janetgool 
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That's interesting, Looney-tunes! April 30 is also the day the queen of Holland's birthday is celebrated. (I know that because it is also my birthday.)
Reply #22. Aug 24 10, 6:48 AM
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looney_tunes
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One of the celebrations of Laos is Boun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival). The origins of this festival lie in rain-invoking ceremonies, but it now coincided with the Laos Visakha Puja celebrations. Celebrations typically include preliminary music and dance performances, competitive processions of floats, dancers and musicians on the second day, all culminating on the third day with competitive firings of home-made rockets.
Reply #23. Aug 25 10, 2:13 AM
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Janass
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Homemade rockets? Get me out of here! Thanks for all the interesting information, Looney tunes.
Reply #24. Aug 25 10, 6:38 PM
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looney_tunes
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Harvest Festival (Chuseok, originally Han-gawi) is celebrated as a three-day holiday in South Korea, on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month (roughly September). This makes it occur near the autumnal equinox (September 22 or 23), as is the case for most Harvest Festivals around the world, which often involve ritual offerings to the gods in thanksgiving for a good harvest.
According to popular belief, Chuseok originates from Gabae started during the reign of the third king of the kingdom of Silla (57 BC - AD 935), when it was a month-long weaving contest between two teams. Come the day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth had won and was treated to a feast by the losing team.
In modern South Korea, Chuseok sees a mass exodus of Koreans returning to their hometowns to pay respects to the spirits of their ancestors. People perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning. They often visit the tombs of their immediate ancestors to trim plants and clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their ancestors. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors.
One of the major foods prepared and eaten during the Chuseok holiday is songpyeon, half-moon-shaped rice cakes that contain different kinds of sweet or semi-sweet fillings, such as sesame seeds and honey, sweet red bean paste, and chestnut paste steamed over a layer of pine needles to impart a pine taste.
A variety of folk games are played on Chuseok to celebrate the coming of Autumn and the harvest. In some villages, people dress themselves to look like a cow or a turtle, and go from house to house along with a Nongak band playing music.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuseok
Reply #26. Aug 27 10, 12:19 AM
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looney_tunes
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When you think of holidays in Brazil, it is Carnival in Rio that immediately springs to mind. But I am intrigued by the celebration of Tiradentes' Day on April 21. This national holiday celebrates the anniversary of the execution in 1792 of Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier (known as Tiradentes, which means tooth-puller, because he was a dentist) who was a leading member of the 1789 revolutionary movement against Portuguese occupation known as the Inconfidenci Mineira. Tiradentes was hanged in Rio de Janeiro, in the plaza today named Praca Tiradentes. His body was cut into several pieces. With his blood, a document was written declaring his memory infamous. His head was publicly displayed in Vila Rica. Pieces of his body were exposed in the cities between Vila Rica and Rio, in an attempt to scare the people who had listened to Tiradentes’ ideas about independence.
Since the 19th century he has been considered a national hero, and the anniversary of his death became a public holiday when the Brazilian republic was proclaimed in 1889. Celebrations include parades, speeches, wreaths, and all the trimmings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiradentes
Reply #27. Aug 28 10, 1:24 AM
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looney_tunes
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Most of the public holidays in Liechtenstein are Christian festivals, including some that are not celebrated in a lot of other countries as public holidays. This is not surprising in a country where about 90% of the population are practicing Christians, mostly Roman Catholic. One of the local favorites is Whit Monday, a holiday on the Monday after Pentecost. The name Whit Monday comes from the old pagan festival of Whitsun, which merged with the Christian festival of Pentecost. Whitsun became referred to as Whitsunday, a reference to the white clothing worn by catechumens baptized on that day, a traditional day for adult baptism. In the Christian liturgical year, Pentecost is celebrated on the seventh Sunday after Easter (which means that its date changes from year to year), and commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Christ.
Reply #28. Aug 29 10, 12:37 AM
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maninmidohio
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L-T had a computer crash yesterday, so until her new laptop arrives she has limited access to the site. I will try to carry on until she returns.
As with many African countries, Africa Day is one of the legal holidays of Zimbabwe. It is the commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity on May 25, 1963. On that day in Addis Ababa leaders of 30 independent African states signed the charter. The OAU has now been replaced by the African Union but the holiday of Africa Day remains as a symbol of African unity.
