Soldiers take part in a memorial service during an Anzac Day event. Anzac Day is a patriotic holiday in Australia and New Zealand that honors people who served in the armed forces.
Credit: © Kristian Dowling, Getty Images

Today, April 25, is Anzac Day, a patriotic holiday honoring current and former members of the Australian and New Zealand armed forces. ANZAC stands for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, the name of the combined overseas force that fought in World War I (1914-1918). Anzac Day marks the anniversary of the Allied invasion of Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula on April 25, 1915.

In World War I, the Central Powers—Germany and Austria-Hungary—fought against the Allies—an alliance that included the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. As the war progressed, additional countries joined each alliance. Australia and New Zealand, former British colonies, entered the war as allies of the United Kingdom. Allied soldiers from the United Kingdom, France, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere fought troops of the Ottoman Empire, which was aligned with the Central Powers, at Gallipoli. The Ottoman Empire, centered in what is now Turkey, entered the war as a German ally in October 1914.

The ANZAC became known for the bravery and skill of its soldiers fighting against the Ottoman Empire during World War I (1914-1918). ANZAC forces landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, in Turkey, in an area later called Anzac Cove, shown here. After many months of hard fighting, the troops were withdrawn, and the campaign at Gallipoli failed.
Credit: © Bettmann/Corbis

On April 25, 1915, some 75,000 soldiers from Australia, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom landed on Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey. At that time, it was the largest military landing in history. The campaign was a costly failure for the Allies, who left Gallipoli after eight months of brutal and fruitless warfare. Some 127,000 people from all nations died there.

The campaign was particularly hard for ANZAC forces. More than 8,000 Australian soldiers were killed in action during the Gallipoli campaign. More than 19,000 Australian soldiers were wounded. More than 2,700 New Zealanders were killed, and more than 4,700 were wounded. During the campaign in Gallipoli, the ANZAC forces gained a reputation for bravery and skill. In Australia and New Zealand, Anzac Day is observed each year on April 25 in honor of people who have served in the armed forces of the two countries.

On April 25, 1916, services in Australia and New Zealand marked the first Anzac Day to remember the fallen of Gallipoli. Today, Anzac Day services are held throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as at Gallipoli’s “Anzac Cove.” For the last two years, services and celebrations have been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many people stood out on their driveways to safely honor the armed forces. This year, traditional dawn services and marches will resume. In Sydney, the dawn service begins at 4:30 a.m. at the Cenotaph in Martin Place, where many young men enlisted to fight in World War I. Cenotaph means empty tomb. War memorial cenotaphs honor soldiers whose bodies lie elsewhere. The solemn service includes a reading of the “Ode of Remembrance,” part of the poem “For the Fallen” written by British poet Laurence Binyon soon after the outbreak of war in 1914:

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.”

The audience then responds: “We will remember them.”

Later in the day, veterans and current service members march from Martin Place towards Hyde Park, where the Anzac Memorial is located. National ceremonies begin a few hours later in Canberra and Wellington, the capital cities of Australia and New Zealand.

January 24, 2020

Tomorrow, January 25, is the Chinese New Year, the most important festival of the Chinese calendar. On this holiday, people visit relatives, neighbors, and friends. Dances featuring colorful dragon and lion costumes are often performed on this day. In Chinese communities in the United States and Canada, the holiday is marked by boisterous parades and other festivities. The Chinese New Year also ushers in a new animal sign of the Chinese zodiac (also called the Eastern or East Asian zodiac). In 2020, the 12-year cycle restarts with the first animal on the list, the rat.

The Chinese zodiac rotates through a 12-year cycle. In 2020, the Chinese New Year begins the year of the rat. Credit: © Anatoly Pareev, Shutterstock

The Chinese zodiac is a cycle of 12 animal signs used in a system of astrology practiced in China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and other Asian countries. This system assigns an animal sign to represent each lunar year. A lunar year is a year measured by tracking phases of the moon, rather than changes in the sun’s position in the sky. Each animal sign represents an entire year, and the cycle repeats every 12 years. The 12 animal signs are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit (or hare), dragon, snake, horse, goat (or sheep), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig (or boar).

