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Holidays & Observances
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latino and Hispanic communities. Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 will last from Friday, September 15, 2023 through Sunday, October 15, 2023. The event commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large.
The reasoning behind choosing these specific 31 days is that it coincides with the Independence Day celebrations of several Latin American countries. September 15th marks the Independence Day celebrations in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, which all declared independence from Spain on that day in 1821. Mexico declared independence from Spain on September 16th, 1810, while Chile declared independence from Spain on September 18th, 1810 and Belize declared independence from Great Britain on September 21st, 1981.
The term Hispanic or Latino (or the more recent term Latinx) refers to a person’s culture or origin—regardless of race. On the 2020 Census form, people were counted as Hispanic or Latino or Spanish if they could identify as having Mexican, Mexican American, Chicano, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or “another Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.”
Hispanic Heritage Month actually began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation the same day.
Hispanic Heritage Month provides an additional opportunity to explore the incredible impact Latinas and Latinos have had on the United States for generations. The Latino presence in America spans centuries, predating Spain’s colonization of what is now part of the United States, and they have been an integral part of shaping our nation since the Revolutionary War. Through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Treaty of Paris that followed the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars, the United States gained territories in the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This incorporated the people of this area into the United States and further expanded the presence of Hispanic Americans.
Today, the Latino population in the United States today is over 60 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This makes up 18.9% of the total population and is the largest racial or ethnic group. Latinos continue to help fuel our economy and enrich our nation as entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, entertainers, scientists, public servants, and much more.
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October is Italian-American Heritage Month which recognizes the contributions and achievements of Italian-Americans. According to the Italian American Studies Association, the current population of Italian Americans (i.e. Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry) is about 18 million, corresponding to about 5.4% of the total population of the United States. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, with significant communities also residing in many other major U.S. metropolitan areas.
Italian-Americans have made many contributions to the U.S., especially in art, humanities, and sciences. In 1880, Italians began migrating to the U.S. to flee rural poverty in Southern Italy and Sicily, and today, Americans of Italian descent are the nation's fifth-largest ethnic group.
Italian-American Heritage Month was first celebrated in 1989 with a proclamation of the United States Congress and President George H. W. Bush. This year marks the 35th anniversary of that proclamation.
Each year Italians around the country take time to celebrate their heritage, history, and culture with festivals and parades. The largest parade occurs on Columbus Day in New York City and has over 35,000 marchers!
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In October, Americans observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by paying tribute to the accomplishments of the men and women with disabilities whose work helps keep the nation’s economy strong and by reaffirming their commitment to ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. NDEAM celebrates the contributions of America’s workers with disabilities past and present and showcases supportive, inclusive employment policies and practices that benefit employers and employees.
This effort to educate the public about the issues related to disability and employment began in 1945, when Congress enacted Public Law 176, declaring the first week of October each year as National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. In 1962, the word “physically” was removed to acknowledge the employment needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities. Some 25 years later, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
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For the fourth year in a row, the United States will officially observe Indigenous Peoples Day alongside Columbus Day. Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrates the history and contributions of Native Americans.Observing this day is a way to center and celebrate the histories, resilience, and contributions of Indigenous peoples. It is a time to focus on contemporary Native communities, dispel myths and misinformation, and support more accurate and authentic representations of Native Americans. In 2024, the holiday falls on Monday, October 14.
On May 24, 2023, after a recount of the original Annual Town Election vote of May 2 and & by a narrow margin of 15 votes the residents of the Town of Westford passed a ballot question that made the 2nd Monday in October Indigenous Peoples’ Day, superseding previous local references to Columbus Day.
President Biden became the first U.S. president to issue a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2021, writing, "Today, we recognize Indigenous peoples’ resilience and strength as well as the immeasurable positive impact that they have made on every aspect of American society." While the Joe Biden administration has officially recognized Indigenous Peoples' Day since 2021, it is not yet a federal holiday. More than a dozen states recognize some version of the holiday in place of Columbus Day. Some states and cities, however, still celebrate Columbus Day or Italian Heritage Day.
As of 2023, some 29 states do not celebrate Columbus Day and have renamed it or replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Some states recognize Indigenous Peoples Day via proclamation, while others treat it as an official holiday. Among the states where the holiday is observed or honored are Alaska, Minnesota, Vermont, Iowa, North Carolina, California, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Virginia, Oregon, Texas, as well as South Dakota, which celebrates Native Americans’ Day, Hawaii, which celebrates Discoverers' Day, and Alabama, which celebrates American Indian Heritage Day. Washington, D.C. also recognizes the holiday.
There has been some effort to formally designate Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday. The Indigenous Peoples' Day Act, reintroduced in Congress on October 2, 2023, would designate the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day nationwide.
“Our country has long failed to recognize and acknowledge its dark history of erasure and harm brought upon the first inhabitants of the Americas,” said California Congresswoman Norma Torres in a statement. “By designating Indigenous Peoples’ Day a federal holiday, we take a small but important step toward recognizing the injustices in our nation’s history and uplifting the vibrant traditions, history, and culture of all Indigenous communities—an integral part of the cultural fabric of the United States.” The bill currently has 56 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 11 cosponsors in the Senate.
Ways to Celebrate
TBD
Additional Resources
Check out Indigenous Peoples’ Day Massachusetts to learn more about efforts to officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a state holiday.
Unlearning Columbus Day Myths: Celebrating Indigenous Peoples' Day
What is Indigenous Peoples Day? A day of celebration, protest and reclaiming history
Tips for Talking and Teaching About Indigenous People
Native Now: How to Talk in a Respectful Way About and With Native Peoples
National Museum of the American Indian: Terminology
Native Knowledge 360° Essential Understandings about American Indians: A framework from NMAI that highlights key concepts about the rich and diverse cultures, histories, and contemporary lives of Native Peoples
Columbus Day is a U.S. holiday that commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. Though it was unofficially celebrated in a number of cities and states it since late 18th century it did not become a federal holiday until 1937. The first recorded celebration of Columbus Day in the US took place on October 12, 1792. Organized by the Society of St. Tammany, also known as the Columbian Order, it commemorated the 300th anniversary of Columbus’ landing.
Although his explorations were financed by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Columbus was a native of Genoa, Italy, and over the years Italian Americans took up the cause of honouring his achievement. The 300th anniversary of his landing was celebrated in New York City in 1792 by the Society of St. Tammany, or Columbian Order, and the 400th anniversary, in 1892, by presidential proclamation nationwide. During the latter half of the 19th century, the day began to be celebrated in cities with large numbers of Italian Americans, and in 1937 it became a national holiday by presidential proclamation. The day came to be marked by parades, often including floats depicting the ships of Columbus, and by public ceremonies and festivities. By the quincentennial in 1992, the holiday was an occasion for discussing the European conquest of American Indians, and some people objected to celebrating the event.
For many, the holiday is a way of both honoring Columbus’ achievements and celebrating Italian-American heritage. But throughout its history, Columbus Day and the man who inspired it have generated controversy, and many alternatives to the holiday have proposed since the 1970s including Indigenous Peoples' Day, now celebrated in many U.S. states and cities.
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Navratri, (Sanskrit: “Nine Nights”) in Hinduism, major festival held in honour of the divine feminine. Navratri occurs over 9 days during the month of Ashvin (in the Gregorian calendar, usually Sep–Oct). It ends with the Dussehra (also called Vijayadashami) celebration on the 10th day. In some parts of India, Dussehra is considered a focal point of the festival, making it effectively span 10 days instead of 9. Additionally, as Navratri depends on the lunar calendar, in some years it may be celebrated for 8 days, with Dussehra on the 9th. There are four similar festivals, also called Navratri, which are held at various times of the year. However, the early autumn festival, also called Sharad Navratri, is the most significant. It begins on the same day as Durga Puja, a 10-day festival devoted to the victory of the goddess Durga, which is particularly celebrated in certain eastern states.
Navratri is celebrated differently in India’s various regions -
For many people it is a time of religious reflection and fasting, while for others it is a time for dancing and feasting.
Among fasting customs are observing a strict vegetarian diet and abstaining from alcohol and certain spices.
Typically, the festival’s nine nights are dedicated to different aspects of the divine feminine principle, or shakti.
While the pattern varies somewhat by region, generally the first third of the festival focuses on aspects of the goddess Durga, the second third on the goddess Lakshmi, and the final third on the goddess Sarasvati.
Offerings are often made to the goddesses and their various aspects, and rituals are performed in their honour.
One popular ritual is Kanya Puja, which takes place on the eighth or ninth day. In this ritual nine young girls are dressed as the nine goddess aspects celebrated during Navratri and are worshipped with ritual foot washing and given offerings such as food and clothing.
In some parts of India, Navaratri/Dussehra is associated with the victory of the god Rama over the demon-king Ravana.
In northern India the Ram Lila (“Play of Rama”) is the highlight of the festival. On successive nights different episodes of the epic poem the Ramayana are dramatized by young actors elaborately costumed and masked; the pageant is always climaxed by the burning of huge effigies of the demons on the 10th day (Dussehra)
Among some followers of the goddess Durga, who are particularly predominant in Odisha, Bengal and Assam, the festival is known as or coincides with the Durga Puja (“Rite of Durga”).
In addition to family observances, the puja, or ritual, days are also celebrated with public concerts, recitations, plays, and fairs.
The celebration of Durga-Puja in Kolkata, West Bengal has been given the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) tag.
