The month of November brings with it an eerie post-Halloween lull, and the urge to escape a pre-pre-Christmas limbo. Having nothing to celebrate may seem like your only option but fret not! The world is full of so many different cultures, celebrating holidays that one can’t even imagine.
All Saints Day and All Souls Day is celebrated every year on the 1st and 2nd of November, right after Halloween, and believe it or not, it is not a coincidence. These days were first celebrated in May to recognise all the saints of the Christian Church and souls that have passed and gone on to heaven. However, these days were moved to November to downplay the Pagan holiday of Halloween, since it was too popular to ban. The Church hoped that if downplayed, the holiday would die off over time.
A more absurd holiday celebrated on November 15th is Clean Your Refrigerator Day in America. The origins of this holiday are unknown, but it is speculated that it is “celebrated” to make more room in your fridge before Thanksgiving. This leads us to American Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and falls on November 23rd this year. On this day, most families share a meal together, which usually consists of turkey. Traditionally, the meal is accompanied with prayers which perpetuate a sense of gratefulness. Thanksgiving originated as a way to say thanks to God for a good crop by the early settlers.
Another important American holiday that all shopaholics have a love-hate relationship with is Black Friday, celebrated on the Friday right after Thanksgiving. This time it is November 24th. It is regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and most stores have special “Black Friday Deals” to encourage shopping.
If you need another reason to celebrate on the Friday of November 24th (and go a little crazy with it), “All Our Uncles Are Monkeys Day” is also celebrated on this day. This is celebrated on the anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin’s book, On the Origin of Species in 1859. It is also the anniversary of the discovery of “Lucy”, the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton, by Donald Johanson and Tom Gray in 1974, a milestone in the study of evolution, and therefore, is also called “Evolution Day” for short.
If all these holidays still don’t interest you, you can always celebrate “Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day” on the 30th of November and stay in the spirit of celebration from Halloween, all the way till Christmas.
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