Category: Today’s Holiday

The National Championship Air Races and Air Show is a four-day nostalgia trip for air buffs, held since 1964 in Reno, Nevada, and providing some 180,000 spectators with the sight and sound of piston-engine planes flying around closed-pylon race courses. The race is the only one in the world that covers all four classes: Unlimited (vintage warbirds and homebuilt racers), AT-6 (World War II pilot trainers), Formula One (super-midget planes), and Biplane (double-winged barn stormers). Air shows of military demonstrations, parachuting exhibits, and military fly-bys are also some of the events. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The state opening of Parliament in the Netherlands takes place on the third Tuesday in September at the 13th-century Ridderzaal, or Knights’ Hall, in The Hague. The reigning monarch rides to Parliament in a golden coach drawn by eight horses. He is received by the two houses of Parliament, to whom he addresses his speech outlining the government’s intended majority program for the coming year. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

This autumn festival in Japan, observed in the hope that it will bring a good harvest, provides an excellent display of traditional Japanese arts. There is a Shishi Odori dance, performed to the accompaniment of taiko drums; Taue-odori, a rice-planting dance; kagura (sacred music and dance) performances; and Yabusame (horseback archery) demonstrations. There is also a children’s parade, called Chigo-gyoretsu. A distinctive genre of festival music, known as Nambu-bayashi, is performed on the grounds of the Tonogo-hachimangu Shrine in Tono. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

A group of Civil War veterans met in Bannerville, Pennsylvania, in 1883 to organize a Grand Army of the Republic Post, and when they served a special bean soup at their first meeting, it was such a hit that they eventually invited the public to a “real Civil War bean soup dinner” in 1891. Today, thousands of gallons of bean soup are prepared in 35-gallon kettles. The recipe is based on the original Civil War recipe, and it is served to over 70,000 people. The festival also includes political speeches, exhibits, parades, nightly entertainment, and amusement rides. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Although called Bad Durkheim Wurstmarkt, or Sausage Fair, this is actually Germany‘s biggest wine festival—the name is said to have originated about 150 years ago because of the immense amounts of sausage consumed. The opening day of the festival features a concert and a procession of bands, vineyard proprietors, and tapsters of the tavern stalls with decorated wine floats. The following days are a medley of fireworks, band playing, dancing, and singing through the night. Wine is served in glasses called Schoppen that hold about a pint. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Ethiopian New Year falls on the first day of the Ethiopian month of Maskarem, which is September 11 on the Gregorian calendar. It comes at the end of the rainy season, so the wildflowers that the children gather and the tall grass that people use to cover their floors on this day are plentiful. Small groups of children go from house to house, singing songs, leaving bouquets of flowers, and hoping for a handful of dabo, or roasted grain, in return. In some parts of Ethiopia it is customary to slaughter either a white-headed lamb or a red chicken on this day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

A public holiday in Belize commemorating the Battle of St. George’s Caye, fought in 1798 between the Spanish and the English over possession of the area. English loggers had settled in what is now Belize in the early 17th century, and British pirates used to hide in the cays there waiting for opportunities to plunder passing Spanish ships. It is also known as St. George’s Caye Day. Numerous festivities take place on the days leading up to the holiday, including a grand carnival parade. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Second in size only to the Cannes Film Festival in France, the Toronto International Film Festival is considered one of the world’s most prestigious artistic events. It features some of the year’s most anticipated films, attracts leading stars in the movie business, and serves as a networking and educational opportunity for industry professionals. Festival organizers pride themselves on creating a public festival, which means film submissions from all over are accepted and screenings are open to the public as well as to the media and the film industry. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Established by the United Nations to encourage universal literacy, this day has been observed since 1966 by all countries and organizations that are part of the UN system. Observances are sponsored primarily by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) and include the awarding of special literacy prizes. Prizes are also awarded by the International Reading Association and the Japanese publisher Shoichi Noma to literacy programs that have made a significant difference. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Held in Naples, Italy, in September, the Festival of Piedigrotta is known primarily for its noise and gaiety. According to one legend, it commemorates the destruction in 44 CE of a site that had formerly been the scene of pagan orgies, and the building of a chapel in its place. A second explanation is that the chapel was built in 1356 after the Blessed Virgin Mary had appeared to a priest, a nun, and a man named Peter and ordered its construction. In any case, the festival is a particularly joyful one, with processions, fireworks, and some very unusual puppet shows. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary