Quote: Spring is nature’s way of saying “Let’s Party” -  Robin Williams

MOVE FORWARD!

Time to “spring” forward in everything you do. Let go of the past, and move on to bigger and better things in life. But in order to really move forward, we have to let go of the past. In our own environment, a good way is to clean out our houses, closets, garages, attics, selling, donating, or throwing away the past. We, ourselves, have just moved our office to a new location. Wow! A lot of stuff we accumulated over the years! And, just as dust and pollutants build in our own homes, so do our own bodies – internally and energetically. So, this issue, we feature ways to free ourselves from the past by “cleaning house,” and learning from our decisions that we made, embrace them, and look forward to the upcoming months and years ahead.

Moving on up!  

Neena & Veena

CLASSES  All classes are on-going and open to ALL levels!

Bellydance: Sexy, fun!

Saturdays: North Hollywood, CA; 11 am –12 noon.

Wednesdays: Studio City, CA:  8 pm - 9 pm.

Bollywood: A blast! Excellent workout!

Saturdays: Glendale/Atwater Village, CA; 1 – 2 pm.

Mondays: Studio City, CA; 8 - 9 pm.

Thursdays: (monthly) Los Angeles; 7-8:15 pm

Online classes: Coming soon!

BELLY SIGNS

Chinese Astrology 2009: Year of the Ox: dependable, hard-working, calm, reliable, modest, born-leader. They are kind, caring, souls. They’re also patient, methodical, and social.

Numerology: The year 2009 is the numeric value of “11” – a Master number. The next time the world will experience the same energy will be in 2027.

Equality, creative, social, togetherness, Yin-yang energy

Feb 20 – March 20 (Pisces)

March 21- April 20 (Aries)

Numerology: 3

Birthstone: Aquamarine

Flower: Jonquil

Positive: Expressive, artistic, intuitive, happy, fun-loving, enjoys life.

Negative: Scattered, lack of direction, moody, self-centered, procrastinator, exaggerates

The Piscean performer is friendly, sensitive, easy-going, and a great team-player to have in a class or in a dance troupe. Quite often Pisceans are excellent instructors because they are gentle, compassionate, and patient with their students, which also make them a good leader in many situations. Their choreography are inspired by their intuition and imaginative minds.  However, her negative side can be secretive, weak-willed, and easily-led.

Possible health concerns: inflammation – especially in the eyelids, gout, heavy periods, and/or foot disorders.

Pisces celebs: Sydney Poiter, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Ralph Nader, Jackie Gleason, Elizabeth Taylor, Fats Domino, Rob Reiner, Sam Donaldson, Glenn Close, Bruce Willis, Holly Hunter, Rob Lowe, Vanessa Williams, Nat King Cole, Jerry Lewis, Liza Minelli, Albert Einstein, Billy Crystal, Dr. Seuss, Ron Howard, Alexander G. Bell, Lawrence Welk, Spike Lee

March 21-April 20:  Aries; April 21- May 21: Taurus

ARIES:

Symbol: Ram
Element: Fire
Planet: Mars
Animals: Sheep and Rams
Color: Red
Gemstone: Diamond
Flower: Sweet Pea
Part of the Body: Head
Lucky Day: Tuesday
Lucky Numbers: 1 and 9 

Numerology: 4

The 4 Life Path is practical and down-to-earth, with strong ideas about right and wrong. You are orderly and organized, systematic and controlled, and you are decisive and methodical, employing a step-by-step rationale approach to problem solving. Once committed, you do not give up easily. Hard-working, seeks to establish a solid foundation. Honest and loyal, yet rigid in your ideas. Sometimes too quick in judging your fellow man. You’re well-suited for marriage, being a responsible, loving parent.

Positive:  Adventurous, energetic, pioneering, courageous, enthusiastic, confident, dynamic, quick-witted.

Negative: selfish, quick-tempered, impulsive, impatient, foolhardy, daredevil, admitting failure, waiting around, listening to other’s advise

Possible health concerns: Aries is governed by the head and brain. Possible nervous disorders.

The Arien solo dancer always aims for dynamic choreography. She is adventurous, impulsive, enthusiastic and full of life and energy, which is why she becomes an audience favorite. The Arian is a pioneer both in thought and action, and yet very open to new ideas. Entrepreneurial and a lover of freedom would make them great owners of dance studios. They welcome challenges, but may not be challenged if they’re not potentially good at what they do, because they like coming in first – or at least on top. They will not be diverted from their purpose except by their own impatience, which will surface if they don’t get quick results.

