Category: Today’s Holiday

The highlight of the Grape Festival held each year in Nauvoo, Illinois, is the historical pageant known as the Wedding of the Wine and Cheese, celebrating the union of cheese and wine. The festival also includes parades, a grape stomp, and historical tours. In the late 1840s, Nauvoo was occupied by French and German Icarians. The Icarians brought wine-making to the area, and several of their original wine cellars are still used to make the blue cheese that this festival has celebrated for over 50 years. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Malagasy people of Madagascar believe that their deceased ancestors have become intermediaries between the living and God. Because they will spend eternity in their new existence, tombs are built to be much sturdier than houses. The Famadihana is a celebration in which people exhume the remains of their ancestors, treat them to a grand feast and party, replace their burial clothes, and then reintern them. The specific date of a family’s Famidihana is determined by a spiritual leader, but, for hygenic reasons, it always takes place during the winter months, when the weather is dry. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Limba Noastra, or Our Language Day, is a public holiday in Moldova. On August 31, 1989, Moldova became the first Soviet republic to pass a law declaring its language, Moldovan, to be the official language of the republic. The law also formally proclaimed that Moldovan and Romanian were the same. Second in importance only to Moldova Independence Day on August 27, Language Day is celebrated with ceremonies at the burial sites of individuals linked to the struggle for cultural rights of Romanians, especially Romanian poets and writers. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

St. Rose was the first canonized saint of the Americas, born in Lima, Peru, in 1586. She is the patron saint of Central and South America and the Philippines. She died in 1617 and was canonized in 1671. On her feast day, a candlelight procession takes place from her shrine in the church of Santo Domingo to the cathedral. Adults wear purple robes, while children wear white ones. People sing religious hymns as they accompany the rose-covered image to the cathedral. St. Rose’s Day is a public holiday throughout Peru. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Burning Man is a counterculture festival held in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, conceived by Larry Harvey in 1986 to honor the Summer Solstice. It has since become a populist phenomenon, where participants set up a temporary “city,” creating their own community. People are expected to interact with one another, produce and display artwork, play music, do sponteneous performances—as long as they actively participate. The 50-foot-high Man towers over Black Rock City until the climax of the festival on Saturday night, when the figure is ignited and the Man becomes a fiery blaze. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

When the plague reached the village of Eyam, Derbyshire, England, in 1665, about three-fifths of the town’s population was wiped out. But under the leadership of Vicar William Mompesson, the villagers voluntarily isolated themselves from other villages in the parish. Every year on the last Sunday in August, a procession of clergy, standard bearers, choir members, and musicians forms at Eyam’s parish church and proceeds up the road leading toward a place up in the hills known as Cucklet Dell. A simple sermon pays tribute to the plague victims and the 74 villagers who survived. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Appropriately enough, Minnesota’s oldest continuous festival is held in the town of Norwood-Young America. Loosely translated as “founders’ day,” Stiftungsfest was created in 1861 by the Young America Pioneer Maennerchor (men’s choir) as a way of bringing the music of old Germany to the new world. Well-known bands and singing groups from Germany as well as local groups perform during the three-day event, which includes a traditional German beer garden, a Heritage Tent showcasing German arts and crafts, and a Grand Parade. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

To honor those who lost their lives fighting for national freedom, Namibia has designated August 26 as Heroes’ Day. On this day, thousands of Namibians gather at Ongulumbashe to celebrate. Representatives from all 13 regions give performances and cultural presentations, including traditional praise songs and dances. A re-enactment of the battle of Ongulumbashe concludes with the raising of the Namibian flag, as the real fighters did after each triumph in the war. In Namibia’s capital city of Windhoek, the Heroes’ Acre national monument was erected to honor the freedom fighters. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Janmashtami celebrates the birthday of Lord Krishna, the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. Throughout India, it is a fast day until the new moon is sighted. Rituals include bathing the statue of the infant Krishna and then placing his image in a silver cradle with playthings. In Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, where Krishna was born, there are performances of Krishna Lila, the folk dramas depicting scenes from Krishna’s life. In the state of Tamil Nadu, oiled poles called ureyadi are set up, a pot of money is tied to the top, and boys dressed as Krishna try to shinny up the pole. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

On this day in 1991, just after a failed coup in Moscow, Ukraine declared its independence from the USSR. On December 1, 1991, 90 percent of the people voted for independence. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary