HOLIDAYS

Generally, Gospel Day falls on July 10th, but it may be shifted around depending on what days of the week the three days of holidays cover. These dates are not usually updated until close to the start of the year, so check back here for the latest dates.

The main religion in Kiribati is Christianity. It was brought to the islands by missionaries in the 19th century. Today, Roman Catholics and Protestants account for the large majority of followers.

This holiday was established to create a day for Kiribatians of all faiths to join in combined services to give thanks and strengthen the sense of shared community between the different branches of Christianity in the country.

Vargas was supported by the military and the political elites but was unpopular with the general population.

The uprising began on July 9th 1932, after four protesting students had been killed by government troops in May. The state’s insurrection never ignited a nationwide rebellion and Vargas crushed the revolt on October 2nd 1932.

In spite of the defeat, some of the rebel’s demands were granted by Vargas afterwards and the anniversary of the rebellion is the most important civic date in the state of São Paulo. Paulistas (as the inhabitants of São Paulo are known) consider the Revolution of 1932 as the greatest movement in its civic history. It was the last major armed conflict in Brazil’s history.

The Soufrière Hills Volcano on the southern side of the island became active on Tuesday July 18th 1995. The first explosion occurred in August 1995, and the period of activity lasted until 1999. In 1997, the explosion blanketed Plymouth, the capital of Montserrat, in a thick layer of ash and darkened the sky almost completely. Plymouth had been evacuated in 1995, though a large eruption in June 1997 resulted in the deaths of nineteen people. The island’s airport was directly in the path of the main pyroclastic flow and was completely destroyed. Montserrat’s tourist industry was devastated. The volcano is still active, though the current level of activity is low.

The National Day of Prayer & Thanksgiving provides an opportunity for deep reflection and for the Nation to give thanks for God’s mercies.

Plymouth, Montserrat remains the de jure (in law) capital and as such, it is the only capital city in the world with a population of zero. Brades is the de facto (in effect) capital.

Founded by Francis Light of the British East India Company in 1786, George Town was the first British settlement in Southeast Asia. The town was named after the British King, George III.

On July 7th 2008, UNESCO inscribed Malacca and George Town as cultural sites on the World Heritage List, with UNESCO explaining:

“Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.”

Comoros is a series of three islands (Grande Comore, Anjouan and Moheli) located in the Indian Ocean off the eastern coast of Africa.

The islands first encountered Europeans when Portuguese explorers at the start of the 16th century, though it was France who established colonial rule on Mayotte (the westernmost of the islands) in 1841 when a local king ceded the island to France. Political infighting amongst the Islanders meant that resistance to the French appropriation was limited and by 1908 France had unified the islands under one administration.

In 1912 the islands became part of the colony of Madagascar. Madagascar gained its independence from France in 1960, with Comoros given autonomy a year later.

Probably the most famous rediscovered animal ever is the coelacanth fish. This creature was thought to have been extinct for 60 million years until it was found at the start of the 20th century in Comoros.

After an agreement was reached with France in 1973, referendums for independence were held on the four main islands, with Mayotte voting against independence from France.

On July 6th 1975, the Comorian parliament of the other three islands passed a unilateral resolution declaring independence, with Ahmed Abdallah becoming the first president.

The Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, but a Crown Dependency. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann.

Norsemen first came to the island in about 800AD and ruled for over 400 years. During that time they established different administrative systems including Tynwald, a parliament for passing legislation. Historians have traced the origin of Tynwald back to 979AD, making it the world’s longest continuous parliament.

From at least from the start of the fifteenth century, Tynwald Day had been celebrated on June 24th, coinciding with the Feast of St. John the Baptist. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1753, the date didn’t shift to remain on June 24th and instead was observed on July 5th under the new calendar.

There is no representation from the Isle of Man in the United Kingdom parliament and UK laws do not automatically apply in the Isle of Man. Tynwald makes the laws which are given final approval by the Queen.

