People gather at a Fourth of July parade in Huntington Beach, California, in 2019.
Credit: © Sal Augruso, Shutterstock

The Fourth of July is Independence Day in the United States. The day marks the nation’s birthday, July 4, 1776, when delegates to the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted the Declaration of Independence.

The delegates represented the 13 British colonies, which had come to resent the ever-increasing taxes and restrictions that King George III sought to impose on them. In April 1775, British troops had clashed with colonial militia at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, in effect signaling the outbreak of the American Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence explained the reasons for the colonists’ rejection of British rule, detailed the ways in which the British government had violated American rights, and declared the freedom of the American colonies from Britain. Its stirring opening paragraphs stated that the people of every country have the right to change or overthrow any government that violates their essential rights. The ideas expressed so majestically in the Declaration have long inspired the pursuit of freedom and self-government throughout the world. The American Revolution ended in 1783 when Britain recognized the independence of the United States.

July 4 is traditionally a day of patriotism and celebration, including a full menu of picnics or cookouts and fireworks, with popular side dishes of baseball, fairs, parades, and parties. In early days, American Independence Days were occasions for shows, games, military music, and fireworks. Today, most cities and states forbid the sale of fireworks, though many have large public fireworks displays organized by professionals. Many public officials are advising against setting off fireworks as the north grapples with Canadian wildfire smoke and the south faces intense heat waves.

The Fourth of July isn’t just a day for celebration, however. It’s also a good time to reflect on the promise of freedom outlined in the Declaration of Independence and to think about how various groups are still struggling to achieve that freedom.

Playing tricks on people has been an April Fools’ Day custom for hundreds of years. This illustration from the late 1700’s shows youngsters teasing an old man by tying a kite to his hair.
Credit: © Hulton Archive/iStock photo

Saturday, April 1st, was April Fools’ Day. April Fools’ Day is celebrated with jokes, pranks, and tricks in many cultures throughout the world. Whether it is a planned-out extravagant scheme or a simple harmless prank, April Fools’ Day can make for a lot of laughs and a good story!

In many countries, including the United States, it is the custom on this day to play tricks on people. A favorite joke is to send someone on a fool’s errand, a search for something that does not exist. In the United States, the victim is called an April Fool.

No one knows where the April Fools’ custom began. But some historians believe it may have started in France. There, the old New Year’s festival was observed from March 25 to April 1 and ended with an exchange of gifts. In the mid-1560′s, King Charles IX changed the New Year to January 1. People who still celebrated the New Year in April were called April fish and sent mock presents. April Fools’ Day may be related to the ancient Roman spring festival Hilaria, which celebrates the resurrection of the god Attis.

The BBC reported in 1957 that Swiss farmers had a record spaghetti crop, even showing a video of people harvesting pasta from trees! The National Public Radio (NPR) announced in 1992 that former President Richard Nixon would seek reelection twenty years after he left the Oval Office. NPR also ran an article in 2014 titled “Why Doesn’t America Read Anymore?” This article called out people who commented on articles without reading them. If you clicked on the article, then you were in on the joke!

However, in the United States, fast-food restaurants take the cake with April Fool’s Day shenanigans. In 1996, Taco Bell announced it purchased the Liberty Bell and that they were renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Later in 1998, Burger King debuted a left-handed “Whopper” for the occasion, tricking many people who wanted to try out the new type of sandwich.

On April Fools’ Day, it’s prank or be pranked! You have an entire year to think of a good prank for next year. Any ideas?

Hinduism is the primary religion of India and one of the largest religions in the world, based on the number of followers. These Indian women are lighting lamps for a major Hindu festival called Diwali, celebrated by Hindu communities worldwide.
Credit: AP/Wide World

Happy Diwali! It is a time for family, flowers, fireworks, lights, sweet treats, and vibrant silks. Diwali,also spelled Divali or Dipavali, is a major Hindu festival. It is sometimes called the festival of lights. It is celebrated in all parts of India, where it is a national holiday, and in Hindu communities worldwide. Just recently New York City Public Schools announced Diwali will be recognized as an official holiday starting in 2023. Diwali is scheduled based on the phases of the moon. The festivities normally fall after India cools down from summer but before monsoon season begins.

Diwali lasts from two to five days, depending on local custom. It falls during the Hindu month of Kartika (October to November). The high point of Diwali is the day of the new moon, which is New Year’s Day in some parts of India. Dipavali is a Sanskrit term that means row of lights. During Diwali, people decorate their homes and Hindu temples with small earthenware oil lamps. They also may visit each other, exchange gifts and greeting cards, and wear new clothes.

During Diwali, a major Hindu festival, people decorate their homes and temples with small earthenware oil lamps. The name Diwali comes from a Sanskrit word meaning row of lights. This picture shows a man in India lighting Diwali lamps that are decorated with flowers.
Credit: © Bob Krist, Corbis

Diwali has different meanings for different groups of Hindus, but it usually honors Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Thus, Diwali has a special importance for business owners, merchants, and shopkeepers, who pray to Lakshmi during the festival. For these people, Diwali lamps are meant to help Lakshmi find her way into the homes of the faithful to give them prosperity. For others, the lamps light the path of ancestors who have visited earth. The lamps also symbolize the turning of the seasons and of the human spirit from darkness to light.

Diwali also commemorates the return of Rama and his wife, Sita, to the holy city of Ayodhya after 14 years in exile. Rama is the hero of the ancient Sanskrit the Ramayana. The Diwali lamps serve to welcome the returning couple. In West Bengal, Diwali is associated with Kali, the goddess of destruction.

Followers of the Sikh religion also celebrate Diwali. It marks the release from prison in 1619 of Guru Hargobind by the Mughal emperor. Guru Hargobind was the sixth Sikh guru (spiritual leader). Like Hindus, Sikhs exchange gifts and light lamps in their homes and temples during the festival.

Vira-nirvana, a one-day Jain festival, coincides with Diwali and shares some of its features. Vira-nirvana marks the passing of Mahavira, who organized the Jain religion, into nirvana. Nirvana is a state of perfect peace outside the cycle of birth and death. Many Jains devote this day to fasting and meditation. They also light lamps to mark Mahavira’s passing.

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.