Some Arien celebs: Mathew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sir Elton John, Mariah Carey, Rosie O’Donnel, Reese Witherspoon, Fergie, Vince Vaughn, Alec Baldwin, Eddie Murphy, Jackie Chan, Dennis Quaid, Russell Crowe, David Letterman, Kate Hudson, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Hugh Hefner, Zach Braff, The Bellytwins!

COMING SOON:

COSTUMES – new from Egypt. Custom-designed to your size and color. Available this summer.

CDs:   

Bellydance Oasis is the absolute collection of captivating and exotic music for bellydancers. This exciting variety music from across the Middle East is performed by great artists such as The Salatin Al Tarab Orchestra, Hassan Abou El Seoud, Dr. Samy Farag, Said Al Artist, Al-Ahram Orchestra and Cairo Orchestra. $14.95 plus s/h  Buy now! 

BELLYTWINS T-shirts:  

Call 888-41-BELLY or 818-83-BELLY to order your own BELLYTWINS T-shirt now!

BELLYTWINS Int’l Talent – providing the best in entertainment worldwide! Specializing in “Arabian Nights” Party themes!

Dancers, singers, musicians, henna artists, fortune tellers, snake charmers, sword swallowers, palm readers, fire artists, exotic animals… and much more.

Give us a call 1-888-41-BELLY  

Or email us: bellytwins@bellytwins.com

WANT MORE WORK AS AN ARTIST? Here are two ways:

♦ BELLYTWINS INT’L / ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY is always looking for fresh new talent such as dancers, singers, musicians, henna artists, fortune tellers, and specialty acts world wide for local, national, and international shows, tours, and media bookings. 

♦OR IF YOU LIVE IN L.A., BT DANCE COMPANY is currently seeking male and female dancers.  Must be able to pick up choreography. Serious inquiries only!

Send your headshot, resume, and demo reel (if you have one) to:

BELLYTWINS Int’l

PO Box 2402

Beverly Hills, CA  90213

bellytwins@bellytwins.com 

FEATURED PRODUCTS

Spring forward to a new YOU! FREE AUTOGRAPH! Simply request for it in the order under “special instructions” and the twins will sign the book for you at no extra charge!

The Way of the Belly

Belly baby

For more comments, photos, and reviews, visit: http://successthroughplay.blogspot.com/2008/05/belly-baby-prenatal-workout.html

FREE GIFT – if you order $100 or more of any Bellytwins products. Value $10

BELLY MOVE  photo

Here’s a fun, funky bolly-fusion that’s great for your bi-ceps, thighs and your waist line! Now, put on some of your favorite music, preferably with an eight count rhythm. If you really want to get into the bolly groove, we would recommend the audio cd “Indi-Hop” for a bolly-bhangra funk sound -   www.bellytwins.com/sh_cd.htm. For this particular movement, we suggest something about medium tempo.

Starting position: Legs wide-apart; knees bend over toes; arms open, as if you’re holding 2 plates, hands flexed, facing the sky.

What to do: Slide upper body side to side, keeping lower body still. Core tight.

Let’s work it out: Start out slowly, 4 cts on each side. Do that 10 times. Increase the speed to 2 cts on each side, and slide to each side 20 times. Tighten the belly, tailbone is dropped. Now faster. 1 ct on each side 40 times. Straighten your knees for 4 cts, and bend again in the same position for another 4 cts. Bring your hands to “namaste” position also called “anjali mudra.”  Repeat the above exercise.

Be sure to warm up and cool down before exercising. Drink plenty of water. As with any exercise program, consult your physician. This exercise excerpt from Indi-Hop. For this move and other movements, visit here for our dvds and products..

BELLY Q & A:

Hello,

First of all I'd like to let you know that I love your art of belly dancing and that I just find it very beautiful. Also I would like to know if you have any compact classes for foreigners that can only come for one week or so to learn with you?

Thank you very much in advance for your answer.

I hope see you soon.

Fati.

Dear Fati,

Thank you for your email – and aside from our regular classes, we can make special arrangements for workshops, private, or semi-private classes. Just email us bellytwins@bellytwins.com or call 888-41-BELLY or 818-83-BELLY.

Thanks!