Chinese New Year celebrations in many communities include a dragon dance, like the one shown in this photograph. A team of performers carries an elaborate dragon puppet made of bamboo, paper, and silk, parading the colorful beast through the streets in an festive dance. The dragon symbolizes good luck, and the dance invites success in the coming year. Credit © Shutterstock

Rats are often considered a threat or a nuisance, but in the Chinese zodiac they are associated with wisdom, wealth, and surplus. People born in the year of the rat are often intelligent, quick-witted, and charming—but they can also be devious and greedy.

The Chinese zodiac is deeply rooted in classical Chinese philosophy, religious beliefs, and mythology. A popular folk tale explains how the 12 animals of the zodiac came to represent various aspects of human personality and compatibility. The tale describes a race to cross a river. The race was organized by the Jade Emperor, the highest ranking deity (god) in traditional Chinese folk religion. In some variations of the tale, the Buddha organized the race. The first 12 animals to reach the finish would become symbols of the zodiac.

Many different animals lined up at the riverbank to take part in the race. The rat and cat could not swim, so they asked the ox to carry them across. As they were crossing the river, the rat pushed the cat into the river. The rat then jumped off and was the first to cross. For this reason, the rat is the first sign of the zodiac, and the ox is second. This part of the story also explains why there is no cat in the zodiac.

Shortly after, the tiger made it across the river, taking the third position. The rabbit sat on a log and floated across to finish fourth. The dragon helped by blowing the rabbit across the river. The Jade Emperor was surprised that the dragon finished fifth, since this creature could fly. The dragon explained that it had to stop to make rain for villages in need of water. The horse came next, but a snake that had coiled around the horse’s hoof jumped ahead. The surprised horse took a step back and finished seventh.

A raft appeared next, carrying the rooster, monkey, and goat. The rooster had found the raft, and the goat and monkey had cleared the weeds and pushed the raft to the opposite side. The Jade Emperor was pleased with their teamwork, and declared the goat the eighth in the zodiac, the monkey ninth, and the rooster tenth. The next animal to finish was the dog, which surprised the emperor because that animal was the best swimmer. The dog explained that he had been playing in the water and lost track of time. The last animal to cross was the boar, who had stopped to eat and then fallen asleep.

December 30, 2019

Today, December 30, is José Rizal Day in the Philippines. The holiday celebrates the life of Rizal, a doctor and novelist who became a national hero of the Philippines. Rizal was an early leader of the Filipino movement for political and social freedom from Spain. December 30 marks the day in 1896 when the Spaniards, who ruled the Philippines at the time, executed Rizal for his activities.

The physician and writer José Rizal is a national hero of the Philippines. His life is celebrated on December 30. Credit: Public Domain

A national public holiday, Rizal Day has been celebrated in the Philippines since 1898. Commemorations include the lowering of the Philippine flag to half-mast and wreath laying-ceremonies at the Rizal Monument and execution site in Manila, the Rizal Monument in Baguio City, and the Rizal Shrines in Calamba (a reproduction of his birth house) and Dapitan (his place of exile on Mindanao).

The flag of the Philippines dates back to the Philippine struggle for independence in the 1890’s. Credit: © Loveshop/Shutterstock

José Mercado y Alonso Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, in Calamba on the main Filipino island of Luzon. He studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. After obtaining his qualifications in medicine in Madrid, Spain, Rizal traveled to Germany, England, and France, where he continued to study medicine. He wrote for La Solidaridad (The Solidarity) a magazine published in Barcelona that campaigned for reforms in the Philippines.

