| 
October 1:
Independence Day (Nigeria) - Gained independence
from the United Kingdom in 1960.
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish) - Rosh Hashanah,
the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Monday, September 29 and ends
at nightfall on Wednesday, October 1.
Rosh Hashanah is a two-day holiday marking
the beginning of the Jewish High Holy Days. The 10 days from Rosh
Hashanah to Yom Kippur are called the Days of Awe (Yamim
Noraim). This is a time of reflection, remembrance, prayer and repentance.
October 2:
Gandhi’s Birthday (India) - celebrated
as a national holiday in India. Gandhi was an Indian nationalist who adopted
non-violence in fighting for his country's independence.
October 3:
Day of German Unity (Germany) - Commemorates
the day in 1990 when East and West Germany were reunited following the
Cold War.
October
7:
Confucius’ Birthday (China, Taiwan)
- The birthday of Confucius is celebrated with a dawn ceremony at temples
around the world. His birthday, in 551 BC, is celebrated as Teacher's
Day in Taiwan.
October 9:
Han’gul Day (Korea) - Commemorates the
creation of the Korean alphabet of 29 phonetic symbols called han’gul
by King Sejong of the Yi dynasty between 1443 and 1446.
Laylat al-Qadr (Islamic) - The anniversary
of the night in which the Qur'an was first communicated in its entirety
to Muhammad. Popularly, it has been refered to as Night of Power. Muslims
believe the incident occurred during the month of Ramadan but they differ
as to the exact date. Sunnis often consider it to be either the 21st,
23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th of the month; whilst Shias consider it to be
either the 19th, 21st or 23rd of the month.
Yom Kippur (Jewish) - Day of Atonement; the
most solemn day of the Jewish year. This holiday is traditionally observed
with a 25-hour period of fasting, reflection and intensive prayer.
October 10:
Thanksgiving Day (Canada) - Early Canadian
settlers gave thanks for good harvests by decorating their churches with
fruits and vegetables and celebrated dinner with venison and waterfowl.
October 12:
Noss Senhora de Aparecida (Brazil) - In 1717,
a group of Brazilian fishermen pulled up a wooden statue of the Virgin
Mary, followed by an abundant catch after a fruitless fishing day. They
enshrined the statue, and in 1929, the Brazilian nation declared Nossa
Senhor Aparecida the Patroness of Brazil. At least 500,000 pilgrims
flock to this sanctuary annually.
Hispanic Day (Spain) - A national holiday
to commemorate Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. Día
de la Raza is also a holiday in many Latin American countries.
Navratri (India) - Navratri means "nine
nights" starting on the new moon and ending on Dussehra. It is dedicated
to the goddess Durga who had nine incarnations and has the power of good
to destroy demons.
October
13:
Eid ul-Fitr (Islamic) - Often abbreviated as
simply Eid, this is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan,
the month of fasting.
Columbus Day (USA) - Honors the explorer Christopher
Columbus who first landed in the western world in 1492.
October 14:
Sukkot (Jewish) - Feast of Tabernacles or Feast
of Booths. A joyous time when Jews celebrate the season of harvest. This
pilgrimage holiday also commemorates the forty-year period when Israelites
lived in the desert after the exodus from Egypt, living in temporary shelters.
Sukkot celebrates the way in which God protected them under difficult
desert conditions.
October
15:
National Heroes Day (Jamaica) – Honors
Jamaican heroes.
October
19:
Chung Yeung Festival (China, Taiwan, Hong
Kong) - Families visit the graves of their ancestors. |
 |
| 
(Click image to enlarge)
|
Chagit Blumenthal Smith, Israel
The State of Israel, established as a Jewish
homeland in1948, now embraces a diverse population of Jews, Moslems
and Christians, all living together in a modern, democratic, economically
dynamic country, according to Chagit Blumenthal Smith, a Haifa
native and Systems Analyst Specialist, Innsbrook.
Today Israel’s population numbers nearly
7 million. “The most prominent characteristic of Israel’s
population is its high diversity,” says Smith,
who left Israel 21 years ago and returns for family visits every
other year.
|
“Besides the main division of the country’s
inhabitants into Jews and Arabs, there are many more subdivisions,”
she says. “The Jews, for example, are divided into religious
and secular, while both include various immigrant communities who
preserve their culture.”
