Diversity Calendar - November, 2009

November 2009

National American Indian Heritage Month. The term "American Indian" incorporates hundreds of different tribes and approximately 250 languages. Starting in 1976 as Native American Awareness Week, the period was expanded by Congress and approved by President George H. W. Bush in August 1990 by designating the month of November as National American Indian Heritage Month. In his proclamation for 1996, President Clinton noted, "Throughout our history, American Indian and Alaska Native peoples have been an integral part of the American character. Against all odds, America's first peoples have endured, and they remain a vital cultural, political, social, and moral presence." For more information, contact the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 202-208-3710. (Also see discussion under Notes on Calendar Entries.)

November 1, Sunday

All Saints Day : Christian. This Christian holiday celebrates the memory of the Christian saints and martyrs, and also of family members who have died. In many countries, including Spain, Mexico and Poland it is a public holiday. People visit family graves. Russians often take vodka and snacks with them, making the occasion joyful as well as solemn. In Mexico, the holiday is called Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, and is one of the most important and dramatic holidays of the year. It is a Roman Catholic holy day of obligation.

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos): Mexico.

Beginning on the evening of October 31 and celebrated through November 2 by Mexicans and Mexican Americans, this holiday has its roots in two traditions: the Christian observance of All Saints and All Souls Day, and two Aztec festivals in which the souls of the dead were welcomed back to visit those who remembered them. Central to the observance is the creation of an ofrenda, or altar, in the home, with flowers, foods, and favorite possessions to honor the memory of deceased loved ones and to welcome their visiting souls. The holiday is celebrated with family and community gatherings, music, and feasting, and the festivity of its observance acknowledges death as an integral part of life.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: In Mexico, candy sculls and skeletons are popular treats, along with pan de muerto, a sweet bread decorated with bones and skulls and colored sprinkles. In southern Italy, children receive baskets filled with nuts, pomegranates, and martorana, colored marzipan fruit, and are told it is a gift from their ancestors. Also popular throughout Italy are skull- or bone-shaped cookies made from ground almonds and eggs, sometimes flavored with cocoa, called osso da mordere, or dead man’s bones, and butter cookies flavored with rum or brandy called fave dei morti, or dead man’s beans, both of which are hidden as a present to the children from the departed ones. In Balkan countries, kolivo or zhito, a wheat porridge with raisins and honey, is topped with silver dragees or almonds to make a cross and the initials of the dead.

Children's Day : Panama. Public holiday.

World War I Victory Day observed : Italy. This marks the end of the war in Italy in 1918. (See entry for Remembrance Day (Armistice Day).) (m)

November 2, Monday

All Souls Day : Christian. This is a Roman Catholic holiday for commemorating those souls who have been baptized, but who are still considered to be in purgatory for committing lesser sins. Prayers offered on their behalf are thought by Roman Catholics to help cleanse these sins and increase their likelihood of entering heaven.

Guru Nanak Ji's Birthday : Sikh.

This holiday celebrates the birth of Guru Nanak (1469–1539), the founder of Sikhism. Sikhism, which comes from the Hindi word sikh, meaning “disciple,” is one of the three religions most widely practiced in India with approximately 16 million followers, mostly concentrated in the state of Punjab in northern India. Sikhism is based on the revelations of its founder, the mystic guru Nanak. It opposes idolatry and emphasizes the unity of one god and all peoples. Although the Nanakshahi calendar has converted most Sikh holidays to fixed dates in the Gregorian solar calendar, out of deference to the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Ji’s birthday continues to be celebrated on the traditional Bikarami lunar date. Sikhs also celebrate the birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Ji (1666–1708). (See discussion under Days of Religious Observance and entry for Guru Gobind Singh Ji’s Birthday.) (m)

Anniversary of the Crowning of Haile Selassie : Rastafarian. This sacred holiday for the Rastafarians commemorates the coronation of Ras (Prince) Tafari Makonnen as Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930. The name “Haile Selassie” means “Power of the Trinity” in Amharic, and to his followers Emperor Haile Selassie was known as the King of Kings, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, King of Zion, and the 225th restorer of the Solomonic Dynasty. The Rastafarians, believing that the coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie was the fulfillment of Marcus Garvey’s prophecy that a Black king would one day become redeemer of the Black people, took the Emperor’s pre-coronation name of Ras Tafari as the official name of their religious movement. Although the Rastafarians hailed him as their messiah, Emperor Haile Selassie was a devout Christian and did not share the Rastafarian beliefs. (See entry for Birthday of Haile Selassie.)