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Philippines
Credit: WORLD BOOK map

Rizal gained worldwide attention with two novels that exposed the ills of the Spanish colonial government and Filipino society: Noli Me Tangere (1887, Latin for Touch Me Not) and El Filibusterismo (1891, The Subversive). While conducting research at the British Museum in London, Rizal came across a history of the Philippines written by Antonio de Morga, a Spanish historian and colonial official, in 1609. Morga’s book described an attractive civilization in the Philippines before Spanish colonization. In 1890, Rizal printed a new edition of the history with his own notes added to the text.

In 1892, Rizal returned to Manila, where he founded La Liga Filipina (The Philippine League) on July 3. The League was a partly secret association devoted to promoting unity and reforming the colony. On July 6, Rizal was arrested and exiled to the Philippine island of Mindanao. During his exile, Rizal practiced medicine and taught students. In 1896, Spanish authorities permitted him to go to Cuba, at that time a Spanish colony, to treat patients infected during a yellow fever outbreak.

That same year, the Katipunan, a secret Filipino revolutionary society, tried to overthrow the Spanish government. Rizal was on his way to Cuba when the revolution broke out. Though he had no connection with the Katipunan or the uprising, a Spanish military court found him guilty of promoting the rebellion. On the morning of Dec. 30, 1896, Rizal was executed by firing squad in Manila.

November 1, 2019

Today, November 1, as people digest the sweets collected on Halloween, many people begin another celebration: the Day of the Dead, or día de los muertos. As the name implies, the traditionally Mexican holiday honors the dead. The holiday is also celebrated in other Latin American countries and in Mexican American communities. During día de los muertos (or simply día de muertos), families gather in churches, at cemeteries, and in homes to pray for and remember deceased loved ones.

A family in Patzcuaro, Mexico, decorates the graves of deceased family members on Día de los muertos. Credit: © Henry Romero, Reuters

Día de los muertos is usually celebrated on November 1 and 2. Those days are the Roman Catholic feasts of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. The celebration combines ancient native beliefs and Catholic traditions. Many families prepare an elaborate altar, known as an ofrenda (offering), for the holiday. They set up the ofrendas in their homes and in cemeteries. The ofrendas are decorated with flowers, fruits, popular foods, sweets, and drinks. They are created to welcome back for a day the souls of departed family members and friends. Special creations such as calaveras (sugar skulls) and sweet pan de muerto (bread of the dead) are popular treats. Day of the dead food, decorations, and costumes traditionally incorporate skulls, skeletons, and other symbols of death.

The day of the dead reinforces the ancient belief that death is a part of life. It is an important tradition through which families pass on their oral histories. Recalling stories of past family members helps keep these ancestors alive for future generations.

June 24, 2019

Today, June 24, people in Peru celebrate the Fiesta del Sol (Festival of the Sun, or Inti Raymi in Quechua, the ancient language of the Inca). The festival marks the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is considered the most important day on the Inca calendar. The festival celebrates Inti, the Inca sun god, and begins the new Inca year. Inti Raymi celebrations include elaborate dances, the wearing of colorful costumes, and the sharing of traditional food and drink.

An Inca man displays a colorful quipu, a knotted record-keeping device, during an Inti Raymi procession in Cusco, Peru. Credit: © James Brunker, Alamy Images

The Inca are a native South American people who once ruled one of the largest and richest empires in the Americas. The Inca empire emerged in the early A.D. 1400’s and occupied a vast region centered around the capital of Cusco, in southern Peru. Today, Cusco remains a center of Inca culture, and it hosts the main celebrations for the Festival of the Sun. Nearly half of all Peruvians are descended from the Inca or other indigenous peoples, while another third are mestizos—people of mixed Spanish and Native American heritage.

