HOLIDAYS

In announcing this new holiday, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said: “They were starting a new life in an unknown land and stayed to become an integral part of our country. I reconfirm my promise to inaugurate a new national holiday in 2023.”

The word girmit represented an Indian pronunciation of the English language word “agreement” – from the indenture “agreement” of the British Government with Indian labourers. The agreements specified the workers’ length of stay in foreign parts and the conditions attached to their return to the British Raj.

The colonial authorities promoted the sugar cane industry, recognising the need to establish a stable economic base for the colony, but were unwilling to exploit indigenous labour and threaten the Fijian way of life. The use of imported labour from the Solomon Islands and what is now Vanuatu generated protests in the United Kingdom, and the Governor Sir Arthur Hamilton-Gordon decided to implement the indentured labour scheme, which had existed in the British Empire since 1837.

The Leonidas, a labour transport vessel, disembarked at Levuka from Calcutta on May 14th 1879. The 498 indentured workers who disembarked were the first of over 61,000 to arrive from South and East Asia in the following 37 years. The majority were from the districts of eastern and southern provinces, followed by labourers from northern and western regions, then later south eastern countries, they originated from different regions, villages, backgrounds and castes that later mingled or intermarried hence the “Fijian Indian” identity was created. The indentured workers originated mostly from rural village backgrounds.

After five years of work in the cane fields, the British freed the girmits from bonded labour but did not offer them a passage back. So, most of them stayed back and by the mid-1980s their descendants through hard work and education have made a mark in Fiji dominating business and professional fields.

By this time Indo-Fijians made up 49% of the population but indigenous Fijians controlled land ownership.  In April 1987, for the first time since independence in 1970, Fiji elected a multi-ethnic Fiji Labour Party to power supported mainly by Indo-Fijian voters but led by indigenous Fijian academic Dr Timoci Bavadra. Most of the Cabinet however were Indo-Fijians.

Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America, bordered by Brazil to the east, Argentina to the south and west, and Bolivia to the northwest. Before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was inhabited by various indigenous peoples, including the Guarani, who still make up a significant portion of the population today.

Paraguay was first colonised by the Spanish in the 16th century. The settlement of Asunción, now the capital of Paraguay, was founded by the Spanish on Ascension Day (August 15th) 1537.

There are two theories about where the name “Paraguay” comes from. One version says it means either “River of the Payaguas”, an Indian tribe, or “crowned river” after the native Indian Guaraní words for palm crown and water. A more colourful versions is that there was a parrot named Frank that the first Jesuit settlers befriended when they arrived in the region. To back up this theory, on old maps, Paraguay was labelled as “Parrot”.

The region had shown dissent against the Spanish for several years and tension had risen in the early years of the nineteenth century due to the growing influence of Argentina in the area.

Some bad decisions by the Governor had weakened Spanish presence, which was already affected by the Napoleonic Wars, enabling the Paraguayans, led by a lawyer, Dr José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia., to overthrow the Spanish in a fairly bloodless revolution on May 14th 1811.

As a result, Paraguay became the second independent nation in the new world – the United States was the first. Dr Francia became the first President of Paraguay, ruling from 1814 to 1840.

He was influential in the design of the flag of Paraguay, which uniquely is the only national flag in the world that has a different image on each side. In the center of one side is the Paraguayan coat of arms, and on the opposite, the treasury seal with the national motto: “Paz y justicia” (“Peace and Justice”).

Saint Peter de Regalado is a local public holiday in Valladolid, the capital of the Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León on May 13th each year.

San Pedro Regalado was a Franciscan monk who lived in the 15th century and was canonised for his charitable actions, his dedication to the poor and his miraculous works. 

He was born in 1390 and was baptised in the current church of San Salvador, which at that time was called the church of Santa Elena.

He was beatified by Pope Innocent XI on March 11th 1684 and canonized by Pope Benedict XIV on June 29th 1746.

Castile and León is an autonomous community in north-western Spain. It is Spain’s largest region and was created in 1983.

Saint Andrew is known as the ‘First Called’ as he was the first of the twelve Apostles to be called by Jesus.