N & V

BELLY LETTERS:

Hey!

Just wanted to say I am soooo proud of you girls representing our culture – I am from the Middle East living in Canada. It’s wonderful to see the dance represented by respectable and eloquent women.

Thank you!

Katiya, Ontario Canada

Hi,

I wanted to thank you for the beautiful DVDs you did for beginners.  I have two of them and absolutely love the work outs. I have dropped 7 pounds already just by doing the workout three times a week.

Some of the stretches or warm up exercises that you do I am not able to do mostly because I am very heavy.  Also because I have very bulky muscles since I was a small child. 

The dancing brings me so much joy and peace almost like coming home. 

Thank you,

Jodi

BELLY SUGGESTIONS

Hi twins!

I think you should do a performance only dvd – I would buy it in a heartbeat! I’ve seen a million bellydancers, but none that intrigue me as much as you two. The other dancers are really great, but they don’t look classy – and your movements are soooo graceful.

I have all your dvds, and your awesome book. PLEASE do a performance dvd!!!!!!!!!!!!

With love,

Erica Foster, NJ

Hey girlz – Tami here.

We need some more Bollywood dvds from you 2. My family is from Afghanistan, and we LOVE bollywood!!!! I saw you 2 perform here in the east coast, and u r absolutely AMAZING in bollywood dance. I thought u were the bomb in bellydance, until I saw the bollywood. Wow! More bollywood dvds!!

We’d love to hear from you! If you have a suggestion on a featured article, a product you’d like for us to produce, or anything else, please email us: bellytwins@bellytwins.com

LET ME HELP YOU RESOLVE YOUR HEALTH OR WEIGHT PROBLEMS…

Medical psychic/intuitive Sheila Lakshmi Rani has been helping clients for many years, including specialists in the medical field with her psychic abilities. Email me:

sheilaknows@yahoo.com 

“…My real weight issue wasn’t only exercise or diet – it was a medical condition that Lakshmi said I had, and it was confirmed by a specialist!  Now I am at my desired weight and I feel better than I did when I was in my teens – and I am 47!”

“…I thought my marriage was going to fail because of my mood swings from menopause. Lakshmi found the combination of herbs that got rid of them –naturally. I owe my marriage to her. God brought me her in my life!” N. K Singh Irvine, CA

BELLY SONG  Pashto folkloric song; written by Pashto artist Farhad Darya 1993. Translated by NI Fargarhar

GOLOM GOLOM

O lovely flower of mine!

O lovely flower of mine!

From Kabul’s Gardens

It’s only three that my heart feels friendly towards

Let me shine the mirror from here up to Kabul

Let me comb my beloved’s locks,

The locks of my beloved are curly

And my heart is depressed because of the separated.

The camel is under the load, Oh my dear!

I intend to make a journey to Kandahar, Oh my dear!

Noone can trust this passing world of ours

Let’s sit and chat a short while, Oh my dear!

BELLY LANGUAGE 

Urdu, a language full of beauty and grace seems to have been custom-built for literature, prose and poetry. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and is also widely spoken in India, the place where it emerged. Urdu is widely spoken today in countries having a sizeable South Asian diaspora including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Mauritius, Nepal, Saudi Arabia ,UAE (1 million); Also in western countries such as US (1 million), UK (1 million), Germany, France, Spain, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark, Eastern Europe, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji , Tanzania, and Zambia. It has absorbed both the native and non-native elements of writing in Arabic and Persian. Besides, it derives its words from Sanskrit. Its grammar is similar to Hindi. Urdu is very similar to Hindi while speaking but both are totally different in writing form. It is written in the Persio-Arabic script, while Hindi follows the Sanskrit (Devnagri script) characters. It is a very flexible language and has adopted words from English, Hindi, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Persian, Arabic, Turkish and others.

Urdu is a member of the Hindustani group of languages that is a subgroup of the Indo Aryan group of languages, which is in turn part of the Indo-European family of languages. Urdu is a word of Turkish origin meaning "horde." The word "Urdu" symbolizes its development by the interaction of foreign army, merchants and immigrants with the local population of South Asia.

This month’s words/phrases: 

Hello: Assalam o alaikum

Thank you: Aap ka shukriya

Please: Izrah-e-Karam

Yes: Jee Haa(n)

No: Jee Nahin(n)

Nice to meet you: Aap se mil kar khushi hoi

How are you? Aap ka kiya haal hay?

