HOLIDAYS

This day is essentially the second of two independence days celebrated in Azerbaijan. The first is Republic day which marks the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan on May 28th 1918. This republic only lasted two years before Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union.

In 1991, perestroika (social and economic reform) had swept across the Soviet Union leading to many of the countries to declare their independence from the USSR

On August 30th 1991, Azerbaijan made clear its intention to become an independent nation once again when the Declaration on the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan was adopted by Parliament.

On October 18th 1991 the constitutional act “On the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan” was approved and adopted by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

This made Azerbaijan the sixth country to leave the USSR following Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Georgia and Armenia.

The act of independence was affirmed by a nationwide referendum on 29 December 1991, when the Soviet Union officially ceased to exist.

In 1992, Independence Day was declared a national non-working holiday.  In 2006, the Azerbaijani parliament changed the country’s labour code, and on October 18th 2006 its public holiday status was removed.

The Haitian Revolution is regarded as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere.  The rebellion against French authority began in 1791. Toussaint Louverture emerged as the leader of the revolt against the French. Napoleon sent troops to the colony to restore French authority and Louverture was captured in 1802 and died in a French jail in 1803.

Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a lieutenant to Louverture, then took the leadership of the revolution, defeating French troops at the Battle of Vertières on November 18th 1803. France then withdrew its remaining 7,000 troops from the island.

On January 1st 1804, in the city of Gonaïves, Dessalines officially declared the former colony’s independence as a free republic, renaming it “Haiti” after its indigenous name. He also freed all slaves making Haiti the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery. Though it wasn’t all good news for the former slaves, who either had to continue to work on the plantations or join his army.

It was also in 1804 that Dessalines showed the extent of his bloodthirst, massacring all the French people on the island, resulting in the deaths of up to 5,000 people.

Dessalines became the first Emperor of Haiti in October 1804. He was made Emperor for life in 1805, which proved accurate but short-lived as he was assassinated by his political rivals in October 1806.

Despite his impressive achievements in driving his country to independence, if you were to travel back to Haiti in the 19th century, you might be surprised to find that Dessalines was a far from popular figure and that his reputation was that of a tyrant. It was only in the 20th century, that his legacy as an icon of nationalism and a founding father was developed. His rehabilitation was complete by 1903, when the national anthem of Haiti, “La Dessalinienne”, was named in his honour. (The lyrics don’t mention Dessalines.)

National Liqueur Day is a holiday observed annually on October 16th. This holiday celebrates liqueurs—an alcoholic beveragemade from distilled and sweetened spirits, enhanced with extracts, oils, or other flavors. They were originally known as cordials and have been enjoyed throughout history not only for their flavor but also for their perceived medicinal purposes. Nowadays, liqueurs are used as the base for a seemingly endless array of mixed drinks and cocktails. Some of the more popular liqueurs used these days include amaretto, Kahlua, Irishcream, and crème de menthe. All of this means that there are numerous drinks that people can make on this holiday.

We can’t talk about this holiday without taking some time to list some of the facts that we’ve learned about liqueurs. So that’s what we did. You can find our liqueur facts below.

• Liqueurs are sometimes sold as schnapps or cordials.
• One of the most popular liqueurs of all time is Grand Marnier, created in 1880.
• The most common liqueurs are orange liqueur, coffee liqueur, amaretto, Irish cream, Maraschino liqueur, and Dry & Sweet Vermouth.

Norodom Sihanouk was born in Phnom Penh on October 31st 1922. He was the only son of HRH Prince Norodom Suramarit and HRH Princess Sisowath Kossomak Nearirath Serey Vatthana.

Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk became the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia in April 1941 after the death of his grandfather.

From 1941 he was head of state of Cambodia several times as it changed its name and status.

From the fall of the Democratic Kampuchea on January 7th 1979 to 1990, Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk left Cambodia and returned back in 1991 and became the King of Cambodia in 1993 until he abdicated in October 2004.

His Majesty the King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk passed away on October 15th 2012 at 01:20 am (time in Phnom Penh) in Beijing, China at the age of 90 from natural causes.

A ceremony is held inside the Royal Palace and at royal governmental institutions on October 15th every year to revere His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk, or His Majesty Preah Barom Ratanakaodh*, which is his posthumous name.

*Meaning “the king who lives in the diamond urn” – Sihanouk was cremated after his death.

When we think of the rise of the early Christian church, Rome seems to be the focus of attention, but the new religion was also taking root a bit further east. Indeed, Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion in 301 AD at a time when the Romans were increasing their persecutions of Christians under Emperor Diocletian. Armenia’s conversion was closely followed by Georgia which proclaimed Christianity as the official religion in 337AD. Georgia made its proclamation at Mtskheta, the ancient capital of Kartli, the East Georgian Kingdom.

Mtskheta was also where the first Christian church in the country was founded. The location is said to have been chosen by Saint Nino, a relative of Saint George and a woman who converted the king and queen of Georgia to Christianity.

According to tradition, the holy shirt of Jesus is buried under the church. Elias, a Jew from Mtskheta was in Jerusalem when Jesus was crucified. The story is that Elias bought the robe of Jesus from a Roman soldier and brought it back to Georgia. When his sister touched the robe. She was immediately overcome with emotion and died. The robe couldn’t be taken from her grasp, so they buried her and the robe in the church.

Svetitskhoveli translates to “the Living Pillar”. This name is due to a miracle that Saint Nino performed on pillars that were hewn from a cedar that grew on the location of the buried robe.

The original church was rebuilt in the 5th century and the current structure was completed in the 11th century.

Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is the second largest church in the country and was inscribed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites in 1994.

On October 14th, the Georgian Orthodox Church also celebrates the day of King Mirian and Queen Nana, the monarchs who Saint Nino converted to Christianity.

White Sunday is a day when youngsters are especially celebrated by their parents and their communities in Samoan congregations around the world. In nearby Samoa, the day after White Sunday is a public holiday called Lotu a Tamaiti Holiday.

As American Samoa and Samoa are on different sides of the International Dateline, they share similar names but are a day apart. This means White Sunday in American Samoa happens at the same time as White Monday (Lotu a Tamaiti) in Samoa!

In American Samoa, the second Monday in October is already a public holiday for Columbus Day.

The tradition of White Sunday was brought to the islands by Christian missionaries in the 19th century and has become a special holiday, when children are treated from getting new outfits to being allowed their favorite food during family toana’i (Sunday meal).

The majority of children are baptised in designated congregations throughout Samoa on White Sunday.

On White Sunday, Samoan women and children dress completely in white clothing. Some of them trim the clothes with the other two colours of the Samoan flag, red and blue. Men will wear white shirts with either white slacks or the traditional faitaga form of the lavalava. If lavalava is worn then it need not be white on this day.

Columbus believed that the world was round and that a crossing the Atlantic Ocean would provide a shorter route to trade with Asia.

Queen Isabella of Spain sponsored Columbus’ expedition. By being the first country to find a short water route to Asia, Spain could use the opportunity to claim new lands for colonization, profit from lucrative trade with Asia, and spread Christianity to Asian natives.

On August 3rd 1492 Columbus set sail with his three ships on his quest to cross the Atlantic. On October 12th 1492, they landed on what is now the island of San Salvador. They believed they had reached India. Since that time, Native Americans have been known as Indians.

After four voyages to the New World, Columbus explored many of the islands of the West Indies including Cuba, and Jamaica, but never discovered the mainland. After an unsuccessful career as Governor of the Spanish West Indies, Columbus returned to Spain where he died.

In Mexico, Columbus Day is a legal holiday and was called Dia de la Raza which means “the Day of the Races”. It commemorates the history of the races which compose the Mexican people. It is a day Mexicans use to explore both their Spanish and Indian roots.

The birthday of the Governor of Sarawak is a regional public holiday in Malaysia on the second Saturday in October.

The State of Sarawak is located on the north-west of the island of Borneo and is the largest of the 13 states by area.