Reply #29. Aug 30 10, 10:10 AM
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maninmidohio
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Slovenia celebrates Prešeren Day on February 8 each year. It commemorates the death of poet France Prešeren in 1842. Prešeren is considered the greatest poet in the Slovene language and so the day is a celebration of Slovenian culture. The day is marked with many cultural festivals. School children make trips to culturally significant sites.
Reply #30. Aug 31 10, 7:44 AM
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looney_tunes
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Thanks for keeping things going, Mimo! I hope to be back reliably sometime next week. Here's a snippet for today:
Iran celebrates a large number of holidays, some based on the solar calendar and some on the lunar calendar. One of the most important is Nowruz, also called the Persian New Year. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in the Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. It was originally a Zoroastrian holiday, and has been celebrated for over 3000 years. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year and Iranian families gather together to observe the rituals. The public holidays last for four days. Fire is the symbol of Nowruz, and both public and private bonfires are traditionally part of the celebrations.
Reply #31. Sep 01 10, 1:05 AM
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maninmidohio
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The West African nation of Togo has many official holidays on its calendar with most of them religious holidays. Both major Christian and Moslem holidays are observed.
When I looked at the list of holidays the one that stood out as being uniquely Togolese was September 24 which is the Anniversary of the Failed Attack on Lomé. This is a major festival on the Togolese calendar. Lomé is the capital of Togo. On September 24, 1986, Ghanaian troops crossed the border into Togo and attacked Lomé in an apparent attempt to topple President Gen. Gnassingbe Eyadema. The successful defense of the countries sovereignty is the reason for the annual celebration.
Reply #32. Sep 02 10, 7:11 AM
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maninmidohio
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Malta is the country in the European Union with the most holidays through the year. To equalize the burden on the employer they passed a law that if a holiday falls on the weekend, workers do not get a day off for the holiday.
On September 8, Malta celebrates Victory Day. This is an all in one holiday that celebrates three crucial events that happened in Malta’s history. It celebrates the victory in the Great Siege in which the Knights of Malta triumphed over the Turks in 1565. It celebrates the surrender of Italy in 1943 (World War II). And it also celebrates the rebellion against French troops in Malta in 1800. A celebration of the Nativity of Mary is also celebrated in several cities on this date. A traditional regatta is held in the Grand Harbor on this day.
Reply #33. Sep 03 10, 6:37 AM
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maninmidohio
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Most of the holidays in Cyprus are religious in nature and follow the calendar of the Greek Orthodox religion. One holiday that is not religiously based is Greek Cypriot National Day which is observed on April 1. This holiday commemorates the fight of the National Organization of the Cypriot Struggle known as EOKA (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston) for relinquishing of British rule and the union of the island with Greece. On April 1, 1955, the EOKA surprised the British with bomb attacks and explosions and kept up the pressure on Britain. On August 16 1960, a cease fire was declared by the EOKA because of the Zurich agreement. On that day, Cyprus was granted independence by the United Kingdom however the union with Greece was denied.
The celebration is marked by religious services and special school programs emphasizing the history of the struggle for Cypriot independence.
Reply #34. Sep 04 10, 8:07 AM
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looney_tunes
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I have computer access for a while, and am anticipating that the next stop will be Australia, since we seem to be making the Bus Stops in the same order this time around. Apologies if this posting does not turn out to be relvant to the day's visit, which will start in just over an hour.
Australian states maintain independent celebrations of a number of holidays. That is, they celebrate them, but on different dates. These include Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day.
In Victoria, Melbourne Cup Day is celebrated on the second Tuesday in November. (This usually coincides with US election day, which is the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, but not if the first Tuesday of November is November 1.) Because the Tuesday is a state holiday, many businesses take the Monday as a holiday, too. In schools, the Monday is often allocated as a student-free day, meaning that teachers are expected to be at work developing expertise to improve their teaching or the school’s programs, but students get a 4-day weekend. In other states, there are varying degrees of recognition of the horse race which is the purpose of the holiday. When I was teaching in New South Wales, we had a normal day until race time (between 2:00 and 2:30), at which time the PA system got hooked up to a radio and classes stopped to listen to the running of the Melbourne Cup. In recent years, the race time has move to a slightly later slot, to accommodate international audiences, and would be run during the time when students are leaving school rather than n the middle of a lesson. As I now live in Victoria, I don’t know what the NSW schools are doing now!