November 3, Tuesday

General Election Day : United States. (m)

Independence of Cuenca : Ecuador. This marks the day in 1820 that Cuenca, Ecuador declared its independence from Spain.

Culture Day (Bunka No Hi) : Japan.

This public holiday was established in 1948 to promote the appreciation of peace and culture. The emperor awards Cultural Orders of Merit to those who have made major contributions to Japanese culture.

Independence from Colombia : Panama. After the Spanish conquest of Colombia in the fourteenth century, Spain established colonies in Panama, which became part of Colombia. In 1903, Panamanians, supported by the United States which wanted to build a canal across the country, revolted and declared Panama independent of Colombia.

November 4, Wednesday

Flag Day : Panama. Public holiday.

National Unity Day : Russia. This is a public holiday commemorating the liberation of Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian occupation in 1612, bringing to an end decades of civil war and foreign intervention in Russia known as the Time of Troubles. Also on this date in 1721 (October 22 according to the Julian calendar), Peter the Great was acclaimed “Father of the Nation and Emperor,” effectively creating the Russian Empire.

November 6, Friday

John Philip Sousa (1854–1932) : Portuguese American. Composer and band conductor. Sousa wrote a number of marches that by virtue of their military vigor, tunefulness, and instrumentation brought him the title "The March King." Perhaps the most famous of the marches he composed was "Stars and Stripes Forever." He also invented the sousaphone, a tuba-like instrument named for him.

Constitution Day : Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic’s first constitution was adopted on November 6, 1844.

Anniversary of the Green March : Morocco. Named after the holy color of Islam, Green March Day commemorates the occasion in 1975 when King Hassan II mobilized 350,000 civilian Moroccans, both men and women, to march into the Western Sahara to reassert Morocco’s sovereignty over the area. This is seen as an important demonstration of Moroccan nationalism.

November 7, Saturday

Marie Sklodowska-Curie (1867–1934) : Polish French. Scientist. A Polish-born researcher who became the first woman professor at the Sorbonne, Marie Sklodowska-Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (shared with her husband, Pierre Curie, and Henri Becquerel) in 1904 for her studies of radioactivity. In 1911 she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements radium and polonium, the latter named for her native country.

Day of Accord and Reconciliation : Russia. This commemorates the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia that began in October 1917 according to the Julian calendar still in use in Russia at the time.

Commemoration Day (New Era Day) : Tunisia. This day commemorates the accession of President Ben Ali, who took power on November 7, 1987 in a bloodless coup, ousting President Habib Bourguiba.

National Revolution and Solidarity Day : Bangladesh. This day marks the 1975 civil-military uprising led by Colonel Abu Taher, ending the three-day counter-coup organized by General Khaled Mosharraf in the wake of the August 15, 1975 coup in which President Mujibur Rahman was assassinated. This uprising helped to put General Ziaur Rahman, founder of the Bangladesh National Party, in power. The soldiers’ and peoples’ unity on this day is credited with saving the country’s national independence, sovereignty, and multi-party democracy.

November 8, Sunday

Remembrance Sunday : United Kingdom. (See entry for Remembrance Day (Armistice Day).) (m)

Father's Day : Finland. Public holiday. (m)

November 9, Monday

World Freedom Day : United States. First declared by President George W. Bush in 2001, World Freedom Day commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the liberation of Central and Eastern Europe from communism. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of that historic event.

Allama Iqbal Day : Pakistan. This national holiday commemorates the birth of Allama Iqbal (1877–1938), politician, philosopher, and poet, whose vision of an independent state for the Muslims of British India led to the creation of the nation of Pakistan. Allama Iqbal is recognized as the national poet of Pakistan. (See Qaid-i-Azam’s Birthday.)

November 11, Wednesday

Independence Day : Poland. The kingdom of Poland had been partitioned among Austria, Prussia, and Russia since 1772. After World War I ended in 1918, Poland was declared independent, with Josef Pilsudski as its first head of state.