The traditional Inca religious ceremony—the Festival of the Sun, or Inti Raymi—is reenacted at an ancient fortress in Cusco, Peru. Credit: © M. Timothy O’Keefe, Alamy Images

Originally, the Sapa Inca (emperor), nobles, priests, and thousands of devoted worshippers celebrated Inti Raymi at Huacaypata, Cusco’s main square (now called the Plaza de Armas). Ancestral mummies were paraded through the plaza, great numbers of llamas (and sometimes people) were sacrificed, dances and songs were performed, and sacred food and drink were taken. The ceremony was banned after the Spanish arrived in Peru in the 1530′s, but the festival was revived—minus the mass animal sacrifices—in the 1940′s. Today, Inti Raymi draws many thousands of people to Cusco and other Inca sites.

This illustration shows an Inca emperor entering the Temple of the Sun in Cusco, the capital. The chosen women, who prepared food and offerings used in the ceremony, stand near the mummy of a former emperor, left rear. Credit: WORLD BOOK illustration by Richard Hook

June 24 is a busy feriado (holiday) in other parts of Peru, as well. The day marks the birth of San Juan Bautista (Saint John the Baptist), one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. People enjoy the Día de San Juan throughout the Selva (the Amazon region), where San Juan is the patron saint. June 24 is also the Día del Campesino (Day of the Peasant), a holiday once known as Día del Indio (Day of the Indian) that celebrates farm workers as well as Peru’s large indigenous population. For hundreds of years, in the Rímac district of Lima, June 24 was also the Fiesta de Amancaes. Amancaes, or flores de Amancay, are large yellow lilies native to the district, which was once a haven for people looking to escape the city for an afternoon.

February 18, 2019

Today, February 18, is Presidents’ Day in the United States. The annual holiday honors the nation’s presidents, especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. It is celebrated on the third Monday in February. The birthdays of Washington and Lincoln fall near the holiday. Washington, the nation’s first president, was born on Feb. 22, 1732. Lincoln, who served as president during the American Civil War (1861-1865), was born on Feb. 12, 1809. Ironically, because the holiday is on the third Monday of the month, it can never fall precisely on February 12 or February 22.

George Washington was born on Feb. 22, 1732, and served as the first president of the United States. Credit: Oil painting on canvas (1796) by Gilbert Stuart; © World History Archive/Alamy Images

A federal holiday called Washington’s Birthday also occurs on the third Monday in February. It became a legal public holiday in 1971. Later, many states adopted Presidents’ Day instead, to honor not only Washington, but other presidents as well, especially Lincoln. Presidents’ Day is sometimes called Washington-Lincoln Day. Banks, government offices, libraries, and schools close on the holiday, but most private businesses remain open.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. Credit: Library of Congress

In the late 1870′s, Arkansas Senator Stephen Wallace Dorsey suggested adding Washington’s birth date to the four bank holidays previously approved in 1870. Signed into law on Jan. 31, 1879, by President Rutherford B. Hayes, the law was implemented in 1880 and applied only to District of Columbia federal workers. Washington’s Birthday was the first federal holiday to single out an individual’s birth date. (In 1986, the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., became a holiday celebrated on the third Monday in January.)

In 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays. With the implementation of the new federal law in 1971, Washington’s Birthday became a national holiday celebrated on the third Monday in February.

July 14, 2017

Today, July 14, people in France celebrate what English-speaking people refer to as Bastille Day, a French national holiday similar to Independence Day. The holiday is a grand celebration throughout France, where public buildings and streets are decked out in the bleu-blanc-rouge—the blue-white-red of the tricolor, the French flag. In Paris, concerts, balls, and parades fill the city’s streets with people, and fireworks light up the nighttime sky. In France, Bastille Day is called the Fête Nationale (National Holiday) or simply le Quatorze Juillet (the Fourteenth of July).