The head of the Sarawak state is the Governor known as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri. The role is a largely symbolic position appointed by the King of Malaysia on the advice of the Malaysian federal government.

Abdul Taib Mahmud has been the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sarawak since 2014. Mahmud’s birthday is on May 21st. As with many other states, the date of the official birthday doesn’t change with each governor. In Sarawak, the second Saturday in October was chosen as it coincides with the first governor of Sarawak, Abang Haji Openg, whose birthday was October 7th.

In case you were in any doubt as to how seriously Ecuadorians take their freedom, the country has three public holidays dedicated to independence.

Ecuador can claim to be the cradle of independence in Latin America when Quito made the first attempt to throw off the shackles of Spanish colonial rule in August 1809. While that attempt proved unsuccessful, it sowed the seeds of revolution, and on October 9th 1820, the coastal port of Guayaquil became the first city to gain its independence from Spain.

Cuenca joined Guayaquil when achieved its independence on November 3rd 1820, that’s another public holiday.

The rest of Ecuador celebrated independence following victory at the Battle of Pichincha under the command of Simón Bolívar, on May 24th 1822, which completes our hat-trick of Independence holidays.

King Sejong the Great who was the fourth monarch of the Joseon Dynasty, along with fellow scholars invented the Korean alphabet in 1443. The promulgation of the system came afterwards with a commentary guide “Haeryebon” in 1446. The original name of the language was “Hunminjeongeum,” which translates to “a set of proper sounds for the education of the entire nation.”

The aim of the new alphabet was to improve literacy among the general population, who struggled to learn the complicated writing system used at that time which was based on Chinese characters.

Originally Hangeul consisted of 28 letters. This was later reduced to 24 (14 consonants and 10 vowels) and the language is regarded as so logical and phonetic that linguists worldwide consider it to be one of the most remarkable writing systems in the world.

King Sejong himself famously said of Hanguel, “A wise man can acquaint himself with Hangeul before the morning is over; a stupid man can learn it in the space of 10 days.”

The 14 consonants in Hanguel are grouped to represent how your mouth is shaped as you voice them.

The celebration of the proclamation as a holiday began in the mid-1920s as an attempt to preserve the Korean alphabet while under Japanese colonial rule of Korea (1910-1945), during which time Japanese was the country’s official language. 

Originally the day was celebrated according to the Lunar calendar, then on October 28th following some discussion about using the Gregorian or Julian (in use in 1446) calendar. In 1946 the Hangeullal(Hangeul Day in Korean) was finally specified as October 9th in 1946.

Following liberation from Japanese rule after the end of the Second World war, Hangeul Day was designated an official holiday in 1949.

Hangeul Day was excluded from the list of public holidays in 1990 for practical and economic reasons. It regained some of its status in 2005 when it was designated as a national day of celebration. It reinstated as a public holiday in 2013.

Boat Racing Festivals take place in many towns and villages across Lao at this time of year. The specific days of the races may vary from location to location. The public holiday may also change depending on what day of the week, Boun Ok Phansa, the last day of Buddhist Lent, falls on.

The Boun Suang Heua boat racing festival held in Vientiane is the largest and most supported of the boat racing festivals. The entrants come from all parts of Lao to compete in the races which take place along the Mekong river on Fa Ngum Road.

The races are usually 2km long, though the start and finish lines of the races change slightly from year to year as they depend upon the levels of the river.

The traditional racing boats are carved from a single tree and can hold up to fifty rowers. In the days before the races, the boats are cleaned and given offerings as they are considered sacred items.

The start and finish lines of the races change slightly from year to year as they depend upon the levels of the river.

There are usually three categories of boats: sport for men; traditional for men; and traditional for women. The teams of rowers are usually sponsored either by companies or by ministries or organisations in Vientiane.

Usually, the races start with the women, followed by the men’s races. The winners in each category receive prize money and a trophy, presented by high ranking officials.