In Nepal, Dussehra is also known as Dashain and is the longest Hindu festival in the country. It is celebrated over two weeks with prayers and offerings to Goddess Durga.
Navaratri is not only about honoring the role the various female manifestations (e.g. Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati) play in Hinduism, but also the role the loving, compassionate, and gentle, yet sometimes powerful and fierce feminine energy plays in our lives.
This is a good time of the year to recognize (at school & in the town) nine female leaders who have made an international, national, or local impact.
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This is the longest Hindu festival in Nepal, traditionally celebrated for two weeks with prayers and offerings to Durga, the Universal Mother Goddess. It is also celebrated by Nepali-Indian people who live in the Indian states of Sikkim, Assam and the Darjeeling district of West Bengal. Lhotshampa people in Bhutan and Burmese Gurkhas in Myanmar also celebrate this festival.. Dashain is a time for family reunions, exchange of gifts and blessings, and elaborate pujas (rituals).
Goddess Durga, symbolizing valor and prowess, is worshipped and offered sacrifices to ensure the devotees' progress and prosperity. During the first ten days, pilgrims flock to various river confluences early in the morning and sacred shrines in the evening. Ghatasthapana, Phool Pati, Mahaastami, Nawami and Vijaya Dashami are the series of the events under Dashain each marked with a different set of rituals (read more in additional resources).
Dashain celebrations involve various customs and traditions. Here are ten ways people celebrate Dashain in Nepal:
1. Family Reunions: During Dashain, family members come together, often traveling long distances to celebrate with their loved ones. It's a time for family bonding and togetherness. This is particularly important as many Nepalis are outside the country for employment.
1. Family Reunions: During Dashain, family members come together, often traveling long distances to celebrate with their loved ones. It's a time for family bonding and togetherness. This is particularly important as many Nepalis are outside the country for employment.
2. Flying Kites: Kite flying is a popular tradition during Dashain. People of all ages fly colorful kites, and competitions are held among kite flyers. Hindus believe that the flying kites send a message to the rain god to stop sending more rain.
2. Flying Kites: Kite flying is a popular tradition during Dashain. People of all ages fly colorful kites, and competitions are held among kite flyers. Hindus believe that the flying kites send a message to the rain god to stop sending more rain.
3. Swings (Ping): Swing sets are erected in many public places, and people, especially children, enjoy swinging on them. It's a symbol of fun and festivity. You can see traditional temporary swings made from bamboo and ropes. In cities, there are modern swings different from traditional ones.
3. Swings (Ping): Swing sets are erected in many public places, and people, especially children, enjoy swinging on them. It's a symbol of fun and festivity. You can see traditional temporary swings made from bamboo and ropes. In cities, there are modern swings different from traditional ones.
4. New Clothes and Gifts: People wear new clothes during Dashain and exchange gifts among family and friends. This symbolizes the renewal of relationships. The children mostly enjoy their new clothes. We believe that this tradition of wearing new clothes began when the clothes were not very affordable.
4. New Clothes and Gifts: People wear new clothes during Dashain and exchange gifts among family and friends. This symbolizes the renewal of relationships. The children mostly enjoy their new clothes. We believe that this tradition of wearing new clothes began when the clothes were not very affordable.
5. Tika and Jamara: Elders bless the young ones by applying Tika (a mixture of yogurt, rice, and vermillion) and placing Jamara (barley grass) on their foreheads. This symbolizes protection and good fortune.
5. Tika and Jamara: Elders bless the young ones by applying Tika (a mixture of yogurt, rice, and vermillion) and placing Jamara (barley grass) on their foreheads. This symbolizes protection and good fortune.
6. Animal Sacrifice: Sacrificing animals like goats, buffaloes, or chickens to honor the goddess Durga is quite common. The meat is then shared among family and friends. Vegetarians cut vegetables as a symbol of offering to Durga.
6. Animal Sacrifice: Sacrificing animals like goats, buffaloes, or chickens to honor the goddess Durga is quite common. The meat is then shared among family and friends. Vegetarians cut vegetables as a symbol of offering to Durga.
7. Card Games and Gambling: Though illegal, people do gamble in Dashain. It's a time when people enjoy friendly competitions and games. You can observe several types of gambling, like cards, kauda, and Langur Burja during Dashain.
7. Card Games and Gambling: Though illegal, people do gamble in Dashain. It's a time when people enjoy friendly competitions and games. You can observe several types of gambling, like cards, kauda, and Langur Burja during Dashain.
8. Visiting Temples and Shrines: Many people visit temples and shrines to seek blessings and offer their prayers to the goddess Durga. Nepal has thousands of temples in each and every corner of the country, especially in the Kathmandu Valley.
