October: Holidays & Days of Note

Oct. 1 World Vegetarian Day / Children's Day (Singapore.) / National Day (People's Republic of China)

Oct. 2 Birthday of Hanuman the Monkey God (Singapore) / Ludi Augustales  (Ancient Rome) / Gandhi Jayanti, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in 1869 (India) / International Day of Non Violence, Cross your fingers / Old Man's Day (Virgin Islands) / Peanuts comic strip first published In 1950. / Twilight Zone premiers, 1959.

Oct. 3 Gae-chun-joi `National Foundation Day ( South Korea) When, according to legend the Korean Kingdom was founded in 2333 BCE / Techies Day ( U.S.) So get the guy that fixes your computer at work a new pocket protector. - 6: Thesmophoria (Anicent Greek) Festival commemorating the transformation of Kore (Queen of the Living) into the goddess  Persephone. / Captain Kangaroo first aired on this day in 1955.

Oct. 4 National Golf Day (U.S.) / World Wide Animal Day / National Cinnamon Bun Day (Sweden)

Oct. 5 World Teachers Day / Lee National Denim Day.  Women wear denim to support awareness of breast cancer. Held the first Friday in October.

Lee National Denim Day

                                         National Cinnamon Bun Day

                                   Mad Hatter Day

Oct. 6 Mad Hatter Day (Geeks) the date was picked because the Mad Hatter wears a top hat on the front of which a slip of paper with reads "10/6." So its like... important, or something... right? / Dedicattion of the Virgin's Crown (England) I don't know, somehow that just doesn't sound British to me. / Labour Day (South Australia) In other words October the 6th is Australian for Labor day. / In the Lord of the Rings it was on this day that Frodo was stabbed by one of the Black Riders on Weathertop.

Oct. 7 World Smile Day. The intent of World Smile Day is to do an act of kindness, or help one person to smile this day. / Mindfulness Day (Zen Buddhist)

Oct. 8 Columbus Day (observed)/ Wallpaper Day (U.S.) Hangul or Alphabet Day (South Korea) Celebrating the invention of Hangul, the native Korean phonetic alphabet.

Oct. 9 Curious Events Day (U.S. ) / Leif Erikson Day (For those who say Leif was the first European to reach America.

Oct. 10 Festival of Bodhisattva (Mahayana Buddhist) celebrates Kuan Yin's attainment of Bodhisattvahood. / Taiiku no hi 'Health-Sports Day' ( Japan) / Double Tenth Day / National Day (Taiwan) / Wildlife Day (U.S.) 

                October 20^th is / Brandied  Fruit Day, so don’t eat fruit and drive

Oct. 11 Emergency Room Nurses Day (U.S.) / Coming Out Day  / and It was on this day in 1974 that two fishermen in Pascagoula Mississippi claimed they were levitated onto a UFO by an alien that looked like the unholy love child of Dr. Zoidburg & Bender the Robot.

Oct. 12 Indigenous Peoples Day / Columbus Day (the day they say it happened) Day to celebrate when Indians discovered this Italian fellow on their beach. / Free Thought Day (U.S.) / Crowleymas (Thelema) for Alister  Crowley's Birthday in 1875.

Oct. 13 Thanksgiving (Canada) / Columbus Tells a Lie Day. It was discovered that Columbus' ships really landed on the 13th of October  1492, he was persuaded by Dutch sailor Piet de Stuini (or DeStynie) to change it to the 12th in the logs because he said that the number 13 might frighten sailors and future investors away. An Italian study group  called the Colombiani detected this change. / Fontinaia (Ancient Rome) Fontinaia was the Roman festival for the veneration of holy wells, springs & fountains.

Oct. 14 Feast of Pokrov  (Russian Orthodox) pokrov means veil and strangely enough commemorates  the belief that in the 9th century Constantinople was saved by the  protecting veil of Mary, the attackers? Russians. / Battle Festival (Japan)

Oct. 15 Cayenne Holiday ( French Guiana) / Teacher's Day in Brazil 

                           National Bologna Day is October the 24th.... why not? 

Oct. 16 Boss's Day ( U.S.) / School Librarian Day (U. S. ) / World Food Day / National Feral Cat Day ( U.S.) So if you happen to work in a library where the boss is a feral cat and you like to eat THIS is your day!

Oct. 17 Wear Something Gaudy Day ( U.S.) / Hawkes Bay Anniversary (New  Zealand) / Black Poetry Day (U.S.) / International Day for the Eradication of Poverty / Shoe Size Day (U.S.) I'm not even going to make a sarcastic guess about the reason for this one.

Oct. 18  Alaska Day (U.S.) / World Toy Camera Day (International) Despite all the smart phones and digital camera this is still a going thing. 