Fa Ngum road and other streets leading to the river are lined with stalls days before the actual festival starts. These sell all kind of clothes, food and drinks. During the races, the streets are thronged with noisy and cheerful spectators urging on their favourite teams.

The Bank of Lao (BOL) is the central bank of the country.

The Government adopted October 7th 1968 as the founding day of the banking sector, as this was the date of the first printing of the liberated Laotian Kip currency under the leadership of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party. The currency was printed in a cave in Viengxai district, Hauphanh province, which was a revolutionary base at the time.

In 1975 after the establishment of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, the Bank of Lao merged with the former Lao National Bank to become the central bank for the new country.

During the Six-day War with Israel in June 1967, Egypt had lost control of the Sinai Peninsula.

In an attempt to regain the territory, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat carried out a surprise attack on 6 October 1973. The attack was supported by the Syrians and met with initial success when more than 80,000 Egyptian troops breached the fortifications set up by the Israelis and took control of the Sinai territory. After two days, the Egyptians were forced to retreat when the Israeli army counterattacked and surrounded the Egyptian forces.

The war ended in a cease-fire brokered by the United States. The assault proved unsuccessful in liberating the Sinai Peninsula, but the conflict directly led to talks at Camp David organised by US President Jimmy Carter. These talks resulted in the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979 which eventually saw the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.

The holiday is marked by large military parades and fireworks. It was during one of the parades on Armed Forces Day in 1981, when President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by opponents of the peace with Israel.

Known as the Festival of Lights, Thadingyut is the second most popular festival in Myanmar after Thingyan Festival.

Maya, the mother of Buddha died a week after Buddha was born. She was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven as a god named Santusita. To honour his mother, Buddha ascended to the Trayastrimsa Heaven and preached from the Abhidhamma texts to Santusita for three months. 

The full moon of the month Waso (Dhammasetkya Day) marks the ascent by Buddha and the start of the three month period of Buddhist Lent, when the monks retreat to their monasteries. During this time, monks dedicate themselves to meditation and study. During Buddhist Lent, marriages are forbidden and many people give up meat and alcohol. Buddhist lent often coincides with the rainy season in Myanmar.

The full moon in Thadingyut marks Buddha’s return to earth and signifies the end of Buddhist Lent.

Thadingyut is called the festival of lights as the followers of Buddha lit up their houses and temples to mark the return of Buddha. Towns and villages across Myanmar will be illuminated in honour of this auspicious event.

Lesotho emerged in the 1820s, when Basutoland was founded by King Moshoeshoe I who united the tribes in the area in order to defend themselves from attacks by the Zulus.

Basutoland then found itself in territorial disputes with the Boer trekkers from the Orange Free State. King Moshoeshoe turned to the British for help and Basutoland was made a British protectorate in 1868, before gaining colony status in 1884.

On October 4th 1966, Basutoland was formally granted its independence from Great Britain as the Kingdom of Lesotho, with Moshoeshoe II as king and Chief Leabua Jonathan (Basotho National Party) as prime minister.

The lowest point above sea level in Lesotho is 1,500 metres, making it the country with the highest low point in the world.

On October 1st 1949 Chairman Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China from atop Beijing’s Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tian’anmen Gate).

This marked the end of a bitter civil war between the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party under the leadership of Mao.

In December 1949, the Chinese Government passed the Resolution on the National Day of the People’s Republic of China, declaring that October 1st is the National Day of China.

Located on the Atlantic coast of West Africa, the area now known as Guinea came under European influence from the 15th century with the arrival of Portuguese explorers. The coastal region became an important staging post for the slave trade.

The French arrived to stake a claim on the area in the mid-19th century, with the ruler of Fouta Djallon placing his territory under French protection in 1881. 

The independent Malinke state, ruled by Samory Touré, resisted the French military until 1898, and it wasn’t until 1915 that the whole country was under French control.

The French protectorate of Rivières du Sud was declared a separate colony from Senegal in 1891. As French Guinea, it joined the Federation of French West Africa in 1895. 

