Global Tradition - November 2022

If you’ve been reading my monthly posts, you know by now that there were only 10 months in the Roman calendar.??So, it should come as no surprise that November derives from the Latin root?novem-?meaning “nine.”??We are almost at the end of this calendar year – and some of us prepare for winter, some of us prepare for summer and many of us near the equator prepare for November ;)

November is Native American Heritage Month?– celebrating the indigenous people of the US, spreading awareness and educating people about the various challenges faced by the Native Americans in the past and today.?

As a carryover from our last month, The?Day of the Dead?(Día de Muertos?or?Día de los Muertos)??continues on the?1st of November. It originated and is mostly observed in?Mexico but also in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Although associated with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints Day, it has a much less solemn tone, which I prefer!??The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died.?

November 1st?is All Saints Day?(or?All Souls Day) a special feast day on which Catholics celebrate all the saints, known and unknown. While most saints have a particular feast day on the Catholic calendar (usually, though not always, the date of their death), not all those feast days are observed so this is the catch-all feast day!??

November 3rd?is Culture Day in Japan?– a national holiday to honor traditional Japanese culture and promote freedom and peace. It has been a public holiday since 1948, yet officially adopted in 1946 after the Second World War

Remember, Remember the Fifth of November! The Gunpowder Plot conspirators planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament?intending to kill the king and members of Parliament in order to clear the way to reestablishing Catholic rule in England. The plan failed when the conspirators were betrayed. One of them, Guy Fawkes was taken into custody the evening before the attack, in the cellar where the explosives were stashed.??Today?Guy Fawkes Day?is celebrated with parades, fireworks, bonfires, and food!

On?November 7th, during the rainy season in Cambodia, the Tonle Sap River often overfills and reverses its flow. The festival of “Bon Um Touk”, or the “Khmer Water Festival”, celebrates the return of the river to its normal direction. This?takes place on?the full moon of the Buddhist month Kadeuk which is usually in November,?and lasts for a period of three days. The main festivities revolve around boat races, fireworks, traditional moon salutations and spending time with friends and family at the festival grounds beside the Tonle Sap River.

Perhaps one of the most visually mesmerizing celebrations in the world, the?Loi Krathong?festival in Thailand is a favorite memory for all who experience the magic. This year, it’s celebrated on?November 8th! During Loi Krathong, thousands of small, candlelit floats (krathongs) are released on rivers and waterways as offerings to the river spirits. In Chiang Mai and other parts of Northern Thailand, the Loi Krathong festival also coincides with a Lanna festival known as?Yi Peng. The two celebrations usually get rounded together as "Loi Krathong,” but when travelers talk of seeing the thousands of candle-powered sky lanterns launched in Thailand, they are technically referencing the Yi Peng festival in Northern Thailand. I have been in Thailand during this festival and it’s beautiful!

In?Argentina, the "Day of Tradition" is celebrated every year on?November 10, to commemorate the birth of the popular poet José Hernández.??José Hernández was born on November 10, 1834. Although he was a journalist and a politician as well as a poet, he is almost exclusively known for his magnum opus Martín Fierro. Martín Fierro is an epic poem centered on the life of the gaucho, using him a symbol of Argentine national tradition. Day of Tradition was created to celebrate the gaucho culture and the cultural impact of José Hernández. Although it is not a public holiday, it is widely marked throughout the country, with the main celebration being held in the town of San Antonio de Areco, which is regarded as the center of the gaucho culture.

Veterans Day, observed annually on?November 11, is a tribute to military veterans who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Not to be confused with?Memorial Day, which honors those who died while in service, Veterans Day honors all military veterans, including those still with us. My father fought in two ways – both World War II for his native country, Poland and then in the Korean War for the US Army.??

Also on?November 11, Remembrance Day?is observed in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and all the other Commonwealth nations.??It carries much of the same meaning as America’s?Veterans Day. Celebrated since the end of WWI, Remembrance Day is also celebrated as?Armistice Day.??You will often see Red Poppies on this day as an enduring symbol of remembrance of the First World War.??They are strongly linked with Armistice Daybut the poppy's origin as a popular symbol of remembrance lies in the landscapes of the First World War.?Poppies were a common sight, especially on the Western Front.?