Remembrance Day (Armistice Day) : Belgium, Canada, France, United Kingdom. Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday commemorates the day in 1918 that an armistice was signed by the Allies and the Germans at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month” and fighting stopped on the Western Front in Europe, bringing World War I to an end. This holiday now honors all those from the Commonwealth of Nations and various European countries who died in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and all other wars. In 1931, Canada changed the name of the holiday to Remembrance Day, and now observes this day as a public holiday to honor the more than 1,500,000 Canadians who served and the 100,000 who died in World Wars I and II and in the Korean War. After World War II, the United Kingdom changed the name of the holiday to Remembrance Day throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, and designated the second Sunday in November as Remembrance Sunday. In Belgium and France, Armistice Day is a public holiday observed with solemn commemorative ceremonies at war memorials and cemeteries. (See also Anzac Day, Veterans Day, and World War I Victory Day.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: People commemorate this day by wearing poppies, the flower of remembrance, in remembrance of the poppies that bloomed across the battlefields of Flanders in World War I, and by pausing at eleven o’clock for two minutes of silence. Special commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials, cemeteries, and churches. In Belgium, the annual commemoration in Ypres is the focus of Armistice Day ceremonies, with a service of remembrance at St. George’s Church, followed by the Poppy Parade and a special Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate Memorial. In France, the president leads a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and a ceremony is held in the Compiègne Forest where the armistice was signed. In the United Kingdom a national service of remembrance is held at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday, where poppy wreaths are laid on the monument’s steps.

Veterans Day : United States. Originally called Armistice Day, this holiday commemorates the day in 1918 that an armistice was signed by the Allies and the Germans at “the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” bringing World War I to an end. The holiday was established to honor the millions who had died in the war and to serve as a day of reflection and rededication to world peace. In 1954, the U.S. Congress changed the name of the holiday to Veterans Day, and it now honors all who have served in all the nation’s military.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Many towns and cities hold parades and services at war memorials. National ceremonies are held in Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. At 11 a.m., a color guard executes “Present Arms” at the tomb. The nation pays tribute to its war dead by the laying of a presidential wreath and the playing of “Taps.”

November 12, Thursday

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651–1695) : Mexican. Poet. Recognized as the greatest poet of the Spanish colonies in America, Inés de la Cruz was an intellectual prodigy who learned to read at the age of three and became famous as a young woman for her beauty and brilliance. After her retirement to a convent, she studied theology, literature, history, science, and music, and corresponded with leading poets and scholars in both America and Europe. Her poetry won acclaim on both continents. When her religious superiors questioned the appropriateness of her secular pursuits, she wrote a passionate defense of women's right to learning.

Sun Yat-sen's Birthday : Republic of China (Taiwan). This day commemorates the birth of China’s revolutionary leader Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), founder of the Republic of China. Sun Yat-sen was the leader of China’s 1911 revolution, which overthrew the Ch’ing Dynasty that had ruled China since 1644. The People’s Republic of China celebrates the anniversary of his death on March 12.

Birthday of Baha'u'llah : Baha'i. This date marks the birthday of Baha’u’llah (1817–1892), prophet-founder of the Baha’i faith. Baha’u’llah was a member of one of the great aristocratic families of Persia who renounced his wealth and position to embrace the teachings of the Bab. He was subjected to imprisonment, torture, and exile. During his exile in Baghdad in 1863, he declared that he was the messenger of God predicted by the Bab. He preached the coming unification of all humanity and the emergence of a world civilization. (See entry for Birthday of the Bab.)

November 14, Saturday

King Hussein Remembrance Day : Jordan. This commemorates the life of His Majesty King Hussein ibn Talal, who ascended to the Hashemite throne on May 2, 1953, when he assumed his full constitutional powers upon reaching the age of 18. King Hussein reigned for 46 years and at the time of his death on February 7, 1999, he was the longest serving executive head of state in the world, having transformed his Kingdom into one of the Middle East’s most modern, industrious, and stable nations.

November 15, Sunday

Seven, Five, Three Festival (Shichi-go-san) : Japan.

This day is celebrated by children who are seven, five, and three years old. They are dressed in their best clothes. Little girls sometimes have their faces powdered white and their hair dressed in adult styles. The children are given bags of "thousand-year" candy to ensure a long, happy, and healthy life and are taken to shrines by parents to express thanks for good health and to pray for future blessings.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: An appropriate gift is “thousand-year” candy, representing a long, happy, and healthy life. Most communities have Asian markets that sell this candy.

