rd Festival of Sleep
•  4th Trivia Day
•  5th Twelfth Night
•  5th National Bird Day
•  6th Epiphany
• 11th National Milk Day
• 13th St Hilary’s Day (Coldest Day?)
• 14th Magh Mela and
  Kumbh Mela (Indian
  festivals)
• 14/15th Kite Festival India
• 15th Martin Luther King Day
• 15th Chosun Gul Day or Korean
  Alphabet Day – (North Korea)
• 19th Popcorn Day
• Blue Monday
• 20th Festival of San Sebastian Spain
• 25th Burns Night
• 26th Australia Day
• 26th Republic Day India
• 27th Holocaust Memorial Day
• 28th Cullinan Diamond discovered (1905)
• World Religion Day – Third Sunday in January
• Jan Up Helly Aa

See other interesting events that happened in January back
down the years.