On July 4th 1776, the United States of America proclaimed its independence from England by signing the Declaration of Independence.

While the signing of the Declaration itself was not completed until August, the Fourth of July holiday is seen as the official anniversary of U.S. independence.

Although Philadelphians marked the first anniversary of independence in 1777 with spontaneous celebrations in the streets of Philadelphia, the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” wasn’t until 1791 and Independence Day celebrations only became common after the War of 1812.

By the 1870s, Independence Day had become the most important secular holiday on the American calendar and has transformed into what is known as the 4th of July today.

In 1870, The U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees, though it wasn’t until 1941 that Congress declared Independence Day to be a paid federal holiday.

The independence or national days of most ex-Soviet states takes place on the date that marks that country’s independence after the fall of the Soviet Union in the early nineties. 

In Belarus, this was the case in 1990 when the Supreme Council of Belarus declared the country to be a sovereign nation free from the USSR on 27 July 1990. This date was celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus until 1996.

In 1996, Alexander Lukashenko, country’s first President oversaw a referendum in which nearly 90% of Belarusians voted to celebrate Independence Day on 3 July. The date was chosen to honour those who fought to free the capital, Minsk from Nazi German occupation during the Great Patriotic War (Second World War).

When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Belarus was the first to bear the brunt of the attack. On 24 June, Minsk came under massive artillery shelling and air strikes from nearly 150 bombers.

Despite resistance from local fighters, the Germans seized Minsk on 28 June 1941. Not accepting the occupation, the residents began a resistance movement that lasted 1,100 days. The efforts of the citizens helped the armies of the 1st and 3rd Belarusian Fronts with the support of the partisans liberate the Belarusian capital from the invaders on 3 July 1944.

Belarus paid a high price for the freedom; a third of the population was killed during the war.

Independence Day is a tribute to the heroism and endurance of Minskers in their struggle to bring freedom to Belarus.

Located in the south Caribbean Sea, Curaçao is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Designed by Martin Den Dulk, the country’s flag was adopted on July 2nd 1984,.

The blue symbolizes the sky and sea, and the yellow stripe, the sunshine that bathes the island. The two stars represent the islands Curacao and Klein Curacao.

The words of the original ‘Anthem of Curaçao’ were written by Friar Radulphus in 1898. Until a new melody was written for it in 1930, the words were sung to the tune of the Dutch National anthem. In 1978 the lyrics were rewritten, as the original lyrics were seen as a bit ‘colonial’.

Flag Day is celebrated with official ceremonies and cultural events at Plaza Brion and the Village of Barber.

Seretse Khama was born on July 1st 1921 at Serowe, the Protectorate of Bechuanaland (now Botswana).  Seretse Khama was the grandson and heir of King Khama III, who died in 1923. The Bangwato family of which Seretse Khama was the heir were hereditary rulers of the Protectorate. In 1925 Seretse Khama was made King, his uncle acting as regent.

Khama was training as a barrister in London after the Second World War, where he met and married Ruth Williams, a white English commoner. The story of Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams was depicted in the 2016 film, ‘A United Kingdom’.

His marriage caused great difficulties for him at home and he was exiled in 1951.

The apartheid government of South Africa put pressure on Britain to remove Khama’s chieftainship. A judicial inquiry declared him to be perfectly fit for the job, but this was hushed up to appease the South Africans.

Kahama returned to Bechuanaland in 1956 as a private citizen. Free to enter politics, he formed the Bechuanaland Democratic Party, won the elections and led the way to independence, becoming his country’s first President. He remained in the post until his death, aged only 59, in 1980. He created a multiracial democratic society and is considered as one of the great successes of this era of African politics.

His son, Ian Khama, became Botswana’s fourth president in 2008, serving for two terms.

The holiday marks the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Freedom at Nottingham Estate, Long Look.

The Long Look Estate in East End, Tortola, British Virgin Islands, claims to be the oldest free black community in the Western world.