Originally a fisherman like his brother, St Peter, Andrew is credited with spreading the gospel to several regions in Eastern Europe such as Georgia, Greece, Romania and Russia.

According to the tradition of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Andrew arrived in the Ajara region, in the south-west of present-day Georgia, having been told to go to Georgia by the Virgin Mary. The church regards him as the first preacher of Christianity in the region and the founder of the Georgian church.

In 60AD, he was working in Patras, where he baptised the wife and brother of the Governor, Aegeus. The Governor was so incensed by this, that St. Andrew was arrested and crucified on November 30th, which is his Feast Day. 

The importance of St. Andrew to the Georgian Orthodox Church is such that he has a second feast day in Georgia on December 13th, but this is not a public holiday.

In Samoa, the value and importance of raising a family and honouring your parents is shown by making the Mondays after Mother’s Day and Father’s Day public holidays.

The date of Mother’s Day is the same as the day popularised in the USA by Miss Anna Jarvis.

In 1907, Miss Jarvis began a movement to set up a national Mother’s Day in honour of her mother. Anna’s mother, Mrs Anna M. Jarvis, had been instrumental in developing “Mothers Friendship Day” which was set up to assist in the healing process after the Civil War. Miss Jarvis wanted to set aside a day to honour all mothers, living and dead.

The first Mother’s Day observance was a church service favourite the second anniversary of her mother’s death, the second Sunday of May. By 1911, Mother’s Day had spread nationwide and was being celebrated in almost every state in the Union.

Around the world, Father’s Day is celebrated on different dates, though the day is celebrated in a similar manner, usually involving giving gifts to fathers and family activities.

The Father’s Day initiative in Romania seems to come from the tireless energy of a semi-obscure NGO called TATA, translated as the “Alliance Fighting Discrimination Against Fathers,” who, according to a journalist at an English-language Romanian newspaper I contacted, “convinced a group of MPs in 2010 about the importance of this law, and then had the MPs pass the law.” But she then reassured me the holiday is “not a big thing here.” Another Romanian journalist I asked told me, “I’ve heard about it, but honestly I don’t know anybody celebrating it.” This was not the big groundswell of support I was expecting.

At a speech in Paris in 1950, Robert Schuman, the then French foreign minister, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would benefit the participating countries economically and reduce the chance of any future war between Europe’s nations.

His vision was to create a European institution that would pool and manage coal and steel production. 

The idea of the community was that its founding members – France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg – would pool their coal and steel resources and create a common market for them by lifting import and export duties.

A treaty creating such a body was signed in Paris just under a year later. Schuman’s proposal is considered to be the beginning of what is now the European Union.

The first recognition of a “Europe Day” was introduced by the Council of Europe in 1964. The “Europe Day” on 9th May was introduced in 1985 by the European Communities.

Pope Leo XIV is the 267th Pope and replaced Pope Francis, who had been Pope since 2013 until he died in 2025.

He is the first American to fill the role of Pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru, before becoming a bishop there.

Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained as a priest in 1982. Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a prior in his home city.

He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.

He spent 10 years as a local parish pastor and as a teacher at a seminary in Trujillo in northwestern Peru.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan gained its independence in December 1991.

The new-found independence meant the need for Kazakhstan to protect itself and on May 7th 1992, President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the Decree that established the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan. On the same day, the President enacted the transformation of the State Committee of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan into the Ministry of Defence, giving Sagadat Nurmagambetov the military rank of Colonel-General, and the appointment of the General-Colonel Nurmagambetov as Defence Minister of Kazakhstan.

From the 1990s Defender’s Day had been a holiday only for military personnel. In 2012, marking the 20th anniversary, the law was amended to declare it a national holiday for all Kazakhs.

Despite being called Defender of the ‘Fatherland’ Day, thousands of women serve in the Kazakh Armed Forces, so this is not a purely ‘male’ holiday in Kazakhstan.

The holiday is celebrated with military parades, demonstrations, concerts, shows and festive events across the country. It has become an annual tradition that on this day the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan issues a decree on awarding new military ranks and presents awards to distinguished military men.

This holiday is followed two days later with Victory Day, which celebrates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and the end of the Second World War, making this a very patriotic time of year.

Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1396. In the late nineteenth century, a growing tide of nationalism had been spreading across Europe, which had been threatening the break up of the western parts of the Ottoman Empire.

In April 1876, uprisings in other parts of the Ottoman Empire spread to Bulgaria. The suppression of the revolts by the Ottomans was horrific and when the atrocities were made public to the West and Russia, international condemnation was widespread. In April 1877, Russia formally declared war on the Ottoman Empire. The war ended in March 1878 with the signing of the San Stefano peace treaty which created the independent state of Bulgaria.

On July 22nd 1878, 12 battalions of volunteer units who had participated in the war, formed the Bulgarian armed forces.

May 6th was officially pronounced as the Day of the Bulgarian Army in 1880, though it has only been marked with a national holiday since 1998.

At the outbreak of the second world war, the Netherlands had declared its neutrality from the conflict. However, this did not stop the country being invaded by Nazi Germany on May 10th 1940.

After landing in Normandy in June 1944, the allied forces advanced across Europe with key engagements taking place in the south of the Netherlands by September of that year.

The Netherlands was liberated in a large part by the Canadians, British and Polish armies.

On May 5th 1945, General Foulkes of the Canadian forces and the German Commander Blaskowitz reached an agreement on the surrender of the German forces in the Netherlands in Hotel de Wereld in Wageningen.

Even though some German troops remained on Dutch soil until May 8th, the date of the surrender of the German forces is celebrated on Liberation Day.

Historically the economy of Dominica has been agriculture-based. In recent years it has become a major international financial hub and is aiming to be one of the largest banking centres in the world. Its offshore services are also becoming its main source of income.

Celebrating the efforts and achievements of workers has been observed at the start of May since the beginning of the 20th century.

The date was chosen due to events that happened in America. In 1884 the American Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions demanded an eight-hour workday, to come in effect as of May 1st 1886. This resulted in the general strike and the Haymarket (in Chicago) Riot of 1886, but eventually also in the official sanction of the eight-hour workday.

The custom spread to Europe and on to the Soviet Union. Its association with communism and socialism is why even though it marks events in America, America celebrates Labor Day on a different date.

Poland’s constitution was the first constitution to be adopted in Europe and second only in the world – the American constitution of 1789, being the oldest. The first draft of the Polish constitution dates back to 1788.

The Polish constitution was based on principles influenced by the French revolution and introduced a constitutional monarchy. 

The constitution itself applied to the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth and the implementation of the constitution led to the ‘War of the defense of the constitution’ between the commonwealth and conservative nobility backed by the Russia empire.

This led to the annulment of the constitution just 19 months later, but the 3 May constitution is still regarded as a key event in the history of Poland.

After gaining independence in 1918, this day became a holiday, but like many national holidays it was not celebrated during the the time of the communist government.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the holiday was restored by the Act of 6 April 1990 and the first gala celebration took place in Warsaw’s Castle Square on 3 May 1990 in the presence of President Wojciech Jaruzelski.

Jigme Dorji Wangchuck was born on May 2nd 1929. He ruled Bhutan as the Third Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) for twenty years from March 1952 until his death at the age of 43 from a heart condition in July 1972.

Druk Gyalpo Jigme Dorji Wangchuck is known as the Father of Modern Bhutan as he is credited with opening Bhutan to the outside world and beginning the modernisation of the Kingdom.

He is revered for bringing modernity to the Himalayan Kingdom while preserving Bhutanese culture.

He also initiated reforms that led a shift away from Bhutan being an absolute monarchy to parliamentary democracy.

“This is the 20th century,” the king once told a group of visiting Americans. “We are working to make sure that Bhutan truly belongs to this century.”

May 2nd is also celebrated as Teachers’ Day in Bhutan because it was the Third Druk Gyalpo who established a modern educational system in the country.

With its northern latitude leading to cold. dark winters, the arrival of spring has always been a welcome event in Finland and a tradition of a festival to mark the turning of the seasons dates back to pagan times. 

The Finnish name ‘Vappu’ originates from an 8th-century German saint called Walpurgis, who was canonised on May 1st 870 AD.

