Festival For The Souls Of Dead Whales - National Geographic says this is a holiday for the Inuit people of Alaska. But the director of the Inuit Heritage Center never heard of it when he was asked by Hayden Harrison of “Every Day’s a Holiday” blog. But whaling is so important to survival in the arctic that it makes sense that they would have many holidays related to it.
Dewey Decimal System Day – Melville Louis Kossuth Dewey was born on this day in 1851. Mr. Dewey was a librarian, educator and inventor of the Dewey Decimal system which has been used to organize libraries for many decades now. Although he was a brilliant innovator, he was a difficult person to like for many reasons. Hence the title of his biography by Anna Elliot, “Melvil Dewey: A Singular and Contentious Life.” I do not know why his first name in the title of the book is so different from the actual spelling of his first name, unless my source for the second is less accurate than the first or vice versa. Or maybe he chose to shorten it himself. You know, “My name is Melville, but call me Melvil.”
International Animal Rights Day – This is a day to recognize the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (UDAR) and to remember the animals who have suffered at the hands of humans. The goal is to persuade all of humanity that animals deserve the same basic human rights that humans enjoy. Alas, so far the government disagrees. This day was chosen because it is the Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights so in 1994, 50 years after that Declaration, The group known as Uncaged created this day to campaign against animal experiments and advocate for the rights of all animals.
National Lager Day – The most common kind of beer in the world, except in England, lager is German and ferments and ages slowly at cool temperatures. As opposed to ale which is common in England and ferments and ages quickly at warm temperatures. There is apparently a big difference in the flavor of the two kinds of beer. I haven't yet met a beer that I enjoy so I am hardly an expert. But those of you who are, enjoy your lager today.
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day – Created by the Compassionate Friends, this is a day for the world to join together and light candles at 7pm local time for one hour to honor all those children who have left us to try to live this life without them. This is believed to be the largest mass candle lighting in the world. This day is celebrated on the second Sunday in December every year since 1997.
Human Rights Day – Proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1950, this is a day to tell the world about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and encourage every country on the planet to adopt it. The United Nations is dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights for all.
Nobel Prize Day – Alfred Nobel, who was born on October 21st, 1833 in Sweden, was a chemist, engineer and inventor. In the eve of his life, his brother Ludvig died but the obituary wrongly named Alfred as the deceased. This got him to thinking about what his legacy would be when he did eventually pass and caused him to revise his will several times in his remaining eight years. The final version declared that his considerable fortune should be used to create prizes for those who confer the “greatest benefit on mankind” in the areas of physics, chemistry, peace, physiology or medicine and literature. Mr. Nobel died on this day in 1896 at the age of 63 years old. In 1897, the executors of his will created the Nobel Foundation.
US National Guard Birthday – Today the National Guard celebrates its' 379th birthday. It was created on this day in 1636 when the Massachusetts General Court mandated that all able-bodied men between 16 and 60 were required to join the Militia. It has since grown into a huge military force that is still firmly rooted in the community it has served for so long.
World Choral Day – Also celebrated on the second Sunday, this is a day for choirs around the world to join together in song. Thousands of choirs and millions of singers from countries everywhere have participated in this event over the past twenty years in the form of concerts, festivals, sing-a-longs and other events. This years theme for the day is Integration. This day was created by Alberto Grau from the International Federation for Choral Music in 1990 for the purpose of spreading the message of peace by using music to break through political, religious and racial divides and connecting through the beauty of music.
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