In 1776 Samuel Nottingham, a Quaker, manumitted 25 slaves and gave them 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land in Long Look in Tortola, directing them to cultivate it for the common good. 

Quakers were prominent in the abolition movement; Nottingham’s action pre-dates the foundation of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade by more than a decade.

Peter was the leader of the apostles and the first pope. Paul was born Saul, but converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus.

They had been imprisoned in the infamous Mamertine Prison of Rome and both had foreseen their approaching death. It is said that they were martyred at the command of Emperor Nero.

Even though they were killed on the same day, their method of execution would have differed.

Saint Peter was crucified, whereas Saint Paul would have been beheaded with a sword as he was a Roman citizen and afforded a quicker execution.

It is said of Peter that he was crucified head downward as he didn’t feel worthy of being crucified in the same way as Jesus.

On June 29th, coastal and island communities may decorate their boats and wharves to give praise to St. Peter, who was the patron saint of fishermen. St. Paul was known for his handcraft.

This is probably one of the oldest feast days celebrated in the Christian calendar. In 2010, images of Peter and Paul were found on the wall of catacombs dating back to the 4th Century AD.

The feast of St Peter and St Paul is known as a ‘Solemnity’. For Catholics, this means they can eat meat on the day, even if it falls on Friday when normally fish would be eaten.

Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. 

In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany celebrated the feast of Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing became popular and the name “Saint Vitus Dance” was given to the neurological disorder Sydenham’s chorea.

The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus’ Day (June 15th in the Julian calendar) 1389 between an army led by the Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović and an invading army of the Ottoman Empire. 

While the Ottomans suffered huge losses, they eliminated all of Prince Lazar’s forces. This led to Ottoman control in the region which lasted for several centuries.

Djibouti had been under French colonial control since 1888. In 1946 it was made an overseas territory within the French Union with its own legislature and representation in the French parliament.

It was known as French Somaliland until 1967 when it was renamed French Territory of the Afars and the Issas.

In 1958, as independence for Somalia neared, a referendum was held to decide whether the territory should remain with France or join the Somali Republic. The outcome was a vote in favour of staying as part of France.

In 1967, a second referendum was held and again results indicated that the majority wanted to continue with ties to France.

In both the 1958 and 1967 referendums there have been accusations that the outcome of the voting was rigged in favour of remaining with France.

On May 8th 1977, a third referendum took place. This time, an overwhelming 98.8% of the electorate voted for independence from France and thus, on June 27th 1977, Djibouti became the last of France’s African colonies to gain independence.

Hassan Gouled Aptidon, who had played a leading role in the campaign for the yes vote in the referendum of 1958, eventually became Djibouti’s first president.

The origin of the name Djibouti is unclear. One proposed theory is that it comes from “gabouti”, a type of doormat made of palm fibres. Other theories are that it is named for the killing of a legendary terrifying beast, or that it was named after the Egyptian god of the moon.

Independence Day is marked with a military parade in the country’s capital, Djibouti City. The national army, led by a colourful marching band, puts new units and equipment on display to the public. After the parade, political leaders give speeches in front of the Presidential Palace.

Other celebrations include fireworks, fairs and music performances in cities and towns across Djibouti. It is a custom to eat traditional meals like Skudahkhrais (Djiboutian lamb stew) served with a delicious, crispy Sabaayad flatbread.

In May 1918 Azerbaijan had declared its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic after the collapse of the Russian Empire, forming the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

To protect the new nation, on June 26th 1918, a Muslim Corps, established by a decision of the Special Transcaucasian Committee, was renamed to the Detached Corps of Azerbaijan. 

The Military Ministry was established in August 1918, but the renaming of the soldiers is seen as the birth of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

Around 25,000 soldiers were recruited and the government allocated 24% of the state budget for military purposes. By August 1 of the same year, the newly established Military Ministry took over the armed forces. The first solemn parade of the national army took place in 1919.

