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OCTOBER MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATIONS CALENDAR
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
By presidential proclamation in 1988, October has been designated to enhance public awareness of individuals with disabilities and encourage their full integration into the work force.
National Italian American Heritage Month
Every year the president of the United States signs an executive order designating the month of October as National Italian American Heritage Month. Coinciding with the festivities surrounding Columbus Day, the proclamation is recognition of the many achievements and contributions made by individuals of Italian descent to American culture.
October
2
Gandhi Jayanti (Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday) - India - This national holiday honors Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), leader of the Indian resistance to British rule that culminated in the establishment of an independent Indian state in 1947. Honored all over the world as one of the moral heroes and most influential figures of the twentieth century, Gandhi articulated and lived a doctrine of non-violence, or ahimsa, insisting that those who struggle for justice must respect the sanctity of life. October
3
Sukkoth - Jewish - Sukkoth, the first of three holidays celebrated over a nine-day period, begins five days after Yom Kippur. It is named for the huts that are erected and hung with fruits and vegetables to recall the temporary field dwellings that Hebrew farmers traditionally used during harvest time. Sukkoth, which ends on the evening of October 9 (also known as Hoshanah Rabbah), is followed by Sh'mini Atzeret (October 10), which celebrates the end of the holiday season that began with Rosh Hashanah. The next holiday is Simchat Torah (October 11), which commemorates the reading of the last part of the Torah and the beginning of the first part, to start the cycle of scriptural readings for the New Year. October
3
Chusok (Harvest Festival) - South Korea - Chusok, one of the most celebrated Korean holidays, is a three-day celebration during which families gather together to honor their ancestors and give thanks for the autumn harvest. Families pay respects to their ancestors by visiting their tombs with offerings of rice and fruits. In the evening, children dance under the bright moon in a large circle, and play many of the same games that are played at New Years. October
6
German American Heritage Day - United States - German American Heritage Day was first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan on October 6, 1983 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the arrival in the American colonies of thirteen German families who established the first German settlement in the New World, a community on the northern outskirts of Philadelphia later known as Germantown. In 1987, President Reagan signed a proclamation making it an official day of commemoration. Some notable Americans of German descent include Dwight Eisenhower, Albert Einstein, Henry Kissinger, Hannah Arendt, Kurt Vonnegut, Sylvia Plath, Fred Astaire and Lou Gehrig. October
7
Karva Chauth - Hindu - On this day, married Hindu women observe a fast and pray for the well-being, prosperity and longevity of their husbands. Among other rituals, women decorate their palms and feet with mehndi, or henna and gather in late afternoon to perform a puja, praying to Shiva and Parvati for the well-being and long life of their husbands. They gather around a jarva, or earthen pot, a symbol of peace and prosperity, while the story of Karva Chauth is recited. October
9
Han'gul Day - South Korea - This commemorates the creation of the alphabet of 29 phonetic symbols called han'gul by King Sejong between 1443 and 1446. Korean is one of the Ural Altaic family of languages. October
11
National Coming Out Day/March on Washington (1987) - United States - On October 1, the largest gay and lesbian gathering of its time -- some estimate as many as 200,000-600,000 people -- took place to protest anti-gay discrimination and demand a stronger federal government response to the AIDS crisis. October
12
Columbus Day (Dia de la Raza) - United States, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela - In the United States, this is the day set aside for observing the anniversary of the landing of Christopher Columbus in the New World. Columbus Day is a national holiday that has come to be especially important to Italian Americans. At annual Italian American get-togethers, there are speeches by celebrities and citizens of Italian heritage are honored for their rich contributions to community life. In Latin America, this day commemorates the discovery of the Americas by Christopher Columbus and the common Spanish and Indian heritage of Latin American countries. October
12
Thanksgiving Day - Canada - This is observed as a harvest festival and an occasion for families to get together for visiting and traditional foods. October
17
Diwali - Hindu - This is one of the most important festivals of the year for Hindus. It lasts for five days and combines a number of festivals to celebrate different gods and goddesses and events in their lives as described in Hindu tradition. The day before Diwali is spent cleaning the house, shopping and decorating with flowers. A design is painted in white in front of the doors of the house to bring good luck. Lamps are lit for the entire five days beside roads and streams, along edges of roofs and on window sills to enable Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of prosperity, to find her way to every home. October
20
Birthday of Bab - Baha'i - This date marks the birthday of the Bab (1819-1850), who is honored by the Baha'is as the one who announced that the messenger of God would soon appear. Born Siyyid Ali Muhammad in Shiraz, Iran, his title in Arabic means "The Gate." He was the forerunner of Baha'u'llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha'i faith. On this day Baha'is throughout the world suspend work and come together for prayer and festivities October
24
United Nations Day - United Nations - This day commemorates the founding of the United Nations in 1945. October
26
Labour Day - New Zealand - New Zealand was the first country in the world to introduce the 8-hour working day. In 1899, the government legislated that from 1900 onward, Labour Day, which celebrates this event, would become a public holiday. In 1910, its observance was moved to the fourth Monday of October. October
28
Ochi Day - Greece - This day commemorates the resistance of the Greeks during World War II to the Italian army's invasion in 1940. On October 28, 1940, Italy issued Greece an ultimatum -- either Greece was to allow Axis forces to enter Greek territory and occupy strategic locations or the country would face war. In response to this ultimatum, General Ioannis Metaxa is reputed to have replied"Ochi!" ("No!"), thereby bringing Greece into World War II on the Allied side. The day is commemorated with military and naval parades and memorial services. October
31
Halloween - United States -This festival, which takes its name from All Hallows Eve (the eve of the feast of All Saints), originated among the Celts of Britain and Ireland, for whom October 31 was New Year's Eve. On this night, it was believed that the souls of the dead revisited their earthly homes, and huge bonfires were set to frighten away evil spirits. With the rise of Christianity, the autumn festival came to be associated with All Saints Day. Secular Halloween customs reflect its pagan origins and were introduced to the United States by immigrants, especially the Irish, in the nineteenth century. Today the most widely observed Halloween custom is a benign version of "trick or treat," in which costumed children go from door to door collecting sweets or money for UNICEF . October 31 Samhain (sow-in) - Pagan and Wiccan - Samhain, the most important of the Sabbats, marks the end of the third and final harvest in the Wheel of the year. It is a time to remember the dead and to celebrate the cycle of life. Since the new Celtic year began at dusk on October 31, the Night of Samhain (Oidhche Shamhna), or November Eve, was the most important part of the ancient Celtic holiday. Oidhche Shamhna was a holy time when it was believed that the veil between the mortal world and the other world was at its thinnest and people would perform rituals to contact their ancestors in the other world. To ward off evil spirits, communal bonfires (originally tine cnamh, or "bonfires") would be lit, upon which were cast the bones of cattle and village families would light their hearths from the common flame. Since this break in time loosened the structure of society, people flouted convention and played tricks on one another. Divination rituals were also performed because the veil between present and future was then at its most transparent. The newly established Christian religion found many of the Celtic beliefs to be compatible with their own, such as the belief in the importance of family and showing respect for the dead. Christians incorporated Pagan customs into their holidays so that those who converted to Christianity could continue to celebrate their old festivals. Samhain was given a Christian blessing in A.D. 837, at which time November 1 was designated the Feast of All Saints, or Hallow Tide, and Oidhche Shamhna became Hallow E'en. SOURCES:
- Multicultural Resources Calendar, Diversity Resources, Inc. 2009
Also see our Heritage Month Page
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