Events & Trends in July 2022
July is fast approaching, and you're getting a little hot or freezing, depending on your location. Flu season is picking up steam in the southern hemisphere, while in the north, the sun is out, the mosquitos are flourishing, and in many places, the humidity is non-stop. It's also fire season in the north, so be careful with fire and fireworks.
Cover photo: In 2016, as I waited for friends to join me for drinks in the afternoon, I snapped this picture on my phone from my table on the restaurant's balcony at Pier 7 in the Yacht District of Dubai. The United Arab Emirates is a great country, with each emirate's unique feel. My favorite is Abu Dhabi, which is charming, less cosmopolitan, and less expensive. Dubai is in a class of its own, and this picture captures the city's luxury, modernity, and vibe.
Key themes in July include vacations and travel, outdoor activities, and a general settling back from business and seriousness. As to events, it is one of the quieter months of the year.
INDEPENDENCE
July is North America's birthday, with Canada and the United States celebrating independence. Canada Day acknowledges the July 1, 1867 certification of the British North America Act, establishing the three territories of Great Britain as a self-governing territory. In 1982, Canada officially declared independence from Britain and ratified its constitution. Canada Day marks both events.
The United States' Independence Day celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence issued by the colonies to England on July 4, 1776.
Independence Day celebrations also occur in the following nations during July:
Argentina (1816), Belgium (1831), Bahamas (1973), Burundi (1962), Columbia (1810), Cape Verde (1975), Algeria (1962), Kiribati (1979), Comoros (1975), Liberia (1847), Maldives (1965), Peru (1821), Rwanda (1962), Solomon Islands (1978), S?o Tomé and Príncipe (1975),?Venezuela (1811), Vanuatu (1980), and South Sudan (2011). Liberation Day is celebrated in Nicaragua (1979), Suriname (1863), and Guam (1944).
KEY ANNIVERSARIES JULY
85th Anniversary: 9-9-9 Emergency Number Established in England
Date: July 1, 1937
Location: Worldwide
July 1, 1937, saw the world's first emergency telephone number deployed in London, covering a 12-mile radius from Oxford Circus. It would be another 31 years before the US would implement a similar system, 911, and even longer for other nations. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the emergency number is 110.?Always note the emergency number in a country before arriving; there is no universal number.
The idea for 999 began in 1935 after five women died during a fire in Wimpole Street in London. Callers using 0 to dial the police could not get through to the switchboard. By the time people got through, it was too late.
The first calls to 999 came in on July 2, and the system fielded 1336 calls in its first week.?
205th Anniversary: International Civil Disobedience Day
Date: July 12, 1817
Location: Worldwide
International Civil Disobedience Day marks the anniversary of the birth of Henry David Thoreau on July 12, 1817. Thoreau was an American author, poet, philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor, and historian. His most famous work, "Civil Disobedience," was published in 1849.?
One of the most lauded writers in history, Thoreau's work has influenced generations of leaders and writers, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Martin Buber, Leo Tolstoy, John F. Kennedy, Marcel Proust, Ernest Hemingway, Upton Sinclair, Sinclair Lewis, and William Butler Yeats.
175th Anniversary: Mormon Pioneer Day
Date: July 24, 1847
Location: Utah, United States
Mormon Pioneer Day is an official holiday in the American state of Utah and is celebrated worldwide within Mormon communities. Mormonism is a derivative of Christianity, following some customs and teachings of the faith, including the Bible. However, Mormonism includes scriptures (Book of Mormon), traditions, and beliefs not found in Christianity.
Pioneer Day commemorates the establishment of the first settlement of Mormons, self-described as Latter-Day Saints, in Salt Lake Valley, Utah, in the United States on July 24, 1847.?
Mormonism began on April 6, 1830. It currently counts nearly 17 million members worldwide, placing it as the sixth-largest global faith, just slightly ahead of Judaism at 15 million.
KEY SPORTING EVENTS IN JULY 2022
NOTABLE EVENTS IN JULY
Perseid Meteor Shower
Dates: July 17-August 24, 2022
Location: Worldwide
The Perseid Meteor Showers are visible from the earth in the constellation of Perseus annually between July 17 and August 24. When over 60 'falling stars' can be seen per hour, the peak days occur between the 9th and 14th of August.?
Earth Overshoot Day
Date: July 28, 2022
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Global Footprint Network
Earth Overshoot Day marks when humanity has used more from nature than our planet can renew. It shows the deficit in natural resources, pollution versus our use, and destruction. Key contributors are overfishing, overharvesting forests, and carbon dioxide emissions. In short, we take more than ecosystems can absorb.?
When the project began in 1980, the date was November 3. Each year it continues to fall back.?
The Nib published this cartoon strip illustrating the concept: https://thenib.com/the-bet-are-we-doomed.
领英推荐
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Date: July 22, 2022
Location: United States
Champion: Comic-con International
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are dedicated to generating awareness of and appreciation for comics, graphic novels, and related popular art forms, including participation in and support of public presentations, conventions, exhibits, museums, and other public outreach activities celebrating the historic and ongoing contribution of comics to art and culture.
Named for acclaimed comics creator Will Eisner (March 16, 1917 - January 3, 2005), the awards were created in 1988 and highlight the best publications and creators in comics and graphic novels.