World Toy Camera Day

Flickr: World Toy Camera Day

Oct. 19 Person's Day ( Canada) / Birth of the Bab (Baha'i) / Evaluate Your Life Day (U.S.) No thanks, everybody puts denial down, but it can be a force for good too.

Oct. 20 Khalkeia (Ancient Greek) Festival honoring Goddess Athena and God Hephaistos for the gifts of their wisdom and crafts. / Brandied  Fruit Day (U.S.) Day for honoring fruit for the fact that is may have been brandied.  It was on this date in 1955 that The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien was published.

Oct. 21 Sweetest Day (U.S.) Held the 3rd Sunday in October it is a day to do good deeds for the underprivileged and forgotten. / Feast of the Black Christ / Apple Day / Overseas Chinese Day (China) Is this held in China for those overseas or overseas? If they are doing it in China for those overseas it seems kind of pointless as they are overseas and not there to enjoy it, just wondering / Trafalgar Day (England.)

Oct. 22 Kuan Yin or Goddess of Mercy Day (Chinese) / Labour Day (New Zealand) Again with another labor day! As this day is about labor could we like, I don't know, organize it or something so it's not all over the place? / Shakyamuni Buddha Day (Tibetan Buddhists) Day to meditate on the Buddha's teachings and strive to fulfill the Precepts.

Oct. 23 Feast of Hecate (Ancient Greek) / Chulalongkorn Day (Thailand). Annual commemoration of King Chulalongkorn who abolished slavery in Thailand in 1910. None the less there was a news story recently about thousands of Thai nationals being held in what could only be called slavery..... however as this was taking place in the United States I guess it doesn't count. / Mole Day (Chemist in America… no really) an unofficial holiday celebrated among chemists in North America between 6:02 AM and 6:02 PM, making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. The time and date are derived from the Avogadro constant, which is approximately 6.022×1023, defining the number of particles (atoms or molecules) in a "mole," one of the seven base SI units… whatever the hell those are. 

Oct. 24 United Nations Day (International) / Dussehra or Dassera or Vijayadashmi (Hinduism) Triumph of good over evil festival /National Bologna Day (U.S.) Or as some call it, Texas stake. / Maimakterion Noumenia (Ancient Greek) Festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses, Flutes were played; prayers were said; offerings of barley, olive oil, incense, food was burned in an offering hearth; and libations of water and wine were made. / Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show arrives in Green Town, Illinois. Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ray Bradbury.

Oct. 25  Eid-al-adha (Islam) starting as sunset. / Thanksgiving Day (Grenada) commemorates Invasion of Grenada / Thanksgiving Day (Virgin Islands)

Oct. 26 National Pumpkin Day (U.S.)

Oct. 27 Navy Day (U.S.)

Oct. 28 Mother-in-Law's Day ( U.S.) Insert lame joke by old school Catskills comic here.  / Ochi (Greek) Greek for "No" which is what they told Hitler when he tried to occupy Greece / Separation of Church & State Day (U.S.) It was nice while it lasted / Chocolate Day (U.S.) / Isia (Ancient Egypt ) First day of a 6 day ceremony that commemorates Isis' search for the dismembered parts of Osiris. / Reformation Day (Lutheran)

Oct. 29 Feast of the Dead. (Iroquois) / Internet Day

Oct. 30. Fast of the Bodhisattva, Goddess Tara (Tibetan Buddhists) / Haunted Refrigerator Night (Huh?) A “holiday” that was created and owned by copyright by a Thomas & Ruth Roy, therefore I will say no more about it / The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang arrive at Hogwarts. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Oct. 31 Halloween ( U.S. Canada and some other places) / Samhain (Pagan) Australia, South America & Sub Sahara Africa, you're on your own as to what to call it. / Allantide (Cornwall) 

September: Holidays & Days of Note

Sept. 1  The new liturgical year In the Eastern Orthodox Church / National R.A.K. (Random Act of Kindness) Day (New Zealand) Hug a Kiwi near you. / Knowledge Day (Russia) / Teacher's Day (Singapore) / Start of the season when oysters are fit to eat (when months names contain an "R") / First day of Spring in Australia and New Zealand. / Happy birthday World! Created 7524 years ago today, more or less,  at least according to the Byzantine Empire. / All Aboard! Day Hogwart's Express departs from Platform 9 3/4, conveniently enough in the books this day is always a Sunday, every year! / and happy birthday Chickenboy! Also known as the Statue of Liberty of L.A.

Chickenboy!

Sept. 2 Working Mother’s Day (U.S.) Sure, give them a day, anything to avoid the topic of reasonable help with day care. / The song "Mary Had a Little Lamb" (go on try not to think of the tune now) was published on this date in 1830.

