HOLIDAYS

August 1945, after defeat in World war II by American and Soviet forces, Imperial Japan give up control of Korea, which it had annexed in 1910. Following the liberation from Japan, the country was divided along the 38th parallel into zones of occupation by the victorious Americans and Soviets. As a result, the Korean peninsula was divided into two countries.

A communist Soviet military regime was set up in the northern part of Korea.  A new Supreme People’s Assembly was elected in August 1948, and on September 3rd 1948, a new constitution was promulgated. 

On September 9th 1948, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was proclaimed, with Kim Il-sung as Premier.

Fiji’s first constitution was in 1970 after it gained independence from Britain.

Since then, there have been three major revisions; once in 1990, in 1997 and again in 2013.

This day celebrates the most recent of these and has only been a holiday since 2016. It was established as a day to inform people about the merits of the Constitution.

To mark the inaugural holiday in 2016, a march took place from the Suva Flea Market to Albert Park. The procession included entertainment from marching bands. The Prime Minister of Fiji, Voreqe Bainimarama, and President of Fiji, Jioji Konrote attended the celebrations.

During the celebrations, President Konrote said the constitution “is a permanent reminder of the critical importance of our Constitution in our national life and its critical importance to our democracy.”

Southern Cross Rd which runs between Government Buildings and Albert Park was renamed Constitution Ave.

Speaking in 2019, Bainimarama said the constitution “represents far more than words on paper – it mandates the very foundation of our democracy and the range of civil, political and socio-economic rights.”

Fiji’s fourth constitution was promulgated in 2013 and set up a new electoral system which saw Bainimarama returned to power as Prime Minister in elections in 2014, the first since he assumed power in the coup of 2006.

On September 7th 1822, a declaration of independence from Portugal was made by Pedro di Alcântara, the 23-year-old son of the Portuguese King. He famously declared, “Independência ou Morte!” (Independence or Death) by the banks of the Ipiranga River in São Paulo.

Brazil had been a colony of Portugal since the 16th century. In 1807 France had invaded Portugal and the Portuguese royal family had escaped to Brazil. in 1815, Brazil was given equal kingdom status with Portugal. By 1820, the French had withdrawn from Portugal and the royal family.

Alcântara, better known as Dom Pedro I, became the first emperor of Brazil and ruled from 1823 until 1831.

Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1396. In April 1876, there was a series of uprisings against Ottoman rule in Bulgaria.

The harsh suppression of the revolts by the Ottomans led to widespread international condemnation and 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. The other leading nations at the time felt that the peace treaty created a Bulgaria, that was too large and would have too much influence on the region. As a result, under the Treaty of Berlin in 1878, Southern Bulgaria (Eastern Rumelia) was separated from the Principality of Bulgaria and returned to the Ottoman Empire, with partial autonomy.

Bulgarians felt that the decision of the Berlin Treaty was unfair. Over the following seven years, initially peaceful demonstrations gave way to rebellion and conflict. The Bulgarian Secret Central Revolutionary Committee was formed in February 1885, which organised events and revolts in towns in Eastern Rumelia, designed to assist in the unification process. On September 6th 1885, Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia declared their unification in the city of Plovdiv.

The unification angered several powerful nations and led to the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Bulgaria emerged as victors from that conflict and established acceptance of their borders.

Mother Teresa was born on August 26th 1910, in Skopje (now the capital of North Macedonia) in the Ottoman Empire. Born to a family of Albanian ancestry, she was named Anjezë (Agnes) Gonxhe Bojaxhiu. 

From an early Agnes had been inspired by tales of missionaries and when she was 18, she moved to Ireland to join a nunnery to learn English. 

Having arrived India in 1929, she became a nun in 1931, adopting the name Teresa, after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. 

In 1950, Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. 

Today, expanding beyond the original location of Calcutta, the 4000 sisters of the congregation run orphanages, AIDS hospices, soup kitchens and mobile clinics in 123 countries; caring for refugees, the blind, disabled, the poor and homeless, and victims of floods, epidemics, and famine. 

