For Durga

Piety marks 'Sharadiya Navaratra'

The Times of India: "The primeval force is worshipped in the form of nine plants (navapatrika) wrapped in a red sari. This is placed on an earthen pot, which is known as 'Kalash Sthapana', before commencing the 'path' of Durga Saptasati. Some devotees especially read the 'Sundarkand' as it is believed that Lord Ram killed Ravana on the conjunction of mahashtami and mahanavami - the Sandhikshan - and cremated on Vijaya Dashmi."

For the rest go to

Sharadiya Navaratra

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!

AUGUST: Holidays & Days of Note

Aug. 1  Lammas or Lughnasadh. The wheel of the year begins to shift from growing time to harvest time. / Fortuna Virilis (Ancient Rome) day that Roman matrons offered sacrifices to the Goddess Fortuna so that their blemishes might be hidden from the male gaze, and to “regain the loss of the waning affection and the desire of men for their wives or mistresses.”

Aug. 2  National Ice Cream Sandwich Day (U.S.)

Aug. 3  National Watermelon Day (U.S.)

Aug. 4 Feast day of St. Sithney, patron saint of mad dogs (Catholic)

Aug. 5  National Mustard Day (U.S.) / International Beer Day

                                     International Beer Day

Aug.  6 H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Accession Day.  (United Arab Emirates)

Aug.  7 Lighthouse Day (U.S.) I’m not sure about this, but I think this “holiday” may have outlived lighthouses, as there are darn few left.

Aug. 8 Father's Day or Bā bā Day (爸爸節), Bā Bā is Mandarin for "father" and "8-8", or August 8. (Taiwan) / Farmer’s Day or Nane Nane, Swahili for "8-8". (Tanzania)

Aug. 9 International Day of the World's Indigenous People (International)

Aug. 10 Smithsonian Day

Aug.  11 Ingersoll Day (Atheist)

Aug.  12 HM the Queen's Birthday and National Mother's Day (Thailand) / Assumption of Mary / Melon Day (U.S.) held, as far is it is held, on the second Sunday in August. Yeah, melons have a moveable feast.

Aug  13 International Lefthanders Day. In honor of the day I am typing  this left handed. At least for the A's T's E's and such. / Festival of Aventine Diana & Hercules Victori (Roman Empire)

Aug. 14 On this day in 1888 rain fell on the Cape of Good Hope that was so black it was called a shower of ink.

Aug. 15 Main day of Bon Festival (Japan) or it might not be, this holiday is a little hard to pen down.

Aug. 16 Hartjesdag “Day of Hearts” traditional date (Amsterdam) At first it was a day on which  fires were kindled and children collected money, after a time the adults started to cross-dress on this day as if you have a bonfire you have to do something around it and cavorting about in the clothes of the opposite is as good as any. When the Nazi occupied the country starting in 1943 it was banded and did not come back after the war. However in 1997 a local committee in Zeedijk, Amsterdam, decided to see if they could revive the tradition. Each year since then, the festival has flourished into a two day event on the 3rd weekend in August.

Aug. 17 Men’s Grooming Day (U.S.)

Aug. 18 National Science Day (Thailand)

Aug. 19 World Humanitarian Day (International)

Aug. 20 Eldritch Day (Geek) Celebrating the birthday of H. P. Lovecraft in 1890.  

Aug. 21 Ecological Debt Day

Aug. 22 ------ Zip! Day without even a silly holiday, showing that holiday wise August is one of the barist of all the months, and frankly of the ones that it does have aren't all that much.

Aug. 23 Vulcanalia (Ancient Roman) On this day in the old Roman Empire small fish were tossed into large fires to appease Vulcan and ask him to restrain wild fires and volcanoes.

Aug. 24 International Day Against Intolerance, Discrimination and Violence Based on Musical Preferences, Lifestyle and Dress Code (Romania) / It was the 79 years that Mt. Vesuvius erupted destroying Pompeii, Staviae & Herculaneum. See what happens when you skimp your Vulcanalia observances?

Aug. 25 International Bat Night

Aug. 26 Women's Equality Day (United States) as on this day in 1920 the 19th Amendment giving women the vote in America was passed.

Aug. 27 Volturnalia (Roman Empire) held in honor of Volturnus  god of water and fountains.

Aug. 28 ------ !!! Another day in August with no holidays! Sorry, here take a lighthouse animation for the 7th out of spare change.

Aug. 29 More Herbs, Less Salt Day. (U.S.) The first day of Thoth, the first day of the Egyptian calendar.

Aug. 30  International Day of the Disappeared (International) / It was on this day in 1146 that a conference of European leader outlawed the crossbow, thinking to end war for all time. Nice try. / According to Charles Fort on this day in Switzerland there were a number of hailstone storms in which along with the ice, large salt crystals fell, and for all that no one took the opportunity to make homemade ice cream.

 Aug. 31  On this day in 1888 Jack the Ripper struck for the first time.

