Thankful

Today is Canada's Thanksgiving Day.

It's very smart of them to celebrate it earlier than the US, as they don't have much trouble, i would imagine, separating out taking the time to be thankful from the Season of Consumerism that comes at the end of the year.

In fact, i rather envy them this, and wish our Thanksgiving could be moved.  Traditional purists would decry this, but they also decry the constant encroachment of Consumerism Season upon it, and that's not going to stop.

Moving our time to give thanks to an earlier month would help.  The stores are still going to have their Christmas decor out by now (they do), because they have to order it early enough to have it in stock in time.  It would seem, though, that they wouldn't want to start Consumerism Season this early for fear of it fizzling out because it's being dragged out too long if it began now.

That would mean we could enjoy the time of giving thanks without having family members missing because they have to work the Consumerism Season sales events.  It's nice to dream about, that is for sure.

A very blessed Thanksgiving to all in Canada today!



Today is:

Anti-Columbus Day

Arafat Day -- Afghanistan; Bahrain; Djibouti; Egypt; Kuwait; Libya; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates

Be Bald and Be Free Day -- Wellcat Holidays wants everyone who is "shiny" to be proud of it!

Chisinau Day -- Chisinau, Moldova

Columbus Day/Discovery Day/Two Worlds Day/Anti-Columbus Day/Native Americans Day/Pan America Day -- observed, several countries
     American Indian Heritage Day -- AL, US
     Columbus Day (obs.) -- Turks and Caicos Islands; US and Territories
     Dia del Respet a la Diversidad Cultural -- Argentina
     Fraternal Day -- AL, US
     Native Americans' Day -- much of the US formally; almost everywhere informally (a day to mourn Native American victims of conquest and oppression, make peace, and celebrate the empowerment of Native Americans)

commonwealth Culture Day -- Northern Mariana Islands

Dasera/Dussehra -- Hindu (celebration of victory of Lord Rama over evil; observed in several countries, where days of celebration and official holidays will vary)

Dessert Day -- another one?

Dia del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural -- Argentina

Doburoku Matsuri -- Shirakawago, Japan (unrefined sake festival and harvest festival; through the 19th)

Durga Puja -- Hindu (celebration of the goddess Durga)

Eid al-Adha -- Islam (Festival of Sacrifice, a three day commemoration of Abraham's obedience and willingness to sacrifice his son; begins at sunset, local customs of date and official government days off in many places will vary)

Festival for the Penates -- Ancient Roman Calendar (gods of the storeroom)

First Fiddle of the Month -- Fairy Calendar

Fitness Day / Health-Sports Day -- Japan

Flag Day/Jour de la Proclamation de la Premiere Republique -- Madagascar (flag adopted this day in 1958)

Liberation Day -- Yemen

Lotu-a-Tamaiti -- Samoa; Tokelau (Day after White Sunday)

Mega Kenka Matsuri -- Hyogo, Japan (Roughhouse Festival, wrestling for a blessing; through tomorrow)

Mother's Day -- Belarus

Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Day -- Tanzania (climax of the Uhuru Torch Race)

National Chocolate Covered Insect Day -- i'll pass, sorry

National Education Day -- Poland

National Frump Day -- National FRUMPS of America (to honor the frugal, responsible, unpretentious, and mature people everywhere)

National Kick-Butt Day -- a day to kick yourself in the rump, jump start yourself to doing something you've been wanting to do and making excuses for not doing; begun by Sylvia Hendersonwww.springboardtraining.com

national lower case day -- someone wants us to not use all caps

Norfolk Island Agricultural Show Day -- Norfolk Island, Australia

Republic Day / October Revolution Day -- Yemen

St. Callistus' Day (Patron of cemetary workers)

St. Donatian of Rheims's Day (Patron of Bruges, Belgium; Rheims, France; West Flanders, Belgium)
St. Petca Paraskeva's Day (Patron of embroiderers, needle workers, spinners, weavers, and all who do needlework of any kind)related observance
     Petkouden -- Bulgaria

Svetitskovloba/Living Pillar Cathedral -- Georgia (celebration of the first Christian church in Georgia)

Thanksgiving -- Canada (Interfaith)

Vinternatsblot, a/k/a Haustblót -- Asatru (to bid Winter welcome; at the approximate date of the start of winter in the Old European Calendar of the Norse

Virgin Islands - Puerto Rico Friendship Day

World Rainforest Week begins -- Internationalwww.ran.org

World Standards Day -- International

Youth Day -- Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo)



Birthdays Today:

Harry Anderson, 1952
Sir Cliff Richard, 1940
Ralph Lauren, 1939
Roger Moore, 1927
John Wooden, 1910
e.e. cummings, 1894
Lillian Gish, 1893
Dwight Eisenhower, 1890
William Penn, 1644


Debuting/Premiering Today:

Winnie-The-Pooh is first published, 1926


Today in History:

William the Conqueror wins England in the Battle of Hastings, 1066
Robert the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, forcing Edward to accept Scotland's independence, 1322
Mary, Queen of Scots, goes on trial for conspiracy against Elizabeth I of England, 1586
Massachusetts enacts the first punitive legislation against the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), 1656
Rabbi Judah Hasid & Chayim Molocho arrive in Jerusalem, 1700
Henry Blair receives a patent for a corn planter, becoming the first black to obtain a US patent, 1834
The 15th and the last military Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate resigns in Japan, returning his power to the Emperor of Japan and thence to the re-established civil government of Japan, 1867
George Eastman patents paper-strip photographic film, 1884
Theodore Roosevelt is shot while campaigning in Milwaukee on the "Bull Moose" ticket, 1912
The children's book Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne, is first published, 1926
Ethel Merman makes her Broadway debut in "Girl Crazy", 1930
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the Indian Untouchable caste leader, converts to Buddhism along with 385,000 of his followers, 1956
Queen Elizabeth II becomes the first Canadian Monarch to open up an annual session of the Canadian Parliament, presenting her Speech from the Throne in Ottawa, Canada, 1957
The Cuban Missile Crisis begins when a U.S. Air Force U2 Reconnaissance pilot takes pictures of Soviet missiles being installed in Cuba, 1962
The city of Montreal, Quebec, begins the operation of its underground Montreal Metro rapid-transit system, 1966
The first live telecast from any manned spacecraft, the Apollo 7, 1968
The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, The Prime Minister of Israel, Yitzhak Rabin, and the Foreign Minister of Israel, Shimon Peres, receive the Nobel Peace Prize for their role in the establishment of the Oslo Accords , 1994
Indonesian rights groups applaud the end of a Suharto-era law that bans books deemed 'offensive' or a 'threat to public order,' 2010
A colony of stromatolites is discovered at the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, 2011