A Finnish twist on the May Day celebrations developed in the nineteenth century when engineering students would celebrate and party at midnight on April 30th, while sporting their traditional white caps. This custom has now become widespread across Finland, leading to almost a carnival-like partying in towns and cities with large student populations. 

Festivities begin in Helsinki at 6pm on April 30th, when students will gather at the Market Square to wash the statue of a nude female called Havis Amanda, before putting a white cap on her head. 

On May 1st, students and graduates will then lead a procession through Helsinki, ending in large open-air picnics in the parks across the city. Mead and doughnuts are traditional treats on this day.

It always precedes the next day’s subsequent celebrations of Israel Independence Day, the Yom Haatzmaut of the 5th of Iyar for the annual holiday of the Public Proclamation of the State of Israel of 1948.

Memorial Day honours veterans and fallen soldiers of the State of Israel and the Israel Defense Force who died in the modern Arab Israeli conflict. 

Nowadays, Memorial Day also commemorates fallen civilians, slain by acts of hostile terrorism.

Memorial Day is a statutory holiday; by law, all places of entertainment are closed on the eve of Yom Hazikaron. Broadcasting and educational bodies will mark the sombre of the day.

Restaurants reopen in the evening – partly because the Independence Day festivities begin at sunset, but also because some people may have travelled far to visit the grave of a fallen soldier friend or family member and may require refreshments.

Commemoration ceremonies are held across the country and TV and radio are devoted to the commemoration of those who have fallen. Flags throughout the country are lowered to half-mast. Public transport for those going to military cemeteries is free of charge.

The Showa Era is the longest and most dramatic reign of an emperor in Japan’s history. Emperor Showa was the longest-living emperor. He died at age 87 after reigning for 63 years. In fact, the Showa Era literally covers some of modern Japan’s brightest and darkest hours. After his death in 1989, he was renamed Emperor Showa.

Traditionally the Emperor’s birthday was a national holiday, and after the death of Emperor Hirohito in January 1989, April 29th was subsequently no longer celebrated as The Emperor’s Birthday but instead as Greenery Day, part of Japan’s Golden Week.

After many attempts since 2000, Greenery Day finally won approval to be renamed Shōwa Day in May 2005, and the decision to move the date of Greenery Day from April 29th to May 4th was taken.

The official purpose of the holiday is to reflect on Japan’s Showa period when the nation recovered after the turbulent times and to think about the country’s future.

In 1978 Afghanistan’s prime minister, Mohammed Daoud Khan, was assassinated during a coup led by the socialist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). The PDPA then seized power. But as more and more groups emerged in opposition to the communist leanings of the leadership, the PDPA government sought help from the Soviet Union. Soviet troops invaded in 1979, staring their conflict with local insurgent groups known as the mujahideen. The nine-year Soviet-Afghan War ended in 1989 with victory for the Mujahideen and the withdrawal of Soviet forces.

After the Soviets left, the PDPA remained in power supported by Pakistan and Russian financial aid; and war with the mujahideen continued with the Afghan Civil War.

The war led to another victory for the Mujahideen on April 28th 1992, when the rebel forces overthrew Mohammad Najibullah’s Democratic Republic of Afghanistan.

Known locally as “Hashte Saur,” this is a day in when former Mujahideen fighters and present-day soldiers and supporters march on bases or streets and the national songs traditionally sung by the “holy warriors” in the trenches are revived. Mosque prayers are dedicated to those who lost their lives and iconic green Mujahedeen flags are flown.

In 1915 Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of the allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli peninsula. The plan was to capture Constantinople (now Istanbul), capital of the Ottoman Empire and an ally of the Germans. They landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Turkish defenders. The assault rapidly became a stalemate, dragging on for 8 months. By the end of 1915 the allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties. Around 14,000 soldiers from New Zealand were involved in the fighting and of these, 2,700 were killed and 4,852 injured. 

Despite the defeat and heavy losses, Anzac Day is a day of pride and to reflect on the contribution of New Zealand to the world and to remember the sacrifice of all those who have died in battle for their country.

The date was officially named Anzac Day in 1916 and was a half-day public holiday marked at the time by range of ceremonies and services held throughout New Zealand.