Members of the congregation must adhere to the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience as well as a fourth vow, to give ‘wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor’. 

Mother Teresa gained worldwide recognition for her charitable works and was the recipient of numerous honours including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She became famous as ‘Teresa of Calcutta’. 

Mother Teresa died on September 5th 1997 at the age of 87. She was granted a state funeral by the Indian government in gratitude for her services to the poor of all religions in India. 

On October 19th 2003, Mother Teresa was beatified as “Blessed Teresa of Calcutta” by Pope John Paul II in a ceremony at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City.

Also known to Muslims in Malaysia as Maulud Nabi. This is purely a religious festival and is marked as a public holiday.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Mecca on 12 Rabiulawal in the year 570 CE. The prophet’s full name is Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim.

Muhammad is believed to have been a descendant of Ishmael. According to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Isaac and Ishmael were two sons of Abraham. Whereas Jews are believed to have descended from Isaac, Arabs are believed to have descended from Ishmael.

By his 6th birthday, Muhammad was an orphan and was raised by uncle Abu Talib and his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib. He learned about business from his uncle and earned a reputation as a trustworthy trader.

It was not until Muhammad was 40 years old that he was commanded by the angel Gabriel, who carried God’s message, to declare God’s oneness and to shun the idolatry of his tribesmen.

Over the following 20 years, his preaching of the Qur’an which was revealed to him would establish one of the world’s great religions, Islam.

The Republic of San Marino is a landlocked nation surrounded by Italy. It is the smallest republic in the world and the oldest existing state in Europe.

In the centuries after the death of Jesus, Christianity had become a popular sect within the Roman Empire. For many years it was treated no worse or better than any other minority religion. During the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284 – 306 AD), the imperial view of Christianity became less benign and Christians were increasingly being persecuted and killed for their faith.

In this atmosphere, Marinus, a stonemason, fled from Dalmatia (in modern-day Croatia) to escape from religious persecution for his Christian beliefs. He arrived at Monte Titano, where he founded and built a chapel and a monastery.

Over the years, the monastery and the area around it grew until a sizable population had been established, safe high in the mountains from the persecution of Diocletian. When the mountain people were discovered, the landowner Felicissima bequeathed it to the community in perpetuity.

The monastery, which although no longer standing, existed until the late sixth century. The first mention of a church named after Saint Marinus dates to the year 530. Today the old church has been replaced on the site by the Basilica of San Marino, which was built in the 19th century.

San Marino is the only country in Europe with more vehicles than people.

In 1887 Vietnam became part of French Indochina. During World War II, Vietnam was occupied by the Japanese.

Following the end of the war, on September 2nd 1945, following the ‘August Revolution’, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).

Despite the differences that grew between Vietnam and the USA, the Vietnamese declaration of Independence itself drew heavily from the American version

In 1976, the two halves of Vietnam were finally united into one country, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, but September 2nd remains as the key date in Vietnam’s road to independence.

On August 30, 1889, The Langham Hotel in London hosted a dinner that would quietly shape literary history. Picture this: Joseph Marshall Stoddart, the bold American editor of *Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine*, sat down with two literary titans—Arthur Conan Doyle, a doctor-turned-writer still finding his footing, and Oscar Wilde, the dazzling wit already turning heads with his flamboyance. Over a lavish meal, Stoddart commissioned works that became *The Sign of Four* and *The Picture of Dorian Gray*, masterpieces that defined their authors’ legacies. But beyond the headlines, here are some deliciously obscure tidbits about that fateful night:

– Doyle’s Starstruck Moment: Conan Doyle called it a “golden evening,” utterly charmed by Wilde’s conversational wizardry. The reserved doctor was no match for Wilde’s sparkling anecdotes, which likely swayed Stoddart to bet big on both writers.