8. Visiting Temples and Shrines: Many people visit temples and shrines to seek blessings and offer their prayers to the goddess Durga. Nepal has thousands of temples in each and every corner of the country, especially in the Kathmandu Valley.
9.Music and Dance: Festive music and traditional dances are performed in various communities. It's a time for cultural expression and entertainment. You can hear special celebratory tunes throughout Nepal during Dashain.
9.Music and Dance: Festive music and traditional dances are performed in various communities. It's a time for cultural expression and entertainment. You can hear special celebratory tunes throughout Nepal during Dashain.
10. Feasting: No festival is complete without good food. Dashain is a time of indulgence in delicious Nepali cuisine. Families prepare elaborate feasts with dishes like sel roti, mutton curry, and sweets.
10. Feasting: No festival is complete without good food. Dashain is a time of indulgence in delicious Nepali cuisine. Families prepare elaborate feasts with dishes like sel roti, mutton curry, and sweets.
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Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra,Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri. It is observed on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin, the seventh in the Hindu lunisolar calendar.The festival typically falls in the Gregorian calendar months of September and October.
Vijayadashami is observed for different reasons and celebrated differently in various parts of the Indian subcontinent.In the southern, eastern, northeastern, and some northern states of India, Vijayadashami marks the end of Durga Puja, commemorating goddess Durga's victory against the buffalo-demon Mahishasura to restore and protect dharma. In the northern, central, and western states, it marks the end of Ramlila and commemorates the deity Rama's victory over the demon-king Ravana. Alternatively, it marks a reverence for Durga one of the aspects of the feminine power (Shakti)
Vijayadashami celebrations include processions to a river or ocean front that involve carrying clay statues of Durga,Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya, accompanied by music and chants, after which the images are immersed in the water for dissolution and farewell. In other places, towering effigies of Ravana, symbolising evil, are burnt with fireworks, marking evil's destruction. The festival also starts the preparations for Diwali, the important festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami.
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Halloween, is a holiday observed on October 31 and is noted for its pagan and religious roots and secular traditions. In much of Europe and most of North America, observance of Halloween is largely nonreligious, celebrated with parties, spooky costumes, jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin carvings, and the giving of candy. But the holiday also marks the beginning of Allhallotide, a three-day Christian triduum dedicated to remembering the dead that begins with Halloween (October 31) and is followed by All Saints’ Day (November 1) and All Souls’ Day (November 2).
Halloween had its origins in the festival of Samhain among the Celts of ancient Britainand Ireland. On the day corresponding to November 1 on contemporary calendars, the new year was believed to begin. That date was considered the beginning of the winter period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed. During the Samhain festival the souls of those who had died were believed to return to visit their homes, and those who had died during the year were believed to journey to the otherworld. People set bonfires on hilltops for relighting their hearth fires for the winter and to frighten away evil spirits, and they sometimes wore masks and other disguises to avoid being recognized by the ghosts thought to be present. It was in those ways that beings such as witches, hobgoblins, fairies, and demons came to be associated with the day. The period was also thought to be favourable for divination on matters such as marriage, health, and death. When the Romans conquered the Celts in the 1st century CE, they added their own festivals of Feralia, commemorating the passing of the dead, and of Pomona, the goddess of the harvest.
In the 7th century CE Pope Boniface IV established All Saints’ Day, originally on May 13, and in the following century, perhaps in an effort to supplant the pagan holiday with a Christian observance, it was moved to November 1. The evening before All Saints’ Day became a holy, or hallowed, eve, from which the word "Halloween" evolved. By the end of the Middle Ages, the secular and the sacred days had merged. The Reformation essentially put an end to the religious holiday among Protestants, although in Britain especially Halloween continued to be celebrated as a secular holiday. Along with other festivities, the celebration of Halloween was largely forbidden among the early American colonists, although in the 1800s there developed festivals that marked the harvest and incorporated elements of Halloween. When large numbers of immigrants, including the Irish, went to the United States beginning in the mid 19th century, they took their Halloween customs with them, and in the 20th century Halloween became one of the principal U.S. holidays, particularly among children.
As a secular holiday, Halloween has come to be associated with a number of activities. One is the practice of pulling usually harmless pranks. Celebrants wear masks and costumes for parties and for trick-or-treating, thought to have derived from the British practice of allowing the poor to beg for food, called “soul cakes.” Trick-or-treaters go from house to house with the threat that they will pull a trick if they do not receive a treat, usually candy. Halloween parties often include games such as bobbing for apples, perhaps derived from the Roman celebration of Pomona. Along with skeletons and black cats, the holiday has incorporated scary beings such as ghosts, witches, and vampires into the celebration. Another symbol is the jack-o’-lantern, a hollowed-out pumpkin, originally a turnip, carved into a demonic face and lit with a candle inside. Since the mid-20th century the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has attempted to make the collection of money for its programs a part of Halloween.
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