Likewise,
Blumenthal Smith says, “Israeli Arabs are divided into Moslems,
Christians and Druze. Alongside these groups, Israel has additional
small ethnic religious groups.” Israel has welcomed newcomers
from Europe, the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Yemen, the Americas,
India and other Middle East countries.
Another hallmark of Israel’s population is its high growth
rate, which sets it apart from other developed countries, she says.
“Since the establishment of the State (in 1948), the population
of Israel has increased almost tenfold, mainly due to the immigration
of Jews from round the world. Smith adds that Israel’s low
infant mortality rate and high life expectancy, 78.7 years, also
contribute to population growth.
“Native-born Israeli Jews pride themselves as Sabra,
which is a slang term derived from the Hebrew word tzabar,
the name of the prickly pear cactus, a tenacious, thorny desert
plant, which is tough on the outside, sweet and tender on the inside,”
says Blumenthal Smith, a Sabra, whose parents left Nazi
Germany and came to Israel as children in the 1930s.
Hebrew and Arabic are Israel’s two official languages. “English
is the main language for the purpose of external relations,”
she says. “Most Israelis speak English and most of the signposts
also are in English.” Other languages used in Israel include
Russian, French and Yiddish.”
Israel’s holidays range from the religious, such as Rosh
Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement
in the fall and Pesach, or Passover, in the spring, to the secular,
such as Holocaust Memorial Day, National Memorial Day and Independence
Day.
"In Israeli culture, the food “is as varied as the population
living there,” Blumenthal Smith says. “’Israeli
cuisine’ is a concept that is evolving from the many cooking
traditions and local raw materials. Most of Israel’s Jewish
inhabitants are immigrants from eastern Europe, the Commonwealth
of Independent States (former Soviet Union) and North Africa, who
brought with them longstanding traditions of Jewish food that developed
in the area where they lived, so that you can find couscous in Israel
alongside gefilte fish.”
Despite what looks like a constant state of war, most Israeli’s
– Arabs and Jews alike – are striving for peace,”
says Blumenthal Smith, an Israeli military veteran. She remembers
her growing years filled with constant wishes and prayers for peace:
“The wishes were to abolish arms and allow the young adults
to live without the necessity for compulsory military service.”
The Hebrew word Shalom and the Arabic word Salaam
both mean peace and are used in daily greetings and welcomes,”
she says. •
|
|
|
October 20:
Durga Puja (India) - Celebrates the divine
creative force of the universe and honors the 10-armed goddess Durga,
wife of Shiva, and the destroyer of demons.
October 21:
Diwali (India) - Hindu Festival of Lights.
For Jains it is one of the most important festivals, and marks the beginning
of the Jain year. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith.
Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days in the Hindu month of Ashwayuja
which usually corresponds to the month of October or November. Hindus,
Jains and Sikh celebrate Diwali and use the occasion to celebrate life
and strengthen relationships. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps,
particularly traditional diyas. Fireworks may also be associated with
the festival in some regions.
Shemini Atzeret (Jewish) - Marks the beginning of the rainy season following the harvest in Israel.
October 22:
Abu Simbel Festival (Egypt) - Built by Ramses
II, his temple is angled so that the inner sanctum lights up twice a year:
once on the anniversary of his rise to the throne and once on his birthday.
The other date for this event is Feb. 22.
Simhat Torah (Jewish) - Focuses on the Torah
- the Five Books of Moses. The annual cycle of weekly Torah readings is
completed at this time. This completion of the Torah readings is a time
of great celebration, with processions, singing and dancing.
October 23:
Chulanlongkorn Day (Thailand) - Commemorates
the birth of Rama V, a progressive ruler who ruled from 1868 to 1910.
Departure of the Swallows (USA) - Visitors
from all parts of the world gather in great numbers to witness the "miracle"
of the departure of the swallows from the ruins of the old stone church
of San Juan Capistrano in Southern California.
October 28:
National Day "Ochi" (Greece) - Marks
the anniversary of when Prime Minster Metaxas, said "no" (or
"ochi" in Greek) to the invasion of Albania by the Italians,
thereby entering themselves into World War II.
October 31:
Halloween (USA, Canada) - This western world
tradition marked by children in costumes going door-to-door for candy,
originated in Ireland. Halloween is the eve of All Saints' Day and was
a celebration of all saints and martyrs. Over time the holiday has strayed
from its religious background and become a cultural event.
October-November: Iroquois Harvest Ceremony (Aboriginal)
- This is a daylong ceremony to give thanks to the earth spirits for providing
now and in the future.
|