– The Langham’s Transatlantic Vibe: Why The Langham? Its manager, a former Union Army officer, made it a magnet for American guests like Mark Twain. Stoddart, chasing a transatlantic audience, picked the perfect spot to woo his authors.

– A Risky Bet on Wilde: Wilde’s *Dorian Gray* was a daring commission, its provocative themes raising eyebrows in Victorian England. Stoddart’s gamble at the dinner table paid off, but not without scandal.

– No Menu, Big Mystery: While The Langham was known for extravagant feasts—think hearty soups and decadent meats—no record of the evening’s dishes survives. Given Charles Dickens’ quip about the hotel’s pricey fare, it was surely a spread fit for literary royalty.

This unassuming dinner, tucked away in a luxurious London hotel, sparked a creative firestorm. Two iconic works, one unforgettable night—proof that great art can be born over a single meal. Stay curious, dear readers, for history hides its best stories in the margins.

For more literary gems and forgotten tales, follow my Occasionally Digest page!

The day commemorates the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule in 1957. On August 31st 1957, over 20,000 people gathered at the Merdeka Stadium in Kuala Lumpur as government officials shouted “Merdeka!” seven times in a declaration of freedom. 

Malaysia was formed in 1963 when the former British colony of Singapore and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, joined the Federation of Malaya. This event is marked by Malaysia Day. Singapore left the federation in August 1965.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan adopted the constitutional law on the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan in December 1991.

In 1995, a second constitution was created which set out the fundamental law of the country and established the principles of an independent, secular and democratic Kazakhstan.

This constitution was adopted on 30 August 1995 following approval via a national referendum. More than eight million people took part in the national referendum.

The adoption of the constitution is seen as a key event in the modern history of Kazakhstan and a contributing factor in the country’s political stability and economic growth.

The preamble of the current constitution emphasizes the importance of “freedom, equality and concord” and Kazakhstan’s role in the international community.

The Constitution was initially developed on the initiative and with the participation of former President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. It serves as a foundation for the country’s achievements in the socio-economic sphere.

The Constitution has been amended five times: in 1998, 2007, 2011, 2017 and most recently in 2022.

The most significant amendments to the Constitution were made in 2022. The proposed changes were put to a referendum, which was held on June 5th 2022. This was the first referendum since 1995 when the Constitution was initially approved.

In 1938, the Munich agreement established the independent Slovak state, led by Jozef Tiso. In June 1944 Tiso declared martial law allowing the German army to occupy the country on August 29th.

Up to that point, there had been limited and sporadic guerrilla resistance operations across Slovakia. To counteract the planned occupation, a formal military plan was put in action by the exiled Czechoslovak government, Slovak partisans and deserters from the Slovak army. Headquartered in central Slovakia, the forces of the uprising consisted of several armoured units as well as part of the Slovak Air Force. 

Despite some limited support from the allies, the uprising was crushed by the German forces before the end of October 1944. After the defeat, the remaining forces of the uprising continued with small guerrilla actions until the end of the war.

As one of the most important religious holidays in Georgia, all churches in the country hold special ceremonies and religious services to mark the day.  Many Georgians will go to church to light candles and pray. It is also a popular holiday to visit friends and family. The Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, His Holiness Ilia II, will give a special liturgy. 

This feast commemorates two events – the departure of Mary from this life and the assumption of her body into heaven.

The Church’s official doctrine of the Assumption says that at the end of her life on earth Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven.

Some mistakenly believe Mary “ascended” into heaven, which is incorrect. It was Jesus Christ who ascended into heaven, by his own power. But Mary was assumed or taken up into heaven by God.

In the early Christian centuries relics of saints and those who gave their lives for the faith were jealously guarded and highly prized. While many cities claim the mortal remains of saints, both famous and little-known, there are no records of Mary’s bodily remains being venerated anywhere.

This small land-locked East European nation has always been influenced by the presence of its larger neighbours whose wars and imperial ambitions often had dramatic impacts on the fate of the country.

