Multicultural Calendar for October

Multicultural Calendar - October 2008

Select a Month:

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.

Chagit Blumenthal Smith is
an Systems Analyst Specialist in
Glen Allen, Va.
(Click image to enlarge)

Spotlight: 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.

[*Date of observance may vary according to sighting of the new moon.]

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