Armistice Day?is a public holiday on?November 11?in France and other European nations, commemorating the signing of the armistice between Germany and the Allies that led to the ceasefire and finally put an end to World War I in 1918. It is a time of happiness that commemorates the end of the war but, at the same time, the day is observed in honor of the veterans who lost their lives for their country. Known as ‘Jour d’armistice’ in French, a one-minute silence in remembrance of the fallen is held at 11 A.M. with military parades organized across the country for the rest of the day.

National Independence Day?is a national day in?Poland, celebrated on the?11th?of November?to commemorate the anniversary of the restoration of Poland's sovereignty as the Second Polish Republic?in 1918 from the German, Austro-Hungarian and Russian Empires.??In the late 18th century, Poland ceased to exist for 123 years until the end of WWI, when the country was able to reemerge. On this day, I will be celebrating with my Polish family!?

On a more jovial note, “Narrentag” or “Foolsday” in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, is the begining of the so called fifth season which?lasts through the period of Lent. A time for?“fasching” or “fasting”, most celebrations take place in January or February of the following year, with many regional differences. But every child learns exactly when the carnival season begins because it is?not just on?November 11th, but rather on the 11th day of the 11th month at precisely 11:11 AM?and 11 seconds!????

Sadie Hawkins Day, celebrated on?November 13?each year, is a day for a bit of gender role reversal — where we acknowledge the antiquity of ‘traditional’ roles and women become the pursuers of their crushes and ask men out on dates or for a dance.??

Beware the Ides of March, but don’t forget the?Ides of November?on the 13th! The Festival of Jupiter occurs on the Ides of November. On the ancient Roman calendar, the Ides generally fall on the 13th of the month. The Ides were sacred to Jupiter, the king of the gods in Roman mythology.?

Book Week in Scotland?takes place this year from?November 14-20?and celebrates books, reading, and all things literature. It’s a great excuse to get lost in a great story!?

On?November 15th, Japan celebrates “Shichi-Go-San” or “Seven-Five-Three” honoring the rite of passage of young children for their continued growth and well-being. The celebrations are centered around boys between the ages of 3 and 5 and girls between the ages of 3 and 7. Children dress in traditional kimonos, or western formal wear, and visit shrines with their parents. One of the favorite traditions for the children of course are the gifts of “Chitose Ame” or “Thousand Year Candy”. These candies are typically long, red and white symbolizing health and longevity, and are gift wrapped along with a crane and a turtle which also represent long life.

America’s?Thanksgiving?holiday, born in the 1500s (mythologized in 1621) is one of the most anticipated and beloved days in the US - celebrated each year on the fourth Thursday in November (November 24?this year). Perhaps no other nonsectarian holiday has more tradition. Family, friends, food, the annual Macy’s parade and American football have come to symbolize Thanksgiving — a rare celebratory holiday without an established gift-giving component. Instead, the day urges all of us to be grateful for things we have and celebrate family and friends.??It really is a lovely tradition.?

Sadly, after a day dedicated to everything BUT commercialism,?Black Friday?on?November 25?is the opposite. It’s the day of the year when retailers finally start generating profit, thus going from “being in the red” to “being in the black” because the Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. NO THANK YOU!

St Andrew’s Day?is a national holiday in Scotland that is celebrated with feasts on?November 30th.?It is also Scotland’s national day, marking the beginning of Scotland as a nation!

As a shout-out to my many friends in the Philippines, let’s wind up the month with?Bonifacio?Day!??Observed on?November 30th, Bonifacio Day is a national holiday that commemorates and celebrates the birthday of Andrés Bonifacio; president of the Tagalog Republic and a Filipino revolutionary leader. He was also one of the founding members and Supreme Leader of the Kataas taasan, tagalong galangang katipunan ng mga ana ng bayan - a movement that sought Philippine independence from Spanish Colonial Rule.?