Moldavia became a principality in 1359 when Bogdan I crossed the Carpathians and took control from the Hungarians. In the middle of the sixteenth century, it came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire becoming a vassal state, though Moldova retained control of its own affairs.

Following the end of the Russo-Turkish War, the 1812 Treaty of Bucharest ceded the eastern half of Moldavia to the Russian Empire, which was named the region Bessarabia. 

In 1918, after the end of the First World War and the collapse of the Russian Empire, Bessarabia united with Romania.

The Mileștii Mici wine cellar in Moldova is the world’s largest with nearly two million bottles of wine stored in its vaults.

This unity lasted until 1940 when Romania was compelled to cede the country to the Soviet Union as a consequence of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact when Romania was carved up between Hitler’s Germany and Stalin’s USSR. 

RETIREES have confirmed they love campervans because of all the non-stop freaky sex they enjoy in them.

Kevin and Salma, not their real names, from Kent have been the proud owners of the converted campervan they call The Big Red F**k Machine for eight years, and admit they have had more sex in it than their children could bear to imagine.

71-year-old Salma said: “Our lovemaking at home had gone very stale but in the caravan we are filthy beasts who don’t know when to stop.

“There’s something deeply erotic about all the space-saving furniture. Knowing the bench we sit on to watch The Tipping Point will later combine with the dining table to make a bed awakens a primal urge to give the wife one.

“I know when Kev’s feeling lustful because he leaves the concertina door to the bathroom open when he’s showering. The smell of his Sanex combined with the wafts from the chemical toilet is quite the aphrodisiac.

“If you see two or more campervans parked together and displaying Pampas grass? Swingers. And the Camping and Caravanning Club? There’s a reason you have to be members.”

Daughter Anisa, aged 25, not her real name or age, said: “Last time they visited they stayed in the van on the street to save us the trouble of putting them up. The noises I heard. I’ve been diagnosed with PTSD.”

Repentance Day is intended to be a day of Christian prayer when people would come together in church to pray and ask for forgiveness.

The holiday was first established by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill shortly after he became Prime Minister in 2011.

It was made a public holiday at the request of a group of churches, who had lobbied O’Neill’s predecessor, Sam Abal.

The date has no obvious religious or historical significance, though at the time, Pastor Jack Edward from the Shema Evangelism Ministry, the Repentance Day co-ordinator, said that public holiday is observed on what was an annual, informal day of prayer.

Papua New Guinea undoubtedly considers itself a religious country with 95% of the population saying they were Christian in the 2011 census, with 70% of those following Protestant denominations.

This holiday was established in 2013 to mark Kim Jong-il’s inspection visit to the Seoul Ryu Kyong Su Guards 105th Armored Division of the Korean People’s Army on this day in 1960. 

This tank division was part of the main advance from Seoul to Taejon (Daejeon) during the Korean War, and the leaders visit to the unit is regarded as the start of the Songun revolutionary leadership by the North Korea government.

The Songun (meaning ‘military-first’. ‘Son’ meaning ‘First’ and ‘Gun’ meaning ‘Military’.), or Songbun, system was devised by Kim Jong-il to assign a classification to every citizen based on the socioeconomic background at the time of liberation in 1945.

Under the system, Koreans were split into three broad classes:

• Core:  Includes professional revolutionaries, descendants of ‘war heroes’ who died working or fighting for the North, peasants or those from peasant families.
• Wavering: Includes people who had previously lived in South Korea or China, those with relatives who went to the South, families of small-scale merchants, intellectuals, practitioners of superstition, etc.
• Hostile: Includes descendants of landlords, capitalists, religious people, political prisoners, those who had assisted South Korean forces during the Korean War, or were otherwise judged anti-Party or associated with external powers.

Songun, officially ‘Songun Politics’, prioritises the military in all aspects of Korean society and has boosted the importance of the Korean People’s Army in politics, society and culture.

