Important holiday and dates today

  

You surely know by now that Bleubeard and I are hosting Art Journal Journey (AJJ) this month.  Our theme for the entire month is Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone.

Be aware please, even though I read each post you link through AJJ, I can't leave comments on any blog, including my own.  I believe it's a blogger problem.

And because I have a ton of media, I'm also joining Creative Artiste and their 123rd Challenge (their theme is always Anything mixed media goes), even though I can't leave any comments to my visitors from their blog, either.

This is an important day, culturally.  Both Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year (CNY) land on this date in 2026.  Details are below.

 

I began by adhering Joss papers to the 8.5 X 11 inch (21.59 X 27.94 centimeter) 110 lb. cardstock.  I adhered the NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) court house and statue to the page.  I glued the Mardi Gras masks in place.  I then adhered the lanterns, which are German scrap.  Next, I added the sentiments and the date.  

 

Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, is the day before Lent begins, traditionally celebrated by eating pancakes to use up rich ingredients like eggs and milk before the fasting period. There is a famous celebration in Olney, Buckinghamshire, England and Liberal, Kansas (USA).  The friendly competition between Liberal and Olney, with women running 415 yards down the streets of each town flipping pancakes, has been going on for 73 years.  It is still the only race of its kind on the planet.  As of Pancake Day, 2025, there have been 42 wins for Liberal and 31 for Olney.

 

For the bottom half, I adhered the 60 symbols Joss paper which doesn't contain any gold or silver.  As an aside, Joss paper is also known as incense paper.  It is meant to be folded and burned.  Joss paper is traditionally made from coarse bamboo paper, which feels handmade, although rice paper might also be used.  Traditional Joss paper is cut into individual squares or rectangles.  Never burn these papers, even though they were meant to be burned.  Joss paper emits toxic components from the gold or silver.  This causes health risks because there is a significant amount of heavy metals in the dust, fumes, and ashes.

 

For the center of the Joss paper, I included a Chinese coin to which I added a piece of wood which I wrapped in fabric.  I then added the red envelope, which is traditionally given to children on CNY.  To the envelope I adhered a Chinese yen coin.  Finally, I added the sentiments.  This is the year of the male (yang) red Fire Horse.  Today is also the start of year 4723.

 

Bleubeard and I are incredibly delighted you stopped by on this holiday, and hope to also see you at Art Journal Journey and Creative Artiste (even if we can't leave you a comment) with your own interpretation of Anywhere, Anytime, Any Place, with Anyone or Anything mixed media goes.