Do you know English? Kiya aap ko angrazi aati hay?

Good morning: subh bakhair

Good night: subh bakhair

In Afghanistan, Farsi, Urdu, and Pashto are spoken. Here are a couple of Pashto phrases: 

What is your name? Statsai num tse dai

My name is …. Zema num …. dai

BELLY FAST

INTERNAL CLEANING.

Human beings are creatures of habit and accustomed to eating. Fasting brings the lifestyle to an abrupt halt and gives you the opportunity to pause, reflect and decide how you are going to conduct your life afterwards. It enables you to make a break with your past and set off in a new positive direction. Fasting heightens the awareness as well as appreciation for food and one learns to eat with reverence. Whether fasting is used in the transition to a healthful diet and lifestyle, to overcome the signs and symptoms of disease, or as a preventive measure, it is a powerful tool for helping sick people to get well and healthy people to stay healthy. It not only helps eliminate toxins in your body, but helps you lose weight, have clearer-looking skin, eliminates bad breath, and boosts energy. It is important to get professional supervision to insure that it is effective and safe. There’s no real set amount of length to fast. The fasting motto: as brief as possible, but long enough to resolve some possible healing crisis.

As dancers, fasting gets rid of toxins in the joints, muscles, and neurological system, add years to the life of your body, and making it easier to move and groove. Here are 3 juice-fasting recipes.

SKIN CLEANSE

Ingredients:
1 Cucumber with skin
1/2 bunch Fresh Parsley
1 4-oz. tub Alfalfa Sprouts
4 Sprigs Fresh Mint

1 bulb of fennel
Water

BOWEL CLEANSE:

Ingredients:

1 firm papaya

1 ½ inch slice of fresh ginger root

1 pear

1/8 cup of pure prune Juice (or to taste)

Water

SUPER VEGGIE JUICE

Ingredients

1 cucumber
4 sticks of celery
2-4 handfuls of spinach
8 lettuce leaves
parsley and fresh alfalfa sprouts
Water

Juice each ingredient for each juice fast, and drink immediately. Can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Water can be mixed in the juice or drink separately. Be sure to drink plenty of water, especially as the days become warmer.

Before breaking the fast, be sure to introduce the body slowly to easy-to-digest fruits and veggies.

More tips and health information available on The Way of the Belly  www.bellytwins.com/sh_merch.htm

Have a tips, suggestions, or a recipe you’d like to share? Email us!  bellytwins@bellytwins.com

BELLY RECIPES

CHILDREN’S SEDER PLATE We got this from one of our Jewish friends, and thought we’d share it with you and your children!

Ingredients:

1 whole horseradish root

½ apple

1/8 cup chopped walnuts

1 ½ tsp brown sugar (or raw sugar)

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Grape juice

2 sprigs parsley

1 soup bone

1 egg

½ tspn salt

½ cup drinking water

Water for boiling egg

Vinegar (optional
Directions:

The traditional Passover Seder plate includes 6 components: Maror, Charoset, Karpas, Z'roa, and Beitzah. The final component varies, but we will stick with the traditional bowl of saltwater for the dipping of the bitter herbs. Every family has their own tradition. You can modify this recipe to fit the needs of your traditions-  Daddy, you are also invited to join in! Tip for parents: If your children are young, you may want to arrange all ingredients on the counter before your children participate.

For the Maror: Grate horseradish route. Place in the correct bowl of your seder plate. Optional: You may add a dash of vinegar or sugar.

For the Charoset: Chop apples finely and mix with chopped walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Add grape juice for the desired consistantly. Place in the correct bowl of your seder plate.

For the Karpas: Place sprigs of parsley in the correct bowl of your seder plate. Optional: you may replace the parsley with celery.

For the Z'roa: Moms: you can make chicken soup prior to assembling the seder plate, and keep one of the chicken bones to represent the Z'roa. Traditionally one would use a lamb bone. This is for you and your family to decide. Place bone in the correct bowl of your seder plate.

For the Beitzah: Boil the egg however Mommy would like. Place egg in the correct bowl of your seder plate.

Place each bowl in the designated place on the seder plate. Set on the center of your table and you're ready to celebrate Passover! Enjoy! And of course -- Next Year in Jerusalem!

SAMOOSA YIROKAT (Vegetable Turnover) India isn’t the only country with these delicious turnovers. Slightly different in taste, and a favorite in Afghanistan!