Sept. 3 Labor Day or Labour (U.S.) / Akwambo (Ghana) Path clearing festival where people symbolically clear a path to the village well where a priestess offers libations to the god of the well. / End Gender Discrimination Day (U.N.) A day to morn sexism. Morn sexism? As opposed to doing something about it? From the sounds some "pundents" on radio and basic cable are making I get the impression a lot of them are working for its return. / Uncle Sam's image was first used on this day in 1813, before that the main symbol for America was a hayseed looser called Brother Jonathon.

Sept 4 Ludi Magni festivals (Ancient Rome) which was made up a lot of greater and smaller festivals going from the 4th to the 19th! No doubt about the Romans were festival throwing maniacs! / Apache coming of age ceremony for girls. / Newspaper Carriers Day (U.S.) With the shrinking newspaper readership I wonder how long before this job goes the way of the Milkman? Come to think of it ARE there such people any more? I mean I live in a fairly large city and our paper is only published three times a week... can't be much money in flinging a paper onto someones roof only three days a week. hmmm...

Sept. 5 ???? Holidays?

Sept. 6 Stillborn Remembrance Day (in 39 of the United States, as well as New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario & Nova Scotia in Canada ) Situa (Incan) Festival to ward off illness at the start of the rainy season. After a day of fasting small amounts of their children's blood was taken and mixed with cornmeal. Despite the historically of this and the present day worries  we have with West Nile fever, there is still no word on Taco Bell coming  out with an El Nino Grandie in honor of this day. 

Sept. 7 Grandparents Day (U.S.) / Father's Day (Australia) / Festival of Durga (Hindu) / Neither Rain Nor Snow Day (U.S.) Which is not the motto of the United States Post Office, which doesn't even really have a motto, however most people think of it as starting with the line above and hence the day. / Raggedy Ann is 97 years old today, while Google is 14 years old today. While not nearly as old, no one ever talks about Raggedy Anning someone.

Sept. 8 Theosophical Society founded 1875, are they still around? / Feast of the First Stardate, it was on this day in 1966 that Star Trek first aired on NBC in America. / Feast of Izzat "Might" (Bahai) International Literacy Day / International Goose Day / Birth of Mary (Early Christian tradition) / Wait a minute! They almost got that one past me, Geese get their own day? Worldwide! Dogs and cats and horses don't get a day but geese do? Heck chickens do more for us so where is Chicken day?!? Okay, there’s Chickenboy’s birthday on the first, but you know what I mean.

Sept. 9 Kiku no Sekku "Chrysanthemum Day" Japan / Wonderful Weirdo’s Day (U.S) Everyone knows at least one weirdo, today you're supposed to thank them for thinking outside the box. / Grandparent's Day (U. S) / Teddy Bear Day (U.S.)

Sept.10 Festival of the Poets (Japan) / World Suicide Prevention Day / Teacher's Day (China) / Day of the Child (Honduras) / Swap Ideas Day (U.S.) / On this day in 1954 Swanson sell its first T.V. Dinner, it's time to either thaw it out and eat it, or throw it away, nah… I’ll let it be just a little longer.

 Sept. 11 Patriots Day / No News is Good News Day /Jinnah Day (Pakistan) / Birthday of the founder of Nichiren Buddhism (Japan) / Enkutatash (Ethiopia) or Coptic New Year / Beheading of John the Baptist (Eastern Orthodox) / Latin American Teacher's Day (U.S.) 

Sept. 12 National Chocolate Milkshake Day / National Pet Memorial Day / Video Games Day, all in the U.S. / It was on this day in 1823 that John Smith claims that he was contacted by the angel Moroni and given the book of Mormon.

Sept. 13 All-Soul's Day (Ancient Egypt) day when the Goddess Nepthys was honored. / Scooby Doo Where Are You? Premiers this day in 1969, which in dog’s years would make Scooby......... Dead.

Sept. 14 The Exaltation of the Holy and Life-giving Cross (Eastern Orthodox Church) / The Feast of Lights (Ancient Egypt) Fires were left burning all night before images of the Gods and the tombs of the dead. / Secret rites of Goddess Demeter start (Ancient Greece) / National Cream-filled Donut Day. (U.S.) Dunkin Donut has made their main product trans -fat free, so eating them will still be like punching your general health in the jaw, but at least you won't be wearing brass knuckles anymore when you do it. / In 1306 King Phillp IV of France draws up the orders to arrest the Templers resulting in a lot of history, some of which actually happened.

Sept. 15 Rosh Hashanah (Judaism) Starts a Sundown. / Second day of the Eleusinian Mysteries (Ancient Greece) Day the priests of Demeter declared the public start of the rites after the secret ones started yesterday, I didn't tell you about those? Sorry, they were secret. / Someday (U.S.) You know how you say "someday I'll start that novel," "someday I'll lose that weight," "someday I'll get that divorce" well today is "someday," deal with it. / Engineer's Day (India)

Sept. 16 Independencia de Mexico (Mexican "Independence Day" / National Kids Day (U.S.) So you see despite what your mother told about "every day being kids day" there actually IS one! / Women's Friendship Day / Stepfamily Day / Trail of Tears Commemoration Day (U.S.)

