Veterans Day, November 11 United States

Celebrated in the United States on November 11th, Veterans Day is the time to honor those who have served in the countries armed forces.  Unlike Memorial Day which is to honor those who have died, today is for both those and those still with us.

Originally today was to be celebrated as Armistice Day, when we would look to keeping the peace between nations of the world.  The date chosen was do to the fact that while a peace treaty had been signed previously the 11th hour of the 11 day of the 11 month was chosen as the moment when hostilities would cease at the culmination of World War I (of the Great War as it was known then).  After World War II and the Korean war a call from veteran organizations lobyed that all veterans should be honored.  The Congress and President formally declared that the act creating Armistice Day would be amended by striking out Armistice and replacing it with Veterans.

Today will have parades filled with veterans in many city and towns through out the United States.  I am actually going to join one here in Nashville Tennessee as I served in the Air Force.  This is the first time I have ever actually taken part of the Veterans Day celebrations, not because I had reasons not to I just had never taken the time to do so in the past and felt it was time to change that.

I will add pictures after the parade.

Links:

http://www1.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

Tori no Ichi Festival, Japan November 8th 2012

A day to bring good luck into your life for the upcoming year, the first Rooster day in November people will go to the Tori no Ichi Festival at the Otori-jinja Shrine and other shrines around the country.

Rooster day does not coincide with a specific day on the calander that most people now use, it is part of the lunur or Chines calander so the day moves from year to year.  This is a harvest festival and would take place after the new year so like many new year traditions and celebrations this revolves around trying to bring good luck for the following year.

To bring this good luck the most important thing to get is a bambo rake decarated with a traditional mask and old gold coins.  This will let you rake in the good luck for the future in health, wealth and business.

Links: 

http://www.torinoichi.jp/english/index.htm

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/festival/torinoichi.html

Guy Fawkes Day, November 5th

Through out Great Britton on the 5th of every November there are bonfires, fireworks and effigies being burned.  Now seen more as a time to get together with family, friends and the community the history of Guy Fawkes day has been much more violent and controversial.  

Today events are put on by charities and community government and are well regulated.  Children, not long ago, would go around asking for money with the phrase "Penny for Guy" to pay for the effigy of Guy Fawkes and the wood for the bonfire that would accompany and burn the effigy.  While the practice of asking for money has fallen out of favor, the making of the effigies has not.  While Guy has been a standard person to burn through out the history of the celebration others have also been used and in some cases over shadowed him.  This is a time of year when people will show their displeasure with the government and important people there in.

The first celebrations were in 1605 the year of the Gun Power Rebellion when Guy Fawkes and several other members of a conspiracy plotted and even started to carry out an assassination attempt of King James I.  Intending to blow up Parliament on the opening day when the King would be in attendance, the group had placed barrels and barrels of gun powder near or under the building.  Early in the morning of the 5th, after the government was tipped off, a search was done of the area and Guy was found guarding the gunpowder.  After being caught and questioned he was sentenced to death but took his own life just prior to the execution.  The reason for the pot was to install a new monarch who would have been Catholic there by bringing England back to the Catholic church.  The strife between the Protestants and Catholics during this time caused many years and conflict.  With this plot being subverted it was seen as a time to show how they had stayed away from the rule of the church as it was seen by the Protestant.  During many times since 1605, the Pope was also made in effigies to go along side Guy in the bonfire though relations have gotten much better since then.

This date has also been used as a time to cause and do mayhem a time to show disobidience to goverment and the rule of law.  Because of this at times there have been crack downs to the celebrations of the day, now mostly there are the problems of childern stealing wood from one bonfire to put on theirs. 

Today there are people saying that the celebration is in a state of decline but it has also been pointed out that this has been said of Guy Fawkes Day before.

Link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, October 17

The United Nations, through Resolution 47/196, established October 17 as International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.  While this resolution was passed in December of 1992 the date can be traced back to 1987.  This was the day that over 100,000 people gathered at the Trocadéro in Paris.  The same location where, in 1948 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed.

The intention of today being designated as such is to draw attention to the devastating effect that poverty has on both the individual and society where it resides.  To allow extreme poverty to exist in a society is against the idea of human rights.  This year the focus is on the idea that extreme poverty perpetuates a cycle of violence and discrimination.  Officially the theme is  “Ending the Violence of Extreme Poverty: Promoting Empowerment and Building Peace".

People are encouraged to show support and maybe find things they can do by going to http://www.endpoverty2015.org/ or http://overcomingpoverty.org/

Akita Kanto Matsuri, August 3-6

In the city of Akita Japan, is the lantern festival Kanto. Now when they do a lantern festival they really do it.  At night there is an area about 1 kilometer long with approximately 250 Kantos.  This may not seem like many but take into consideration that the larger ones may be 12 meters (36 feet) tall,  weigh 50 kilograms (about 100 pounds) and have 46 lanterns light by actual candles that the performers are balancing on different parts of their bodies.  They are to make sure the light does not go out.  There are smaller ones as well but still that is incredible.

The festivals or Matsuri is intended to drive away illness.

The big demonstration happens all three nights and last for about 90 minutes but there is normally time after for talking with the performers and getting your picture taken with them as well, some lucky souls may even be able to try their hand at it as well.  During the day there are demonstrations as well and people are encouraged to visit.

Links:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3627.html

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/attractions/event/traditionalevents/a42_fes_akita.html