Ingredients:

Dough: (see low-fat version below)

1 cup of fine matzo meal

1 egg, beaten

½ tspn sea salt

Approx ½ cup cold filtered water

Stuffing:

1 tspn extra virgin coconut oil or safflower oil

1 med yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 white potato peeled, cut in small pieces

½ cup cauliflower, chopped
1 carrot, chopped

½ cup green peas, fresh or frozen

½ cup green beans, thin sliced

¼ tspn sea salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 cup extra virgin coconut oil or safflower oil for deep frying

Directions:

Mix the meal, egg, and salt together, adding just enough water to make dough ability to hold together. Set aside. Heat oil in a skillet to medium heat, add onion and garlic, stir-fry until very light brown – around 2 1/2 min. Set aside. Take the Potato and 1/2 cup each of any other 3 vegetables and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Add these to the pan with the Onion and garlic and stir-fry over moderate heat for 3 minutes, to mix well. Add salt and pepper. Cool. Take 1 heaping tspn of the dough and press it out on a flat surface into a 2 1/2 inch square. Put 1 tspn of the vegetable mixture on the bottom half of the square and fold it over into a triangle. Prepare all the samoosi this way. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet and brown the turnovers over moderate heat for about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm. Makes about 20 turnovers

Low fat and quick version: Instead of making a dough, try ready-made organic sprouted either corn or wheat tortillas. Instead of deep-frying, try pan-frying with a touch of oil.

Have a recipe you’d like to share with us? Email us – bellytwins@bellytwins.com

BELLY PHOTO: Bellytwins with Jerry Seinfeld

BELLY HEALTH:

There’s no doubt that dancing is great exercise for your body. It not only rids belly fat, but also tones your legs, arms, thighs, and buns, boosts energy, and prevents heart disease and diabetes. All for doing what we all love doing anyway! But we bet you didn’t know that dancing actually gets rid of negative ions, making you feel happy and confident. As you move, your arms are “clearing the space” and either pushing them away or “down.”  These negative ions can alter your mood from sad or mad to happy. Also, endorphins release while you dance making you smiling from ear to ear. Throw on some upbeat music, and you’ve got yourself a party for one … or more!

BELLY ARTICLE

Dance teachers - beware of scammers!  This article ran last year, but because of requests, questions, and comments, we decided to feature it again. It has been alittle updated.

These days, times are rough and tough, and people worldwide are financially getting frustrated and desperate, preying upon everyone – senior citizens, students, dancers, everyone! If you use the computer, you will know what we mean. It seems as if Bellytwins receive several new “scams” per week looking for a teacher in the United States, and their daughter, son, beautiful model or prodigy is coming to take private lessons with one of us. Now, at first, it didn’t seem that odd because some of our students have come from Canada, Korea, Japan, Mexico, and various other countries to either take classes with us or to take private lessons. But we have found that many dancers, web designers, or self-employed people are generally a target for overseas scammers. They may be looking for you to arrange to hire a DJ, band, making flower arrangements, etc., and give them the works on whatever you can provide, whether you are a talent agent, event planner, or not. What do they do afterwards they’ve gotten you committed? One of our previous employees unfortunately, was a victum of almost $10,000 a few years ago before he worked for us. They will “wire” you the money, send you a money order or cashiers check, and then suddenly some unforeseen circumstance happens, and they need “their” money back. It may be fine if the money is real, but in most cases, the checks are fraudulent. Your own bank will even accept the check and “clear” it, but weeks later, you will find out that the funds are “insufficient,” and you will never hear from them again.

However, 90% of the time, most of us can read between the lines, and intuitively that something doesn’t seem right. Here are some signs to look for, in case you do get approached by one of these:

1. Eloquence: How well is the email written? Many emails we’ve received were from “clients” were trying to sound like as if English was their first language. However, this may not always determine whether they are for real or not, because many of our students or customers speak English as a second language. But these days, you can download an English translation, so their email ends up sounding alittle too “perfect.”  Not likely from a person with a name of Suzanne Johnson. Usually, there is a “coloquialness” in their email.
2. If they come from an organization, do they have a website?
3. Is there a contact number, address, etc? If so, how many are there? Is there one from for example, the UK, and then another contact in Atlanta, GA – you know, their “brother” that lives there so that you could wire the money back?
4. Vagueness: This is a biggy. If they don’t know what type of dance or entertainment they want, chances are they don’t care. They just need a way to get your money.
5. Does it make sense they are contacting you?