In 1922, Anzac Day became established as a national day of commemoration for New Zealanders who died during the great war.

Since then, Anzac Day has grown to become the day on which New Zealanders acknowledge the service and sacrifice of all people involved in military conflicts. It commemorates over 300,000 New Zealanders who served their country and the 30,000 who have died in service.

Like the British Remembrance Day tradition, poppies are worn to signify support for the soldiers who lost their lives. Sometimes Anzac Day is called Poppy Day, but Poppy Day, when the poppies go on sale, is usually the Friday before Anzac Day.

The first European to visit Tanzania was Vasco da Gama in 1498. European colonialism in the region began on mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany formed German East Africa. 

Following World War I, the mainland came under British control and was ruled as Tanganyika, with Zanzibar remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. 

Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961. The British ended the protectorate status of Zanzibar in December 1963 making it constitutional monarchy under the rule of Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah. A month later, the Sultan was deposed in a socialist revolution.

On April 26th 1964, Zanzibar and Tanganyika became the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar with the country renamed to Tanzania in October of that year. 

Zanzibar is now a semi-autonomous region within Tanzania.

‘Tanzania’ is a combination of ‘Tan’ from Tanganyika and ‘Zan’ from Zanzibar, reflecting the origin of the country.

YOU’VE seen her hungover. You’ve seen her cry over a situationship. You’ve even seen her attempt to reverse park. Now, for a nightmare week in Marbella, you meet the real her:

The airport personality shift

There are two types of airport freak; those who arrive the night before for a 3pm flight, and those who text you ten minutes before check-in closes saying ‘nearly there, just nipping to Aldi’. Each is lunatic in their own way, but whichever you are your mate will be the opposite. And will have six bags because she ‘didn’t know Ryanair had a limit’.

The differing views on room etiquette

Sharing a room will be fine, we’ll save money! Until the second night, when she picks up a Latino gentleman called Ricardo, saying ‘Don’t worry, we’ll stay under the covers, you won’t see anything’. And now you’ve got to find a Spanish pharmacy to buy earplugs, which is useful the next day when she needs the morning-after pill.

The emergence of control issues

At work, she procrastinates. At weekend, she hangs out. Here? There’s a nine-page laminated itinerary, she books three restaurants for every meal ‘in case’ and frowns on drinking before noon which is ridiculous, this is a holiday. Ask for the room key so you can dodge a historical site and you discover she owns it and you’re not allowed to have it.

The disagreements about money

She’s always been chill about splitting a Costa bill, but here? Suddenly every Euro matters, apparently because you’re on cocktails and she’s on water and you didn’t realise cocktails were only two-for-one for the first hour. And in restaurants! Order the venison and you see your friendship die in her eyes.

The purpose of a holiday being Instagram

A few photos, sure. Tagging in everywhere you go, even if it’s a park? Multiple snaps in every location? Discovering she livestreamed your conversation about cystitis and apps are being used to slim her but not you? You’re on different holidays, and yours now incorporates heavy drinking as a survival strategy.

The Sinai Peninsula has been part of Egypt since the First Dynasty of ancient Egypt (c. 3100 BC).

In 1956, Egypt prohibited Israeli ships from using the Suez Canal, forcing them to take a much longer route to reach Europe.

This raised tensions in the region and supported by Britain and France, Israeli forces occupied the Sinai Peninsula. Israel withdrew its troops after pressure from the US and USSR in 1957, with a UN presence established in the region to avoid further conflict.

In May 1967, the Egyptians forced the UN presence to leave, which led to the Six-Day War that saw Israel once again occupy the entire Sinai Peninsula as well as other territories in the region.

This initiated a long period of conflict between Egypt and Israel culminating in the Yom Kippur War of October 1973. This conflict proved to be a turning point for both Egypt and Israel and led to a process to find a lasting peace between the two nations. 

The Camp David Accords in 1978 led to Egypt and Israel signing a peace treaty in which Israel agreed to withdraw from the entirety of the Sinai Peninsula. The Israeli withdrawal took place in stages, with the last troops leaving Sinai on April 25th 1982.