A military parade moves down the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris, France, on Bastille Day–le 14 Juillet. Credit: © DreamSlamStudio/Shutterstock

The French National Holiday is celebrated on July 14 for two reasons. The first and most famous reason is to honor the “storming of the Bastille.” On July 14, 1789, angry Parisians attacked and captured the Bastille fortress—a largely symbolic act early in the French Revolution. The second reason is to celebrate the first Fête de la Fédération (Federation Celebration) held on July 14, 1790. This celebration remembered the storming of the Bastille and marked the peaceful and successful “end” of the budding revolution. As history tells us, however, the revolution did not end there (it continued until 1799), nor was it peaceful. The holiday remained, however, and in 1880, the Fête de la Fédération became the Fête Nationale.

The French flag is called the tricolor and features three vertical stripes of blue, white, and red (left to right ). In 1789, King Louis XVI first used its three colors to represent France. Credit: © Dream Maker Software

In 1789, the Bastille fortress was used as a prison. Its capture symbolized the new spirit of freedom that swept through France and led to the establishment of a popular government. The storming of the Bastille has inspired a number of songs, pamphlets, and orations. The rallying cry tous à la Bastille! (everyone to the Bastille!) can still be heard on Paris streets during political demonstrations or public acts of defiance.

This painting shows the storming of the Bastille, a royal fortress in Paris, on July 14, 1789. The capture of the fortress was one of the key early events of the revolution. Today, July 14 is celebrated as Bastille Day, the great national holiday of France. Credit: The storming of the Bastille (c. 1800), oil on canvas by unknown artist, Carnavalet Museum, Paris (© Corbis Images)

In 1790, the Federation Celebration honored the events of the year before, and many people believed the initial shake up of the revolution would be enough to enact real change and keep the peace. Many thousands of people from Paris and other parts of France—revolutionaries and monarchists alike, as well as King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette—turned out for a huge party on the Champ de Mars (Field of Mars). At the time, the Champ de Mars was a military training ground; today it is a lovely park that includes the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, the good spirits and hopes of the Federation Celebration soon vanished. The revolution continued and a bloody period known as the Terreur (Terror) claimed thousands of lives, including those of the king and queen. Today, Bastille Day celebrations in Paris still center on the Champ de Mars.

March 17, 2017

You may have noticed things are looking a little greener this week. The greens of spring are starting to bud in some places, but this week’s greens—and today’s in particular—can be traced to the ancient Christian missionary Saint Patrick. March 17, today, is Saint Patrick’s Day, the feast day and traditional death date of Saint Patrick in A.D. 461. Saint Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, and in many places around the world, people put up green decorations and wear green clothing to honor Ireland—the Emerald Isle—and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday is often called Saint Paddy’s Day, a nickname derived from the Irish version of Patrick, Pádraig.

A large St. Patrick’s Day parade is held each year in Chicago, where the Chicago River is dyed (harmlessly) bright green in honor of the holiday. Credit: Max Talbot-Minkin (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Saint Patrick was a missionary to Ireland in the 400′s. He converted the Irish to Christianity. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland. It also is celebrated outside of Ireland in cities with a large number of people of Irish descent. In Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a religious holiday. People honor Saint Patrick by attending special religious services. They also enjoy family and community gatherings. They celebrate by wearing shamrocks. According to legend, Saint Patrick used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity to the Irish. Saint Paddy’s Day takes place during Lent each year, but restrictions on eating meat and drinking alcohol are typically relaxed for the holiday.

Saint Patrick is said to have used a shamrock to explain the idea of the Trinity. Credit: © Shutterstock

In the United States, St. Patrick’s Day is primarily a secular (nonreligious) holiday. Many people hold parties and march in parades. The first St. Patrick’s Day celebration in what is now the United States was held in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1737. Today, more than 100 U.S. cities hold parades. The St. Patrick’s Day parade in New York City is the largest. Montreal, Quebec, hosts a grand celebration of the holiday, as do such world cities as Adelaide, Australia; Birmingham, England; and Cape Town, South Africa.