Now, we’re not saying to lose faith in mankind, as some may really need your services….just listen to your intuitive belly.

Some tips on intuition can be found in chapter 3 of “listening to the belly” of the book, “The Way of the Belly.”

BELLY MUSIC & DANCE

In this issue, we’re going to feature the music and dance of the Pashtun people. The Pashtun (also Pushtuns, Pakhtuns, Pukhtuns, Pathans), originated in eastern Iran. They mostly reside in southeast Afghanistan, as well as northwestern area of Pakistan, as well as various areas. Pashtun performers remain avid participants in various physical forms of expression including dance, sword fighting, and other physical feats. Perhaps the most common form of artistic expression can be seen in the various forms of Pashtun dances.

One of the most prominent dances is Attan, which has ancient pagan roots. It was later modified by Islamic mysticism in some regions and has become the national dance of Afghanistan and various districts in Pakistan. A rigorous exercise, Attan is performed as musicians play various native instruments including the dhol (drums), tablas (percussions), rubab (a bowed string instrument), and toola (wooden flute). With a rapid circular motion, dancers perform until no one is left dancing, similar to Sufi whirling dervishes. There are many different kinds of Attan in Afghanistan, Kabuli, Wardaki, Logari, Khosti/Paktia, Herati, Kochyano, Khattak, Pashayi (played with Surnai flute), and Nuristani. Numerous other dances are affiliated with various tribes notably from Pakistan including the Khattak Wal Atanrh (eponymously named after the Khattak tribe), Mahsood Wal Atanrh (which, in modern times, involves the juggling of loaded rifles), and Waziro Atanrh among others. A sub-type of the Khattak Wal Atanrh known as the Braghoni involves the use of up to three swords and requires great skill. Though most dances are dominated by males, some performances such as Spin Takray feature female dancers. Young women and girls often entertain at weddings with the Tumbal (tambourine).

Traditional Pashtun music has ties to Klasik (traditional Afghan music heavily inspired by Hindustani classical music), Iranian musical traditions, and other various forms found in South Asia. Popular forms include the ghazal (sung poetry) and Sufi qawali music. Themes revolve around love and religious introspection. Modern Pashto music is centered around the city of Peshawar due to the wars in Afghanistan, and tends to combine indigenous techniques and instruments with Iranian-inspired Persian music and Indian Filmi music prominent in Bollywood. Some well known Pashto singers include Nashenas, Sardar Ali Takkar, Naghma, Rahim Shah, Farhad Darya, Nazia Iqbal, and many others.

BELLY CALENDER:

MARCH: 1: St. David's Day 2: Texas Independence Day (TX) 8: Daylight Saving Time starts 8: International Women's Day 9: Prophet's Birthday (Islamic), 10: Purim (Jewish), 17: St. Patrick's Day, 17: Evacuation Day (MA*), 20: Vernal equinox, 21: International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, 22: World Water Day, 23: World Meteorological Day, 25: International Day of Remembrance of Slavery Victims and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, 25: Maryland Day (MD), 26: Prince Jonah Kuhio Kalanianaole Day (HI), 30: Seward's Day (AK), 31: César Chávez Day (Cal, Co, Tx)

APRIL: 2: World Autism Awareness Day, 2: Pascua Florida Day (FL), 4: United Nations' Mine Awareness Day, 5: Palm Sunday (Christian), 7: United Nations' World Health Day, 9: First day of Passover (Jewish), 9: Maundy Thursday (Christian), 10: Good Friday (Christian), 11: Holy Saturday (Christian), 12: Easter Sunday (Christian), 13: Easter Monday (Christian), 15: Tax Day 15: Father Damien Day (HI), 16: Last day of Passover (Jewish), 16: Emancipation Day (DC) 19: Orthodox Easter (Orthodox), 20: Patriot's Day (ME, MA), 21: San Jacinto Day (TX), 21: Yom HaShoah (Jewish), 22: Earth Day, 22: Oklahoma Day (OK), 22: Administrative Professionals Day, 23: World Book and Copyright Day, 24: Arbor Day (NE), 27: Confederate Memorial Day (GA, MS, AL, FL, TX), 29: Yom HaAtzmaut (Jewish)