In April 1920, the ADR was occupied by the Bolshevik forces, and Azerbaijan was later incorporated into the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan formed its independent national army once again.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan and this day was recognised when the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan passed a law “On the Establishment of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan”.

In May 1998 according to Decree No. 707 issued by Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, June 26th was declared a non-working holiday, the Day of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

The modern armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan comprise the Land Forces, the Air and Air Defense Forces, and the Navy. The National Guard, the State Border Service, and the Internal Troops of Azerbaijan are considered associated forces.

A’ashura was an ancient Judaic feast day of celebration and atonement. It is traditionally the day when the prophet Musa (Moses) freed the Israelites from Egyptian slavery and a day associated with Jesus’ ascension to heaven. It is believed that God saved the prophet Nuh (Noah) and his companions from the genesis flood on this day.

It is better known these days for mourning the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) at the Battle of Karbala in the year 61 AH (AD 680).

Sunni Muslims believe that Moses fasted on this day to demonstrate his gratitude to God for the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt. According to Sunni traditions, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) fasted on this day and encouraged others to fast.

While the word ashura means ‘tenth’ in Arabic and literally translated, means “the tenth day”; Islamic scholars differ on the reason for the naming.

Asure or Noah’s pudding is a dessert of Turkish origin composed of cereals and dried fruits. It is a tradition served on the day of Ashura.

The Turkish legends say that this dish was made by prophet Noah himself when the ark landed on the mountains of Ararat in the Armenian highlands on the 10th day of Muharram. As the ark was stuck in the Biblical flood for days, the food supplies were getting scarce. To prevent people from starving, Noah made a mixed porridge with all the leftover ingredients in the ark and fed his people.

As mentioned, many people fast during the day of Ashura, so it makes sense to have such a flavorful and nutritious packed dish to break the fast.

Asure is prepared in large pots and distributed amongst neighbours. According to Islamic scholars, 40 houses in each direction is comprises of a neighbuorhood.

Usually, a saint’s feast day is celebrated on the day that the saint died. St. John along with the Virgin Mary are the only two saints whose birthdays are celebrated.

St. John’s death (August 29th) is also marked by Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches.

The feast day of Saint John the Baptist was a popular feast day in many European countries. One reason for this was that its timing coincided nicely with much older pagan holidays that celebrated the summer solstice. It is still celebrated as a religious feast day in several countries, such as Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and has echos in other holidays such as the Swiss National Day – a central theme in the celebrations is the lighting of bonfires.

It was thought that the Summer solstice was a time when spirits roamed freely, so bonfires were lit to ward off and protect from the evil spirits. Later on, the solstice was seen as a time when witches or even dragons needed to be kept at bay with a bonfire.

John the Baptist is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River. Most scholars agree that John baptized Jesus by wading into the water with Jesus from the eastern bank of the river.

John is probably best known for foretelling of the Messiah, which in the New Testament predicted the coming of Jesus.

According to the Gospel of Mark, John is imprisoned by Herod for denouncing Herod’s incestuous marriage. John condemned Herod for marrying Herodias (his niece) in violation of Old Testament Law. After Herodias’s daughter Salome has danced before Herod, he grants her a favour. Herodias tells her to ask for the head of John the Baptist, which is delivered to her on a plate.

St. John the Baptist is the patron Saint of Turin.

His feast day is also celebrated in Quebec as the Fete Nationale du Quebec.

It was first celebrated in 1934. The date marks the key victory in the 1919 Battle of Võnnu (near Cesis, Latvia) when the Estonians and their allies defeated German forces who were seeking to re-establish Baltic-German control over the region.

The battle was part of the 1918-1920 Estonian War of Independence, a sovereignty struggle resulting as part of the fall out of World War I when the main adversary of the then newly independent Estonia was Russia. The war was won by Estonia, resulting in the Treaty of Tartu.

Today, Victory Day serves as a day of remembrance to commemorate the contributions of all Estonians in their struggle to regain and retain their independence.