December 23, 2016

Tomorrow, December 24, at sunset, Jewish people around the world will begin celebrating Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah (also Hannuka or Chanukah) means dedication. The dates of Hanukkah change from year to year, because the Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon. Hannukah begins on the eve of the 25^th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which may include parts of November and December. The festival lasts for eight days and commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem to God by the Jews in 165 B.C.

A family lights the candles of a menorah for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Credit: © Shutterstock

Two Biblical books, 1 and 2 Maccabees, tell the story of Hanukkah. In the early 160’s B.C., the Jews in Jerusalem were subjects of the Seleucid Empire, one of the successor states formed out of Alexander the Great’s empire. The Bible tells how the Seleucid king, Antiochus IV, outlawed the practice of Jewish law and defiled the Temple in Jerusalem. Many Jews who defied Antiochus were killed. In 165 B.C., after a three-year revolt, Jews led by Judah Maccabee defeated Antiochus and rededicated the Temple to their God.

According to the Talmud, when the Jews cleaned the Temple, they found only one small bottle of oil with which to light their menorah (branched lamp). But the bottle miraculously provided enough oil for eight days. The Talmud is a collection of Jewish religious and civil laws and their interpretations. Today, lighting the menorah (also called a hanukkiyah) is a popular Hanukkah tradition. Modern menorahs generally have nine branches. On the first evening of Hanukkah, one candle is lighted. Beginning on the second night, one additional candle is lighted every night until the total reaches eight on the last night. The ninth branch of the menorah holds the shamash, or a “helper” candle used to light the other eight. Sometimes menorahs are displayed in windows as a way of publicizing the Hanukkah miracle. In some Jewish families, each person has a menorah. Some communities hold public menorah lighting ceremonies.

Another Hanukkah tradition is eating oily foods, in memory of the oil found in the Temple. Latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are popular treats. Other customs include playing a low-stakes gambling game with a four-sided top called a dreidel and giving gelt (money or chocolate coins) to children. Four Hebrew letters on the sides of a dreidel stand for the saying “A great miracle happened there,” referring to the miracle of the oil and the menorah. In some families, giving gifts is customary during Hanukkah. This custom may have developed as a response to Christmas gift-giving in largely Christian areas.

November 25, 2016

Today, Friday, November 25, is “Black Friday,” a day of shopping mania and early retail sales that follows the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. The day after Thanksgiving (which most people have off work and school, creating an extra-long weekend) has long been the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season. This special shopping day first earned the name “Black Friday” in 1961, when the term was used to warn people of traffic delays and the general mayhem associated with people rushing to secure shopping deals. Since then, the chaos has generally increased, resulting in occasional stampedes and chaos and even fights as people struggle to cash-in on “limited-time” savings.

Shoppers rush to grab deals in a store in the early hours of Black Friday in Laramie, Wyoming. Credit: Powhusku (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

For decades, the standard Black Friday opening time was 6 a.m., but those hours gradually crept backward, finally hitting midnight in the 2000’s. Many large retailers then gave up and just opened on Thanksgiving, angering many employees and even warding off some shoppers. In recent years, however, things have quieted somewhat, with many stores running Black Friday sales for several days, even weeks, and with a large percentage of people turning to the Internet to make purchases online. This large increase in e-commerce has created its own special shopping extravaganza, the Monday after Black Friday, which is commonly called “Cyber Monday.”

Shoppers camp out in Germantown, Maryland, to ensure they are first in line for Black Friday deals on Nov. 26, 2010. Credit: © K2 images/Shutterstock

Today, most people associate Black Friday with manic shopping, but other uses of the term are much more serious. “Black Friday” sometimes refers to Good Friday or Friday the 13^th, but most Black Fridays mark days of particular violence, unrest, or economic upheaval, such as battles, disasters, financial emergencies, massacres, riots, or scandals. Perhaps the most famous “Black” day of all, however, was not a Friday at all, but rather a Tuesday. On Black Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929, the stock market crashed and thousands of people lost huge sums of money. Black Tuesday is often tabbed as the beginning of the Great Depression.