 Sept. 17  Respect For the Aged Day (Japan) Held the 3rd Monday in September. / Citizenship Day (U.S.) / Constitution Day, The US Constitution completed, and approved, 1787.

Sept. 18  Hartalika Teej Vrat (Hindu) ritual performed by Hindu women dedicated to Goddess Parvati, by observing the ritual, unmarried women believe that they will get a husband like Lord Shiva while married women believe they will be blessed with a good family life.  / Feast of Genius (French Revolution) / National Play-doh Day (U.S.) Did you know there seems to be a cologne that has the scent of play-doh

Sept. 19 Ganesha Chaturthi (Hindu) Day to honor Ganesh the remover of obstacles. / Thoth's Day (Ancient Egypt) according to the Alexdrian calendar this was an all-day fast in honor of Thoth God of wisdom. / National Butterscotch Pudding Day. (U.S.) which is a bit of a misnomer as butterscotch means a butter candy that has been scotched or "scored, cut, or marked" and it's kind of hard to do that with pudding. / On Sesame Street it's Slimy the Worm's birthday.

Sept. 20 World Wide Wife Appreciation Day / National Fruit Punch Day.

Sept. 21 International Banana Festival / Christ's Hospital Founder's Day (England) give it to the Brits to come up with a reason to party! 

Sept. 22 Autumn Equinox First Day of Fall /autumn. /Ostara / Mabon. (Wiccan) Festival in honor of the Welsh god Mabon son of the Goddess Modron, though it has also been attributed to Queen Mab of the Fay. / Alban Elfred (Druid) / Higan (Japan) Meaning, the Other Shore or Heaven. Day to honor the dead.  / Chusok (Korea) / Elephant Appreciation Day / Hobbit Day, being the birthdays of both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.

Sept. 23 Sh’ bun no hi (Japan) Japanese Autumnal Equinox day / Winter Finding (Asatru) Sacred to Frey / Mikeli (Ancient Latvia) / Celebrate Bisexuality Day (here and there in America, Canada, Australia etc¡*) As Woody Allen said the main good point about bisexuality is that it doubles your chances of finding a date for Saturday night. / The Planet Neptune was discovered this day in 1846.

Sept. 24 Our Lady of Walsingham (England) Yow and I still haven't recovered from Christ's Hospital Founder's day on the 21st! / Feast of Osiris (Ancient Egypt) The approaching planting season was marked by a feast in honor of the death and rebirth of Osiris. / Feast of Obatala, Orisha of Peace and Justice. (Yoruba, Santeria) Celebrated with drumming, ecstatic dancing, & possession trances. / "Bullwinkle and  Rocky" premiers, 1961. 

Sept. 25 National Comic Book Day (U.S.) No, not free comic book day, this is something else and much earlier this year… for this you have to buy your own comics sorry / Festival of Neter Amen-Ra-Atem, the Great God, and Neteret Amenet-Rait-Mut, the Great Goddess. (Ancient Egypt) / "Rocky Horror Picture Show" premiers, 1975, wow, 37 years ago, can you do the Time Warp with a walker?

Sept. 26   Yom Kippur (Jewish) Starts at Sundown. / Feast of Santa Justina (Mexico)

Sept. 27 Native American Day (U.S) Held the forth Friday in September. / Birthday of Confucius in 551 BCE. / Uronica (Ancient Scotland) Day to honor Uronica Breton Goddess of heather and heather wine. You can make wine from heather? Hmmmm... What do you serve it with, haggis?

Sept. 28 Mid-Autumn Festival (China) Also known as the Moon Festival, said to be the birthday of the Moon. / Ask a Stupid Question Day (U.S.) Remember there are no stupid questions, only stupid people.

Sept. 29 Feast of Orisha Eleggua (Yoruba, Santeria) Intercessor and Ruler of Destinies. / Michael and All Angels. (Catholic) or as it is also known as Michaelmas / Poisoned Blackberries Day. (U.S.) An old Scottish belief said that the devil went around peeing on blackberries the night before this day, and you wouldn’t want to eat that would you?

Sept. 30 Feast of Shango (Yoruba, Santeria) Orisha of Passion and Virility. / National Mud Pack Day (U.S.) / the year 124, at least according to Friederich Nietzche, who in his book The Anti-Christ declared September 30th, 1888 to be the "the day of salvation, on the first day of the Year One." Sure Fred whatever.

I find a big bunch of blackberries I'm going to buy them and eat them!