In 1958 the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability. In the referendum on the constitution for the French Fifth Republic, only Guinea—under the influence of Ahmed Sékou Touré, the great-grandson of  Samory Touré,  voted against membership in the French Community.

On 2 October 1958 Guinea became independent, with Sekou Touré as the new country’s first president. The other French African colonies would have to wait a further two years before they gained their independence.

Independence Day in Guinea is a patriotic holiday celebrated across over the country with parades, dances, and sports competitions, especially in the capital city of Conakry.

Following the end of the Russo-Turkish war in 1878, Cyprus was leased to the British Empire and was formally annexed by Britain at the end of the First World War.

Since the time of Ottoman rule, the concept of ‘enosis’ – a union with Greece had been an ideal held by many Greek Cypriots, 

In April 1955, this ideal became a military aim, with the start of the guerilla campaign of the EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston) whose aim was unification with Greece through armed struggle.

The campaign against the British lasted for the next four years. A cease-fire was reached in August 1960 and Cyprus attained independence after the Zurich and London Agreement between the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey.  The effective date of the London-Zürich Agreements was August 16th 1960, but the public holiday was moved to October 1st to avoid the summer heat and the bustle of the tourist season.

The Republic of Cyprus came into being on August 19th 1960, and on September 20th, Cyprus joined the United Nations and the British Commonwealth.

On the stroke of midnight on October 1st 1960, the agreement of independence between the United Kingdom, Greece and Turkey and the British governor read a British proclamation declaring the independence of Cyprus

Archbishop Marakios III, the leader of the island’s Greek community became the first President of Cyprus.

Cyprus did not celebrate its independence day as a national holiday until 1979, 19 years after independence from British rule.

In the late nineteenth century, the Tswana inhabitants in the region were being attacked by tribes from the north-east and threatened by the advancing Dutch Boer settlers from the south and east.

To combat these threats, the Batswana leaders Khama III, Bathoen and Sebele appealed to the British Government for assistance. The British put the northern part of the region, Bechuanaland (the name came from an English corruption of the ‘Land of the Tswana’), under its protection on March 31st 1885.

When the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910 from the main British colonies in the region, provision was made that Bechuanaland would eventually join the union. However, the regional tribal chief wanted to stay out of the union as he didn’t think it would be good for his people. His lobbying was successful and the British effectively stalled in transferring the region to South Africa. With the adoption of apartheid in 1948, any possible integration into South Africa evaporated.

Weakened by the efforts of World War II and a rising desire for independence, Britain began the process of reducing its colonies around the world, including those Africa.

The Botswanan name for rain, ‘pula’ is also the name of the national currency because it is so rare, yet so important to the economy.

In 1964, the UK accepted proposals for self-government in Botswana. A new constitution adopted in 1965 paved the way for the first general elections, resulting in independence on September 30th 1966.

From 2023, the Queen’s Birthday public holiday will be known as the King’s Birthday. The name change comes following the ascension of King Charles III to the throne in September 2022 following the death of Australia’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth II reigned as monarch for 70 years, taking the throne in 1952. Following the death of her father King George VI, Elizabeth ascended to the throne at just 25 years of age, ruling until her death at the age of 96.

Excluding a legislative amendment made to the states’ respective Public Holidays Acts to change the name, in practice nothing else about the day should be different

King Charles III was born on November 14th 1948 in Buckingham Palace. He ascended to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday September 8th 2022.

Despite the November birthday, the day is usually in June in the UK. This is because having a summer birthday means a higher chance of good weather in England during the Trooping the Colour parade for the monarch’s birthday.

The King is the monarch of 15 countries, the United Kingdom and 14 commonwealth realms.

Since 1748, the monarch’s official birthday has been marked by an outdoor parade known as Trooping the Colour which was usually held on the king or queen’s actual birthday. Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, was born in November. Instead of making the troops parade on a cold and dark November morning, the tradition began of celebrating his birthday officially in May or June as there was less chance of it being chilly and drizzly during the event. This tradition was then carried on by subsequent monarchs.