Category Arts & Culture

Columbus Day

            Over 500 years ago, Christopher Columbus was sure he could reach the Indies – Japan and China – by sailing west across the Atlantic Ocean. Others said, no, it couldn’t be done. They thought it was too far.

Columbus thought that the Atlantic Ocean was very narrow. Others argued that the distance to Japan was four times greater than Columbus thought. But the king and queen of Spain gave Columbus the money and ships he needed. If Columbus was right, Spain would be rich.

Columbus sailed from Palos, Spain, on August 3, 1492. He had three ships, the Santa Maria, the Nina, and the Pinta. The ships moved through a seemingly endless sea. Many weeks passed. The frightened sailors demanded that Columbus turn back, but he insisted that they continue sailing.

Finally, on October 12, 1492, they saw land. Columbus thought he had reached the Indies. But instead, he had reached the “New World”. Columbus’s voyage made America known to the people of Europe. This truly changed the world. That is why Columbus is honoured.

In the U.S.A., Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday of October. Because Columbus sailed under the Spanish flag, people in Spain also celebrate Columbus Day. But Columbus wasn’t Spanish. He was Italian. He was born in Genoa, Italy, and so Italians also celebrate Columbus Day. People in many Central and South American countries honour Columbus on October 12 because he also “discovered” their lands.

Gandhi’s Birthday

In India, a wise and holy person is called a mahatma. The word means “great soul”. The greatest mahatma of all was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

As a leader, Gandhi was against violence. He believed that how we behave is more important than what we succeed in doing. He won many followers.

Gandhi worked many years for India’s freedom from Great Britain. His dream finally came true on August 15, 1947.

Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday celebrated across India to mark the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the “Father of the Nation”.

It is celebrated on October 2nd every year. It is one of three official declared National Holidays of India and is observed in all its states and territories.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born on October 2nd 1869 in Gujarat, then known as Porbandar, British India.

Gandhi lived his life with acceptance and practice of truth, non-violence, vegetarianism, simplicity and faith in God and was a major political and spiritual leader within India. He was a pioneer of Satyagraha, which believed in resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon total non-violence.

His honorific title of Mahatma, which means “high-souled” in Sanskrit, was first used in 1914 in South Africa.

The movement led India to independence and his efforts have since inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. He was a source of inspiration to many political leaders all over the world, including Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr.

The day is marked by prayer services all over India, and especially at Raj Ghat, Gandhi’s memorial in New Delhi where he was cremated.

Celebrations on the day include prayer meetings and commemorative ceremonies in various cities by colleges, local government institutions and socio-political institutions.

Painting and essay competitions are held and awards are announced for projects in schools and the community, on the themes of glorifying peace, non-violence and Gandhi’s effort in Indian Freedom Struggle.

Often Gandhi’s favourite devotional song, Raghupathi Raghava Rajaram is sung in memory of him.

The impact and fame of Gandhi beyond India are reflected in the International Day of Nonviolence which is celebrated worldwide on his birthday.

India celebrates the birthday of the great leader on October 2. In his honour, many people walk from far across India to the place where his body was cremated.

National Day

With a rat-a-tat-tat of drums and a blare of bugles, rows of soldiers march smartly down the street. Overhead, a group of warplanes roars across the sky. Later, fireworks will light up the night sky. It’s National Day in Nigeria.

Nigeria is on the west coast of Africa. Until 1960, Nigeria was part of the British Commonwealth. Then, on October 1, 1960, Great Britain granted Nigeria its independence. Nigeria adopted a green and white flag. The green is for agriculture and the white for unity and peace.

October 1 is a national holiday that Nigerians celebrate with great joy.

The event in 1960 eventually led to the formation of the federal republic of Nigeria, and the journey to independence started with some constitutional developments that saw the country attaining self-rule in some quarters in 1957 and total independence on 1 October 1960.

October 1st has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day Nigeria laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation from the United Kingdom.

Independence Day (National Day) in Nigeria is celebrated each year by patriotic citizens across all of 36 states, regardless of ethnicity and religion.