July: Holidays & Days of Note

July 1. Canada Day (Canada) Which is a logical enough place to have such  a day, however there is a Canada themed day later this month that takes place elsewhere. / Build a Scarecrow Day (U.S.) / it was on this day that the Unification Church had its first public mass wedding. 2, 075 couples, most of whom were meeting each other for the first time.

July 2. Visitation of the Virgin Mary Day (Catholic)

                       What are the Dog Days of Summer?

July 3. Dog Days of summer begin as the Dog Star Sirius rises from behind the Sun, perhaps it’s these hot days being one of the main reasons perhaps why there are so few holidays, or holidays with any meat on them, and so many revolutions in July. See the 4th, 14th (twice,) & 31st. / Green Corn Dance (Cherokee) given in thanksgiving for the maize harvest; honoring maize Goddess Selu.

July 4. Independence Day (U.S.) / Filipino-American Friendship Day / Tom Sawyer  Fence-Painting Day (from the novel) / Varmakeldustevna (Faroe Islands) Norwegian boating festival..... I think. Anyway has something to do with them just being glad its summer and they aren't frozen any longer. / Apache Girls' Sunrise Ceremony (Apache Nation) Coming of age ceremony for Apache girls, it can be held at any time, and traditionally goes for 4 day, however  there are public ceremonies which outsiders may attend, which involve several girls that occur on the Fort Apache reservation and the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico and other places starting on the 4th.

July 5. Tynwald (Isle of Man) I found something about this, but, while a hoot for them I'm sure, didn't do anything for me, so I'm leaving the explanation out. / X Day (Church of the SubGenius)

July 6. Khao Phansa Day (Thailand) the so-called Buddhist Lent. / Ludi Apollinares (Ancient Rome) starting in 208 B.C.E. games in honor of Apollo start. / Happy birthday Delhi Lama also the birthday of George W. Bush jr. can you say that? Ironic? Sure I knew you could.

July 7. Tanabata: Star Festival & Weaver's Festival (Japan) Said to be a Chinese tradition with altered with beliefs peculiar to Japan. Celebrates the meeting, once a year, of two lovers. Kengyu (the star Altair) and Shakujo (Vega) who are separated by the Milky Way for the rest of the year. / Festival of the Giants. (Douai, France) / Fiesta de San Formin (Spain.) / Rath Yatra (Puri, India. Hindu) Also known as the Chariot Festival, in mid-summer Lord Jagannath with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra go on vacation traveling on grand chariots. This is also the etymological origin of the English word "Juggernaut".

July 8. Annual Soapy Smith Wake in the Gold Rush Cemetery (Alaska) for  Jefferson Randolph ("Soapy") Smith II (1860 - July 8, 1898) a con artist, gangster the number one "sure-thing" bunko man of the old west who had a major hand in starting organized criminal operations from Colorado to Alaska from 1879 to 1898. There you go, name 3 other countries that have a festival for a gangster. / Video Games Day (U.S.)

July 9. Caprotinia (Ancient Rome) feast for Juno Caprotina, only women  could assist in the sacrifices offered at this feast. / Martyrdom of the Báb (Bahá'í.) / National Sugar Cookie Day (U.S.)

July 10. Lady Godiva Day. (England) / Silence Day (followers of Meher Baba) / Septinu Bralu Diena (Ancient Latvia.) / Gandalf is imprisoned in Orthanc. (The Fellowship of the Ring.)

July 11. National Cheer Up the Lonely Day. (U.S.) ahh. / World Population Day (UN) / National Dance Day (Zimbabwe) / Bonfire Night (Northern Ireland)

July 12. National Pecan Pie Day (U.S.)

July 13 Feast of Kálimát (Bahá'í) - First day of the seventh month of the Bahá'í calendar. / Obon, also known as Ullambana Festival or Ancestor Day (Mahayana Buddhist) festival to honor the dead  goes until the 16th / Festival of the 3 Cows (Spain)

July 14 Bastille Day (France) / Revolution Day (Iraq) / It was on this  date in 1988 that the first of the current crop of crop circles appeared, it had been happening for years, just not in the news, later two Englishmen said they were doing them all. Any explanation in a storm.

July 15 Ice Cream Day. Lincoln made Thanksgiving official,  Woodrow Wilson did the same for Mother's Day, in 1984 Ronald Reagan made the 3rd Sunday in July officially Ice Cream Day, or as was said then

"NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim The 3rd Sunday of each year Ice Cream Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies and activities." I jive you not, so far it hasn't made the splash the other two have. / Respect Canada Day (U.S.) See told you. (July first) / St. Swithin's Day / International Men's Day. (Brazil) / National Tapioca Pudding Day (U.S.) And yet still no tapioca ice cream!

July 16 Feast day for Saint Elvira (Catholic) as well as 22 other saints, translations and the like, I only bring up St. Elvira because I use to watch her show with the old horror movies when it was on TV.

