St. Leonard, the patron saint of prisoners, is honored each year in the French town of Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat by a ceremony in which 30 men carry the quintaine, a three-foot-high box painted to resemble a prison, to the church to be blessed. Afterward, they mount it on a post and strike it with mallets as they gallop by on horseback. Fragments of the smashed quintaine are said to bring good luck and to make hens lay eggs. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The second Friday in November is Lord Mayor’s Day in London, the day on which the city’s Lord Mayor is admitted to office. The following day is the Lord Mayor’s Show, a series of civic ceremonies held since 1215 that culminate in a parade to the Law Courts. Today, the Lord Mayor rides from Guildhall to the Law Courts in a scarlet and gold coach drawn by six matched horses. Accompanying the coach is an honor guard of musketeers and pikemen in period dress, as well as many bands and numerous floats decorated to reflect the interests or profession of the new Lord Mayor. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The first American citizen to be proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, Francesca Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was born in Italy. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880, and went on to establish orphanages, schools and hospitals in many American cities, as well as in Europe and South America. She was canonized on July 7, 1946. Her feast day is commemorated in many places, but particularly at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City, in whose chapel she is buried, and at every establishment of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The anniversary of the birth in 1817 of Baha’u’llah, the founder of the Baha’i religion , is a holy day on which work is suspended. Mirza Husayn Ali, later known as Baha’u’llah (“Glory of God”), was born in Tehran, Persia (now Iran). He was an adherent of Islam, and later a follower of the Bab, who founded the Babi faith, an independent messianic religion. Thirteen years after the Bab’s execution in 1850, Husayn Ali declared himself the messenger of God, foretold by the Bab. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A public holiday on the island of St. Martin in the West Indies, Concordia Day commemorates the 1648 agreement to divide the island between the Dutch and the French. To this day, St. Martin is the smallest territory shared by two sovereign states, with only a stone monument marking the boundary. Concordia Day celebrates the long-standing peaceful coexistence of the two countries by holding parades and a joint ceremony with French and Dutch officials at the border monument. November 11 is also the anniversary of the island’s discovery in 1493 by Christopher Columbus. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Martin’s Festival in Germany honors both St. Martin of Tours and Martin Luther (1483-1546), the German theologian and leader of the Protestant Reformation. In Düsseldorf, a man dressed as St. Martin rides through the streets followed by hundreds of children. Many carry lanterns made from hollowed-out pumpkins. In Erfurt, where Martin Luther attended the university, there is a procession of children carrying lanterns. With their lanterns, the children form the “Luther rose,” or the escutcheon of Martin Luther. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In Pakistan, November 9 is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a famous Pakistani poet and philosopher. Iqbal was born in the city of Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan on November 9, 1877. On this day, a number of functions are held to honor the great poet. Many educational institutions sponsor programs that showcase his life and achievements. In addition to the main function at Iqbal’s tomb, the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi exhibits Iqbal’s personal belongings, including his costumes, books, and publications. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On November 10, 1975, the 26,000-ton ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes in its time, sank during a deadly storm on Lake Superior. A commemoration of that tragedy is held at the Mariners’ Church in downtown Detroit, Michigan. As the names of the 29 lost crewmen are read out, a family member or friend of the deceased rings a ship’s bell. Beginning in 2006, the church expanded its service to include a 30th ring to remember all lives lost on the Great Lakes, some 30,000 sailors in 6,000 shipwrecks over the years. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Terlingua Chili Cookoff is a contest of chili chefs held in Terlingua, Texas, an abandoned mining town near the Big Bend desert area in the southwestern part of the state. More than 200 cooks from as many as 30 states and occasionally from foreign countries show up to prepare the official state dish, and thousands of spectators drive or fly in. Humorists Wick Fowler and H. Allen Smith staged the first cookoff in 1967, deciding to locate it in the hot desert because it was a contest for a hot dish. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) was the king of Sweden (1611-32) who laid the foundations of the modern Swedish state and turned the country into a major European power. He was killed during the Thirty Years’ War while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Lützen on November 6, 1632. The anniversary of his death is observed throughout Sweden with patriotic demonstrations—particularly in Skansen, Stockholm’s outdoor museum. Enormous bonfires are built on Reindeer Mountain and processions of students carry lighted torches through the museum grounds. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary