Global Holidays and Traditions - June 2024

We kick off June with Go Barefoot Day.? After the Tsunami of 2004, Soles4Souls created National Go Barefoot Day in the US with the simple goal that everyone in the world should have at least one pair of shoes. This charitable day encourages people to donate footwear, used or new, that can be given to the underprivileged people who desperately need shoes. If you'd like to help, visit https://soles4souls.org while enjoying a barefoot day in your home office!

In Borneo, the Gawai Dayak Festival this year starts on June 1st and ends on Dayak Day, June 2nd. Dayak refers the multiple indigenous tribes of Borneo, but Dayak Day is a celebration of the end of harvest season. The celebration includes drinking traditional rice wine known as Tuak, accompanied by lots of music and dancing!

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June 1st is Pancasila Day in Indonesia commemorating the inception of Indonesia’s foundational and legally governing ideology, Pancasila. The aim of Pancasila, introduced by the first president of Indonesia, was to unify the large diverse country above religious and social affiliations. It’s a national holiday throughout the country’s many islands.?

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June 2nd is Italian Republic Day or Festa della Repubblica, is celebrated on June 2 every year. This historical day commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when Italians decided on the form of their government after World War II, choosing a Republic with a Constituent Assembly and sent the kingdom to exile. So, on this day, a massive celebration takes place in Rome and around the country to celebrate the birth of the modern Italian Republic.

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June 3rd is Western Australia Day celebrating the day Captain Charles Fremantle claimed Western Australia for the British in 1829, setting up the Swan River Colony. While the day was originally called “Foundation Day,” it has since been renamed to include all Western Australians, including aboriginal communities. WA Day takes place on the first Monday in June.

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From June 10th, we celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival (Duan wu jie!? This colorful festival is celebrated in China, Hong Kong, Macau, and elsewhere around the world.? In Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Taiwan, it is called the Bak Chang Festival. Many believe that?Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated to commemorate?the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet known who eventually became a national hero.?However, others believe that the Dragon Boat Festival actually came before the death of Qu Yuan and is related to the fifth lunar month or the ‘month of poison’. During the early hot days of summer, people would?easily fall ill and epidemics would spread. This?made?the month seem?evil, so people in ancient times regarded it an important time?to prevent diseases and keep evil spirits away.

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Constitution Day in Denmark is observed on June 5 to commemorate the signing of the Danish Constitution (with four revisions also occurring on this same date). June 5 marked the birth of Danish democracy and is celebrated annually as its equivalent of a National Day.? ??

And while our Danish friends are celebrating, June 6th has already started with Queensland Day in Australia. Queensland Day celebrates the birthday of the Australian state commemorating the struggle against British Rule and the day in 1859 when Queen Victoria granted the state the right to form its own government. ?

I know we celebrate many religious holidays throughout the year, but June 7th (the first Friday in June) is Hug an Atheist Day for the rest of us ;) Since the pandemic, however, it has been renamed to Elbow-bump an Atheist Day.?

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King Kamehameha Day, a pretty big deal in Hawaii, falls on June 11 (though the public holiday is on June 10th) and celebrates “Kamehameha the Great,” who is credited with uniting the Hawaiian Islands in 1810.? Kamehameha is honored each year with numerous celebrations across the islands.?

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Shavuot, also known as the Feast of Weeks,is a Jewish holiday, celebrated this year between June 11th to 13th. This holiday has both an agricultural and biblical significance. Agriculturally, it marks the wheat harvest in Israel. Biblically, it commemorates the day God gave the nation of Israel the Torah on Mount Sinai. The holiday also book-ends the Counting of the Omer, a ritualized counting of each of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot. The tradition represents the anticipation around God’s gift of the Torah.

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While we’re in the Pacific Ocean, let’s return to a country very close to my heart no later than June 12th so we can celebrate Independence Day in the Philippines. The Philippines first declared independence from Spanish rule over 120 years ago, but it wasn’t until 1962 that President Diosdado Macapagal made it a public holiday through a presidential proclamation.?

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Over 50 years ago on June 16, 1971, more than 20,000 South African students in the township of Soweto took to the streets, demanding to be taught in their own language. Confrontation ensued and hundreds of young protesters were killed by the South African Police. Now a public holiday in South Africa, referred to as Youth Day, June 16th is also recognized as International Day of the African Child throughout the world.

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June 16th is also Father’s Day in many countries around the world (though not all) typically on the third Sunday of the month (at least since 1910), celebrating Dads in all forms!

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Dating back to 1944, Iceland’s National Day on June 17th was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Jon Sigurosson, the leader of the 20th century Icelandic Independence Movement. June is a wonderful time to visit this amazing island, so time your trip appropriately and you can join Icelanders and other visitors in Reykjavik to watch parades, catch street performances and concerts and of course try all the traditional food under the glorious mountain backdrops!

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From 16th to the 18th, Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice (also known as Hari Raya Haji) is celebrated throughout the Muslim world as a commemoration of Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God, including the life of his own son Ishmael. Due to God sparing Ishmael and substituting a ram in his stead, Muslims commemorate the occasion by slaughtering an animal and distributing its meat among family, friends and the needy as a special act of charity for the occasion. As a result of this charity, many poor Muslims are able to enjoy the unusual luxury of eating meat during the four days of this festival. In keeping with the tradition of 'Eid,’ local Muslims will dress up in new or special clothes, visit friends and relatives, hold 'Eid gatherings and parties as well as give gifts to their children.

Eid al-Adha also coincides with the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. This pilgrimage applies to Muslims worldwide, as they are required to perform the Hajj once in their lives. Some Muslims in Australia may travel to Mecca prior to Eid al-Adha to make this pilgrimage.

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June 19th, known as Juneteenth, is a very important day in the US, celebrating the freedom of African Americans from slavery in the U.S. in 1865. Juneteenth is made up of the words ‘June’ and ‘nineteenth,’ and it is on this day that Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Texas more than 155 years ago to inform slaves that slavery had been abolished. Over 150 years later, it’s clear that we still have a lot of work to do in the US to achieve racial equity and Juneteenth also symbolizes that goal.???

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June has so many holidays and traditions – if only the days were longer so we can celebrate more!?

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Thankfully, June 20th is the Summer Solistice!? People have celebrated this day for thousands of years, including the ancient Mesopotamians, Celtic Druids, Chinese, and Egyptians; But as this is the longest day of the year (and the shortest night), Solstice marks the pinnacle of the Sun’s power to fuel the growing season. From here on out, the Sun will set a little earlier each night until Yule, so we recognize and give thanks for its warmth. Litha is the name given to the Wiccan Sabbat celebrated at the Summer Solstice. Though it’s typically celebrated on June 21st, the exact moment of the Summer Solstice varies from year to year. This is due to a slight misalignment between the Gregorian calendar and the actual rate of the Earth’s rotation around the Sun.

One of the goals of sharing Global Traditions is to remind us of the obvious – namely that it’s not Summer in half of the globe – so don’t forget that some of our friends and colleagues are celebrating the Winter Solstice on this day!?

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Starting on June 24th, Inti Raymi, or Festival of the Sun, is a nine-day celebration of the Winter Solstice in the Andean villages of Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Ecuador.? Inti Raymi pays homage to the Inca god Inti with colorful reenactments of the Incas, beating drums, street fairs, stage performances, parades and some of the best food you will ever have (in case you’ve never visited this part of the world)!

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Meanwhile, June 24th marks a national holiday in the Canadian province of Quebec celebrates Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, honoring the birth of St. John the Baptist. The religious nature of the holiday has been de-emphasized for civic events, and “la St-Jean” is now mainly a celebration of francophone culture and history filled with public events, parades, barbecues, picnics and fireworks.?

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Sant Joan, f

or many people part of the most important holidays in Barcelona, begins on the evening of the 23rd of June, carries through the night and culminates with a day off on the 24th (which people need after the long, loud, and crazy night)!? This special holiday celebrates both the birthday of Sant Joan (St John the Baptist) and the summer solstice. The festivities start on the 23rd at dusk with fireworks, lots of amazing food, parties, and music throughout the entire night. The loud noise and festivities is how demons are supposed to be expelled! For all my friends and colleagues in Barcelona, I wish I could have joined you this year… how about next year?

Dia de S?o Jo?o is similarly celebrated throughout Brazil with lots of lively parties, bonfires, traditional folk music and dance and of course a lot of food!

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Let’s stay in South America a little while longer so we can enjoy the celebration of Boi Bumba in the Amazonian island-city of Parintins, Brazil from June 26th in early July! ?This festival is based on a Brazilian folk story describing a bull that is brought back to life by a shaman after a man is caught for stealing and killing it for his pregnant wife. Tens of thousands of revelers come to see the story recreated by costumed performers and giant puppets, accompanied by dancers in elaborate feathered headdresses, reflecting the region’s Amazonian, Portuguese and Catholic culture.

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On June 28th, join me in celebrating Constitution Day in the Ukraine and sending them continued support and solidarity in the defense of their country.?

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New Zealand celebrates Māori New Year on June 28th with the celebration of “Matariki” means “tiny eyes” or “eyes of god” in Māori and?refers to the seven bright stars that make up the Pleiades constellation and coincides with the rise of the star cluster into the New Zealand night sky. It is a time to harvest, prepare for the coming year, and to honor ancestors. It is also a time for all New Zealanders to come together and recognize the importance of Māori culture in its country’s identity.

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We wrap up a busy month on June 30 with International Asteroid Day and assuming Asteroid Day isn’t prophetic, we’ll see you again next month!