Category: Today’s Holiday

St. Martin’s Day, November 11, is the traditional time when wine taverns in Austria offer the first new wines of the year. Wine feasts called Heurigen parties abound in these taverns throughout the country and are scheduled according to an official Heurigenkalender. Traditional foods served with the new wine include sausage, cheese, and bread. Many taverns also stage operettas and other shows for the season. Discuss

Cambodia was a French protectorate for 90 years before it gained independence on November 9, 1953. Independence Day, which marks that event, is a national holiday. The principal celebrations are held in the capital city of Phnom Penh, beginning with a morning ceremony at Independence Monument. Later in the day, there is a gala parade held in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, with colorful floats and marching bands. Shops are adorned with national flags. After dark, a large fireworks display is held near the riverbanks of the Royal Palace. Discuss

Located in the Pacific Ocean some 1,250 miles north of New Zealand, the island nation of Tonga consists of about 150 islands, 36 of which are inhabited. With a population of about 120,000, Tonga is ruled by a royal family that goes back to 1831. On November 4, 1875, King George Tupou I gave his consent to the constitution of the new nation of Tonga. Celebrated for many years as Tonga Constitution Day, the holiday was renamed by the government in 2006 as Tonga National Day and pronounced as an occasion to celebrate the country’s heritage as a whole. Discuss

Panama celebrates two Independence Days: November 28, the anniversary of freedom from Spain, and November 3, the anniversary of independence from Colombia. After gaining independence from Spain on November 28, 1821, Panama joined the Republic of Greater Colombia. For 50 years, Panama struggled for complete autonomy. In 1903, Colombia and Panama disagreed on whether to let the U.S. build a canal at Panama. With U.S. backing, Panama broke away on November 3, 1903, and the canal was built. November 3 is celebrated with parades and fireworks in Panama City. Discuss

The Rastafarians of Jamaica worship Haile Selassie I, “Might of the Trinity.” His original name was Tafari Makonnen, and he was emperor of Ethiopia under the name Ras (meaning “Prince”) Tafari. Rastafarians consider the Ethiopian emperor the Messiah and son of God, and the champion of their race. The Rastafarians’ most important celebration is the anniversary of Haile Selassie’s Coronation Day, which occurred on November 2, 1930. The dedication of babies to Ras Tafari, recitations, and singing are typically part of the celebrations on this day. Discuss

This ancient Celtic harvest festival was celebrated at the beginning of winter. According to Celtic folklore, this was the day when the souls of the dead and other supernatural entities gathered and would have access to the human realm—thus giving rise to the fears about ghosts and goblins that we now associate with Halloween, or Samhain Eve. Discuss

The Republic of Czechoslovakia was founded on October 28, 1918, when the National Committee in Prague proclaimed independence from the Austrian Hapsburg emperors and took over the administration of an independent Czechoslovak state. Independence Day was widely celebrated in Czechoslovakia until the Communists seized power there in 1948, but the day continued to be recognized in the US with special banquets, addresses, religious services, and cultural programs. Communities with large Czech or Slovak populations may also mark the occasion. Discuss

In 1972, the United Nations established World Development Information Day on October 24. The purpose of this observance is to raise awareness about world economic development and the programs devised by the UN to promote development. The date was chosen to coincide with United Nations Day and the adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade. Discuss

On October 20, 1944, university students and military leaders aligned to overthrow the dictator Jorge Ubico. Guatemalans fondly remember the replacement government and its executive leader, Juan José Arévalo, who implemented a series of successful labor and agrarian reforms. Music and fireworks mark the day’s lively celebrations, the grandest of which are held in the Plaza Mayor in Guatemala City. It is also common on this day for activists to exercise their free speech, a human right that Arévalo championed. Some protests draw thousands of people and extend into the next day. Discuss

On October 19, 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington’s Allied troops at Yorktown, Virginia. The Battle of Yorktown is widely considered to mark the end of the Revolutionary War. Yorktown Day activities held at the Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown include a commemorative placing of a wreath at the French Monument and the Monument to Alliance and Victory. There are also 18th-century tactical demonstrations, a parade of military and civilian units, and musical presentations by fife and drum units. Discuss