It may seem odd that a communist regime would stratify its citizens in such a way, but it was used as an effective means of isolating and controlling perceived internal political threats by giving key leadership roles to those who were part of families who had actively supported the revolution.

The Songbun system is not pushed as hard by the current regime, probably as several generations have diluted the value of this form of hereditary loyalty.

The Day of Songun is marked by mass dance, visits to historic sites and laying flowers at monuments dedicated to the leaders and the military.

In July 1847, the Liberian Declaration of Independence was adopted, announcing the independence of Liberia from the United States. Just over a month later, the national flag of Liberia was adopted.

Despite having declared independence from the United States, the spilt wasn’t that acrimonious as the Liberian flag is clearly based on the flag of the United States. 

The National Flag was designed and produced by a committee of seven ladies led by Mrs Susannah Lewis. These seven women were born in America. (The flag of the United States was also designed by a woman, Betsy Ross of Philadelphia.)

The flag consists of six red stripes and five alternating white stripes, totalling eleven stripes with each representing one of the eleven Signers of the Declaration of Independence of Liberia. 

The blue field in the upper left corner of a rectangular form with a single white star in the centre of the blue field.  The single star represents the freedom that formed the basis of Liberia and should shine forth across the rest of Africa – as Liberia was the only independent state on the continent of Africa at that time. To an extent, this proved to be true as Liberia was never ruled by a European colonial power unlike all its neighbours in the rest of West Africa. 

The colour red symbolizes the blood of those who died in the struggle for independence. The colour white indicates the Purity of mind and clearness of all the country’s forebears toward each other and the blue for the dark continent of Africa as it was then depicted.

Liberia’s National Soccer Team is called the ‘Lone Star’.

Having ensured his global and enduring legacy by establishing one of the world’s great religions, Islam, Muhammad died on Monday June 8th 632 (14-Rabi al-awwal-11). Though the cause of his death wasn’t recorded, it is generally assumed it was due to a fever. 

The Prophet was buried where he died in Aisha’s house. During the reign of subsequent caliphs, the area of the burial was expanded to become the Mosque of the Prophet with the dome above the tomb added in the 13th century and the complex being a burial site for other notable figures of early Islam. When Medina was conquered by the Wahhabis in 1806, the tomb was stripped of its gold and ornaments, though it narrowly avoided being destroyed, a fate that happened to many Islamic burial sites in the region for religious reasons.

Imam Hassan was a grandson of the Muhammad, the eldest son of Ali and Muhammad’s daughter Fatimah, and was the older brother of Husayn. Among Shia Muslims, Hasan is revered as the second Imam

It is believed that Hussan was poisoned by his wife in Medina, Saudi Arabia on the orders of the Caliph Muawiya, who wanted to ensure the succession of his son.

The shrine containing Hasan’s tomb was destroyed in 1925 during the second Wahhabi conquest of Medina as part of a general destruction of memorials in cemeteries.

This holiday was created by Wow Bao—a company that offers Asian street food such as steamed dumplings, pan-seared potstickers, noodle bowls, rice bowls, and bao. They created this holiday to raise the profile of bao restaurants in the U.S. and to encourage people to try them. They chose the 22nd of August for this holiday because it was when their first bao-centric restaurant was established in Chicago.

Bao is food that developed in Chinese culture around the 3rd century and comes from Mantou. According to legend, bao was created by the military strategist Zhuge Liang while he was returning from his Southern Campaign near the province now known as Sichuan. In this story, he was attempting to cross a river guarded by a deity but couldn’t do so because the deity wanted the heads of 50 of his soldiers as payment for passage. Not wanting to sacrifice his troops, he decided to instead order 50 buns that looked like human heads to appease the deity. The deity accepted the buns as payment, and safe passage was granted to him and his army. The buns were then labeled Mantou or “barbarian’s heads.” Of course, no one really knows who invented bao; every province in China seems to have its own origin story.