Victory Day is followed by the Midsummer Day (St, John’s Day) celebrations on June 24th.

John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto) was a Venetian explorer and navigator. Inspired by Columbus’ recent voyages to the west, Cabot received funding from Henry VII of England to explore for new lands in 1496. Cabot made his first expedition in the summer of 1496, leaving from Bristol, England, but he ran into bad weather and short of supplies, he turned back to England.

The second expedition left Bristol on 2 May 1497 in a ship called ‘Matthew’ and made landfall somewhere on the coast of North America on 24 June 1497 (St. John’s Day). This discovery marked the first Europeans to set foot on the North American continent since the Vikings in the 11th century.

Though historians have argued where exactly Cabot made landfall, in 1997 the Canadian and UK governments designated Cape Bonavista in Newfoundland as the official place of Cabot’s landing.

Discovery Day had been a statutory holiday from 1962 until 1992, when it was removed from the Shops Closing Act.

Since 1997, Discovery Day has also been known as Cabot 500 Day marking the 500th anniversary of the discovery.

In the Southern Hemisphere, the longest night of the year takes place on June 21st, the winter solstice. Since ancient times, knowledge of the changing seasons was vital to farmers in the region. No more so, than in the harsh highlands of the Andes. The winter solstice marked a welcome end to Winter and also the start of the new agricultural season.

The word Solstice comes from the Latin ‘solstitium’ meaning ‘Sun stands still’ because the movement of the Sun’s path north or south appears to stop before changing direction

At key places such as Tiwanaku, the imposing megalithic structures are said to have been designed with astronomical dates in mind, such as the Gate of the Sun, whose markings are meant to represent the solstices and equinoxes. Even today, the ruins at Tiwanaku is the main venue for marking the solstice with thousands of Bolivians and tourists coming to see the early morning sunrise on June 21st.

The new declaration of the new holiday has not been without its opponents. Only 20% of the population of Bolivia would be considered ethnically Aymaran, so it has been questioned as to why the whole country, consisting of over 30 ethnic groups, gets a holiday to mark this regional cultural event. Others have pointed out that there is little evidence that the Aymarans celebrated the winter solstice.

As Aymara New Year a national holiday, all public and private institutions, companies and schools will be closed on this day.

The national flag of Argentina dates from 1812. It is a triband, with three equally wide horizontal bands of light blue, white and light blue. In 1818, a ‘ Sun of May’ was added to the center.

The flag with the sun is the Official Ceremonial Flag. The flag without the sun is considered to be the Ornamental Flag. While both versions can be said to be the national flag, the ornamental version must always be hoisted below the Official Ceremony Flag.

During the Argentine War of Independence General Belgrano was leading a battle near Rosario. He noticed that both the Crown’s forces and the independence forces were using the same colors (Spain’s yellow and red).

After realizing this, Belgrano created a new flag using the colors that were used by the Criollos during the May Revolution in 1810.

Though Argentina has one of the most recognizable national flags, the original flag was quite different from the current one: it had two vertical stripes, one blue and the other one white.

The flag was first flown, on February 27th 1812, on the Batería Libertad, by the Paraná River.

On January 1st 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared the end of slavery with the Emancipation Proclamation. Two and half years later, and two months after the end of the Civil War, Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19th 1865 to find that news of the proclamation had not yet reached Galveston and that people were still being held as slaves in Texas.

The leader of the Union Troops, General Gordon Granger then formally announced the emancipation from the balcony of the former Confederate Army headquarters.

Granger’s order was based loosely on Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. (The Thirteenth Amendment, which made slavery unconstitutional, wasn’t ratified until December 6, 1865.) The order first declared that the formerly enslaved were free based on “absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property” between Black people and those who had presumed legal ownership of them.

The reason why the news about the emancipation took so long to reach Texas is subject to speculation. One theory is that the messenger who was originally sent with the news had been killed before he reached Texas. A more likely scenario is that the local slave owners simply held onto the information, ignoring the emancipation order.