EVENT SPOTLIGHT
Hajj
Date: July 7 - 11/12, 2022
Location: Saudi Arabia
Champion: Religious Observation
Dhu al-Hijjah is the 12th and last month in the Islamic Calendar, the final of four sacred months, and the month of Hajj. Performing Hajj occurs between the 8th to 12/13th of the month and is one of Islam's five pillars or fundamental acts that define the faith.
Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca that devout Muslims endeavor to do at least once in their lifetime. When performed during the first 8-12/13 days of the Islamic month of Duh al-Hijjah, it is called Hajj, and when practiced at other times of the year, it is called Umrah.?
The following is a general description of?Hajj al-Tamatt'u, the most common pilgrimage.
Each year during Hajj, millions of people from around the world descend on the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca to perform the rituals of Hajj. One of the first places visited is the black box, the Kaaba. Muslims walk around counterclockwise seven times, three separate times during the pilgrimage. The word for this encircling is "tawaf."
The Kaaba marks where Muslims believe Adam and Eve built the first house of worship, and Abram (hereafter referred to as Abraham (Ibrahim)) rebuilt it thousands of years later. In the Muslim faith, they refer to this as "the first house of the only true God." It is the Kaaba that Muslims face when they pray.??
Muslims believe it was here that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael.* The Kaaba is believed to be the same size as Abraham's original temple.?
Performing Hajj is a 5-6 day process and represents one of Islam's five pillars.
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
All acts of devotion during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah are highly rewarded and blessed.?
Fasting on the 9th day is known as al Nisai and Abu Dawud. Fasting on this day removes one's sins for the next two years.
How is Hajj performed?
Day 1) Commences on the 8th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
Step 1)?Muslims change from everyday wear to ceremonial clothing called "ihram" upon arriving. Often in the airports around Saudi Arabia, you will see pilgrims flying in traditional clothing before arrival.
Step 2:?Dressed in their ihram, pilgrims perform "tawaf," circling the Kaaba seven times (3 times running, four times walking) counterclockwise.
Step 3)?After performing the first tawaf, pilgrims walk between the two hills of Safa and Marwa several times to the town of Mina, where they spend the night. The hills are where Hagar ran back and forth seven times, looking for water for Ishmael, and God took pity and created a spring for her. Pilgrims replicate the running back and forth through this ritual called "masa." The spring Muslims believe God created for Hagar is called Zamzam.
Mina, where the day's journey ends, is the location of the three pillars (Jamrat al-Aqaba, Jamrat al-Wusta & Jamrat al-Sughra), representing the three times the devil tempted Abraham.?
Day 2: Performed on the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
Step 1)?This day is about walking from Mina to Arafat, approximately 6 miles; it is called the "waqf," or day of vigil. Pilgrims stand from noon until sunset in Arafat as part of Hajj, and Arafat is where the prophet Mohammed delivered his last sermon in 632 AD.
Step 2)?Leaving Arafat after nightfall, pilgrims walk to Muzdalifa, about 4 miles, and collect 49 stones along the way. They spend the night in Muzdalifa under the stars, and most pilgrims will fast on this day.
Day 3: Eid al-Adha, the 10th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah.
Step 1)?Pilgrims walk from Muzdalifa to Mina and throw stones at the devil represented by the largest of the three pillars (Jamrat al-Aqaba). Day three is a day of celebration.?
Step 2)?Pilgrims continue walking to Mecca from Mina to perform the second tawaf, walking seven times around the Kaaba.?
Step 3)?Then they walk again between the hills of Safa and Marwa, returning to Mina.
Step 4)?Animals are sacrificed. The meat is cooked and distributed to commemorate Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God and God's acceptance of a sheep instead. A vast feast follows, with large portions going to the poor. Unlike sacrifices in other faiths, in Islam, the gift of an animal's life is not done to please God. It is performed to remember Abraham's obedience and for charity. One sheep or goat equals one person, and a camel or cow's sacrifice equals seven people. Only those who can afford to make a sacrifice will do so, often paying for those without funds.?
Days 4-6: the 11th - 13th days of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah
On each day of this final period (2 or 3 days), pilgrims return to the three pillars representing the devil and stone them in a specific order. This uses up the remaining stones of the 49 collected on the second day. On the final day of Hajj, pilgrims change clothes, replacing the "iharm" with their standard attire to perform their third and final tawaf around the Kaaba.?
Upon completing Hajj, Muslims may now refer to themselves as 'alhaji' (male) or 'alhaja' (female). Like confirmation in Christianity or Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Judaism, this is a title of accomplishment in the Islamic faith.
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*NOTE: The son referenced in this story is an area where Islam, Judaism, and Christianity differ in scripture. Christians and Jews believe it was Isaac, the son of Abraham's first wife, Sara. Muslims believe it was Ishmael, the son of Sara's handmaid Hagar, Abraham's second wife.?
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That closes out another issue. The next will feature some of the more unusual events in the 2022 calendar, events that, at first glance, aren't what you think they are. August is officially the "Silly Season" in journalism, and I'll also throw in a few zany days.
This newsletter is also published on Substack a day later, in case you'd like to share it with people not on Linkedin. https://ldlewis.substack.com/p/5f5b987c-3c44-41dd-964a-e17ebe2cbc16
ABOUT LEEP CALENDAR:?
LEEP Calendar (https://www.leepcalendar.com) is a soon-to-launch web-based application of over 8,500 events, holidays, and anniversaries designed around the needs of professional marketers and editorial departments, created by marketing and editorial veteran LD Lewis. Follow us on Twitter @promocalendar and via our LinkedIn page, https://www.dhirubhai.net/company/leep-publishing.