July 17 Constitution Day (Korea) Commemorates the adoption of the Republic of Korea Constitution in 1948. / Rivera Day (Puerto Rico) / Cow  Appreciation Day ( U.S.) / Yama-boko Junk (Kyoto, Japan) day of the big parade that caps off the almost month long Gion Matsuri festival.

July 18. Ramadan starts / On this day in, 64 A.D., a fire breaks out in Rome, spreading rapidly throughout the market area in the center of the city. When the flames finally died out more than a week later, nearly two-thirds of Rome had been destroyed.

July 19. Flitch Day. Long ago on this day bacon was given to any married couple that could prove they had lived in harmony and fidelity for one full year, very few were able to "take home the bacon." I wonder how the 2,075 couples from the 1st did in 83?

July 20. Binding of the Wreaths (Lithuania) / Moon Day. anniversary of the voyage of Apollo-11 landing the first men on the moon. / International chess day / De del Amigo (Argentina & Brazil) Friendship Day, except in Brazil they call it by the Portuguese words for Friendship Day. / Umi No Hi "Ocean Day" (Japan) A recently introduced national holiday to celebrate the ocean. The day marks the return of Emperor Meiji from a boat trip to Hokkaido in 187. / Peace and Freedom Day (Northern Cyprus)

July 21 Racial Harmony Day (Singapore) Started because of race riots between Chinese and Malay citizens in 1965. / Founding Day (Scientology) For the incorporation in 1955 of the Founding Church of Scientology in Washington DC, and the opening of the first Academy of Scientology.

July 22.  Parents Day (U.S.) A little known legal holiday set on the forth Sunday  in July, white it sounds innocuous enough, the holiday was championed and pushed through congress by the "friends" of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon who insisted the day was only intended to honor hard-working parents, Moon's long-range goal however is that all religions are to merge under a theocratic state headed by Moon himself and his wife, the "True Parents. " or if barring them due to death his last son still in his good graces.  / Panathenaea (Ancient Greek) Festival of Goddess Athena as daughter of Wisdom (Goddess Metis) and font of reason, it goes until the 28^th.  / Rat Catcher’s Day (Medieval England) A once noble profession that I would not care to have. / Mary Magdalene's Day.

July 23. Sun Festival (Mayan) Honoring Sun God Ahau Kin; celebrated with devotional offerings of food, song, prayer, and a ritual procession that symbolically travels to the four quarters of the universe. / Neptunalia (Ancient Rome) held in honor of Neptune. / Ancient Egyptian New Year’s / Celebration of the birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie (Rastafari movement.) Whom I understand is making resurgence in his home nation after years of suppression.

July 24. Pioneer Day (Mormon) / Amelia Earhart Day (U.S.) / Simon Bolivar’s Day (Ecuador) / National Tequila Day (U.S.)

July 25. Inca festival in honor of the thunder god Ilyap'a / Furinalia (Ancient Rome) have I mentioned before that the Romans were festival throwing sons of guns? / Eve of Revolution Day (Cuba)

July 26 Day of the National Rebellion (Cuba) or Revolution Day too I guess, because it would be kind of a cheat to have Revolution Day Eve and then NOT have a Revolution day, goes till the 27th / Vijay Divas (India) for the end of the Kargil War.

July 27. Sleepyhead Day (Finland) Traditionally on this day, the last person in the house to wake up is woken up using water, either by being thrown into a lake or the sea, or by having water thrown on them/ Iglesia Ni Cristo Foundation Day (Philippines) / Memorial Day for War Martyrs. (Vietnam) / José Celso Barbosa Day. (Puerto Rico) / Septinu Guletaju Diena (Ancient Latvia) Does modern Latvia have any festivals?

July 28. Hurricane Supplication Day (Virgin Islands)

July 29. Pardon of the Birds (France) / Olsok Day (Norway) / In 1588 the invincible Spanish Armada is defeated by the British Naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard & Sir Francis Drake with the aid of a whelping big storm, which according to legend Drake helped rise with the aid of a coven of Witches the night before the battle.

July 30. Metageitnion Noumenia (Ancient Greek) Festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses.

July 31. Hari Pahlawan (Malaysia) Warrior's day. / La Hae Hawai'i (Hawaii) State Flag Day, while I'm sure the other 49 states also have state flag days, Hawaii is the only one to give it a funky name so they get noted. / Upswing of the Revolution. (Republic of the Congo.) / Happy Birthday Harry Potter.

The Winchester Tarot

Not the firearm manufacture, but the monster hunting Winchester Brothers found on the CW series Supernatural.

It seems someone has decided to put together a tarot deck based on their adventures and the universe they operate in.

It’s a work in progress, but you can see what they’ve done so far and keep up with what they do next by going to the site blow.

The Winchester Arcana

Something to think about

Yeah, I know Brave hasn’t come out yet, but if it isn’t a big success I will buy a hat and THEN eat it!

Anyway, just wanted you to know that it seems that the Hunger Games and The Avengers making all that money seems to say that men and women, or at least or anima / animus, should very shortly be getting along just great.