Australia Day is the official national holiday, held on January 26 to commemorate the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney in 1788, and the official proclamation of Australia as a British colony. Many people, especially indigenous Australians, feel that this is an inappropriate occasion for a celebration. In 1938, a Day of Mourning was held on January 26, and there have been significant protests since then. An alternative name for the day, Invasion Day, has been proposed. Others have also begun to use the name Survival Day to highlight the fact that the indigenous culture has not in fact been exterminated, as had been expected. There have been a number of proposals to change the date of Australia Day to a less divisive one, but as it is, it does come at the end of the summer break, just before schools resume and television rating s start again, so it’s a good excuse for one last big party. Throw another prawn on the barbie, and all that.
ANZAC Day (April 25) is Australia’s main war holiday. (Remembrance Day on 11 November is not a holiday, but is a time for recalling those who have dies in war.) Unlike most national war memorials, it celebrates a famous defeat, not a victory. The Australian and New Zealand troops who were massacred on the beaches of Gallipoli remain a national tragedy, but their sacrifice has become a symbol of the young nation’s coming of age. Australia had only become an independent country in 1901, and this was the first time that their young men fought as Australians rather than as volunteers in the British forces.
Welocme to Australia!
Reply #35. Sep 04 10, 10:57 PM
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maninmidohio
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Bulgaria has a number of different holidays both religious and sectarian. St. George’s Day is the most celebrated name day. St. George is especially venerated in the Eastern Orthodox religion celebrating the day on May 6 (based on the Julian calendar, most non-Orthodox countries celebrate St. George’s Day on April 23).
Because St. George is the patron saint of shepherds, the tradition has grown to prepare and eat a whole lamb.
In 1880, it was decreed that St. George’s Day would also be Day of the Bulgarian Army (given that St. George did slay the dragon, I suppose there is a connection). Sophia has a great parade to show off the army’s best equipment and manpower.
Reply #36. Sep 06 10, 8:47 AM
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looney_tunes
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One of Iceland's more unusual public holidays is Beer Day, celebrated on March 1. The date celebrates the ending of prohibition. In a 1908 referendum, Icelanders voted in favor of a ban on all alcoholic drinks, which came into into effect on January 1, 1915. In 1921, the ban was partially lifted after Spain refused to buy Iceland's main export, fish, unless Iceland bought Spanish wines; then lifted further after a national referendum in 1935 came out in favor of legalizing spirits. Strong beer (with an alcohol content of 2.25% or more), however, was not included in the 1935 vote in order to please the temperance lobby -- which argued that because beer is cheaper than spirits, it would lead to more depravity. Prohibition finally ended completely on March 1, 1989. The date has since been celebrated as a national holiday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_Day_%28Iceland%29
Reply #37. Sep 07 10, 5:41 AM
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looney_tunes
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The public holidays of Burkina Faso reflect its less-than-settled history. They include Anniversary of the 1966 coup d’état (January 3), Revolution Day (August 4), Independence Day (August 5), Anniversary of the 1987 coup d’état (October 15), and Proclamation of the Republic (December 11).
On December 11, 1958, Upper Volta became a self-governing colony within the French Community. On August 5, 1960 it attained full independence from France. A military coup on January 3, 1966 replaced the unpopular government, suspended the constitution, and set about organising a new one. August 4 is both the date of a 1983 coup and the date in 1984 when Upper Volta changed its name to Burkina Faso. October 15, 1987 marked yet another coup. Along the way there was the Christmas War with Mali (1985) and a handful of other coups which do not get a holiday.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Burkina_Faso
On a gentler note, Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8.
Reply #38. Sep 08 10, 2:35 AM
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looney_tunes
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Algeria is another country which celebrates Islamic holidays, whose date changes in the Gregorian calendar because it is set by the lunar calendar. Mawlid, celebrating the birth of the prophet Muhamma, occurs in Rabi' al-awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar. Shias observe the event on the 17th of the month, coinciding with the birth date of their sixth Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq, while Sunnis observe it on the 12th of the month.
It was originally a festival of the Shia ruling class, not attended by the common people; the first public celebrations by Sunnis took place in twelfth-century Syria, under the rule of Nur ad-Din Zangi. It is thought that the popularizing of the celebration may have been as a counter to Christian influence is such places as Spain and Morocco. Suadi Arabia is the only Muslim country where Mawlid is not an official public holiday. Where it is celebrated, one can expect to see street processions, decorations of homes and mosques, gift giving (especially of food and charitable gifts to the poor), and lots of public recitations of stories and poems about Muhammad.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mawlid
Reply #40. Sep 10 10, 1:16 AM
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