On the morning of October 1st, the incumbent President of Nigeria delivers a speech to officially commence the Independence Day celebrations and the country’s green – white – green flag will be unfurled with the singing of the national anthem in the capital city of Abuja.

The military officers will lead in a plethora of parades featuring the armed forces, student bands, and various cultural groups’ while the official celebration will kick off with a tribute to the founding fathers and heroines and freedom fighters of the great nation that is Nigeria.

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The Month of October

October is the 10th month of the year. This month got its name from octo, the Latin word for “eight”. October was once the eighth month.

When the Romans made October the 10th month, rulers tried several times to rename this month in honour of certain emperors or members of their families. But the people continued to call this month October.

In parts of the northern half of the world, the first frost usually occurs in October. Leaves change to brilliant colours. In parts of the southern half of the world, the weather is just beginning to get warm.

History of October

October always had 31 days, and it became the tenth month of the year when the months of January and February were added, pushing October towards the end of the solar year, which is around 365.24 days long.

The Julian was substituted for the Gregorian calendar because it did not reflect the length of a year on Earth accurately enough. Today’s Gregorian calendar does a much better job at keeping up with our planet’s revolutions around the Sun, but even this calendar is not perfect.

Fall and Spring Month

October is in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the month after the autumnal equinox. However, as seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, October is in the spring in the Southern Hemisphere. The seasonal equivalent is April in the opposite hemisphere.

The month of October starts on the same day of the week as January in common years, but during leap years, October does not start on the same day of the week as any other month. It ends on the same day of the week as February every year and January in common years only.

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Mid-Autumn Festival

At midnight, Chinese people in many countries gather in parks to sing, dance, and look at the beautiful full moon while enjoying crisp pastries filled with sweet paste. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival.

At this time of year, many people exchange moon cakes, round pastries filled with lotus seed, sesame, or another sweet paste. Many cakes have an egg yolk in them to make them look like the moon. Koreans also celebrate a Mid-Autumn Festival. During the festival, they may play sports and have picnics, or just rest and enjoy the fruits of the recent harvest.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many East Asian communities. In China, it’s a reunion time for families, just like Thanksgiving, while in Vietnam, it’s more like a children’s day.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.

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Teacher’s Day

Do you have a special day to honour your teacher? In China, people honour all teachers with a national holiday called Teacher’s Day.

On this day, people throughout China also celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest thinkers and teachers in Chinese history – Confucius.

Some children may give their teachers cards or gifts on September 28, which is Teacher’s Day and Confucius’s Birthday. Also, some people in China hold a ceremony at dawn in Confucian temples. It includes music and special dances. People also put food offerings before the altar. This ceremony has been a Chinese tradition for more than 1,000 years.

Teachers’ Day in India is celebrated on 5th September to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. He was a renowned scholar, recipient of Bharat Ratna, first Vice- President and second President of independent India. He was born on 5 September, 1888. As an educationist, he was an advocate of edification and was a distinguished envoy, academician, and above all a great teacher.

As the common adage goes, the future of a country lies in the hands of its children, and teachers, as mentors, can mold students into future leaders who shape the destiny of India. They play an important role in our lives to become successful in career and business. They help us to become a good human being, a better member of society, and an ideal citizen of the country. Teacher’s Day is celebrated to acknowledge the challenges, hardships, and the special role that teachers play in our lives.

Teachers Day is one such event for which students and teachers equally look forward to. Teachers Day is important for the students as it gives them a chance to understand the efforts put in by their teachers to ensure that they get a proper education. Similarly, teachers also look forward to the Teachers’ Day celebration as their efforts get recognised and honoured by students and other agencies as well.

Teachers should be respected and honoured. In India, on the eve of Teachers’ Day, i.e. on 5 September, the National Teachers Awards are given to the meritorious teachers by the President of India. The awards are conferred as public gratitude to praiseworthy teachers working in primary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools.

Picture Credit : Google