Proclamation of the Republic : Brazil. This commemorates the day in 1889 that Brazil's second Emperor, Dom Pedro II, was deposed and the United States of Brazil was declared.

November 16, Monday

W[illiam] C[hristopher] Handy (1873–1958) : African American. Composer, band leader, and publisher. Handy is known as the "Father of the Blues" for both his work in collecting and popularizing blues and other African American folk music, and his own compositions based on the blues tradition. His best known work is "St. Louis Blues," published in 1916.

Dutch American Heritage Day : United States. On November 14, 1991, President George H. W. Bush signed a proclamation later adopted by Congress establishing November 16 as a day to recognize the contributions made by people of Dutch ancestry to the United States. The Dutch settled in North America in the 1600s, creating in 1625 the colony of New Amsterdam in what is now Manhattan. Approximately 8 million people of Dutch ancestry live in the United States, including many who played an important role in American history, such as both Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, both descendants of Claes Martenszen van Rosenvelt, a farmer who settled in New Amsterdam in the 1640s.

Independence of Cartagena observed : Colombia. On November 11, 1811, the city of Cartagena, then part of Bolivia, declared its independence from Spain.

November 18, Wednesday

Jan Ignacy Paderewski (1860–1941) : Polish. Composer, pianist, and statesman. Paderewski, an internationally known virtuoso, interrupted his concert career to work for Poland's independence from Russia. He headed the Polish government briefly in 1919 and was elected president of the Polish Republic in exile in 1939, after the invasion of his country by the Germans and the fall of independent Poland.

Independence Day : Latvia.

Independence Day : Morocco. This day commemorates the enthronement in 1927 of His Majesty Muhammad V, under whose rule Morocco achieved independence. In 1912, Morocco had become a French protectorate, with Spain having protectorate status over most of the northern Moroccan coast and areas to the southwest and far south. Tangier had become an international zone in 1923. In 1947 King Muhammad V delivered a landmark speech in Tangier advocating a revolutionary struggle for Moroccan independence, and later formed the first Moroccan government with the aim of pursuing negotiations with France to gain independence. On March 3, 1956 Morocco attained independence from France, and on April 7 Spain relinquished its protectorate status. On October 29, the international zone of Tangier was returned to Morocco. The Saharan provinces, still under Spanish control, would be returned to the kingdom after the Green March organized in 1975 by the King’s son, King Hassan II. (See entry for Anniversary of the Green March.)

November 19, Thursday

Discovery of Puerto Rico Day : Puerto Rico. This holiday commemorates the discovery of Puerto Rico by Christopher Columbus in 1493.

November 20, Friday

Anniversary of the Revolution : Mexico. This holiday marks the anniversary of the social revolution launched by Francisco Madero against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz that eventually led to the creation of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the creation of a constitutional democracy.

November 22, Sunday

Independence Day : Lebanon. This holiday is Lebanon's celebration of its gaining independence from France in 1946.

November 23, Monday

Carlos Bulosan (1913–1956) : Filipino American. Writer and labor organizer. Arriving in the United States at the age of 17, Bulosan worked as a migrant agricultural laborer and eventually became involved in efforts to organize packing-house and cannery workers. After he began to write for a union paper, he discovered writing as his vocation. With the coming of World War II and the involvement of the United States in combat in the Philippines, Bulosan rose to literary prominence, publishing poetry and essays in magazines and volumes of poetry and autobiographies. His most famous work, his memoir America Is in the Heart, speaks eloquently of the economic exploitation and ethnic discrimination suffered by poor Filipinos in his adopted country.

José Clemente Orozco (1883–1949) : Mexican. Painter. Along with Diego Rivera and David Siqueiros, Orozco was a leader of the Mexican muralist movement, one of the major creators of large-scale paintings on patriotic themes in the public buildings of the nation. His powerful works embody his own strong belief in the ideals of revolutionary Mexico and his faith in the courage and resilience of the common people. He also worked in the United States, where he painted an important series of frescoes at Dartmouth College.

Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro Kansha No Hi) : Japan.

This observance began as a harvest festival when Japan was primarily an agricultural society and now is a public holiday celebrating all those who work.

November 24, Tuesday

Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib : Sikh.

November 25, Wednesday

The Hajj (11/25–11/29) : Islamic.

The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. All Muslims who are able are required to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, begins on the eighth day of the last month of the Islamic lunar year. The Hajj is a time for reflection and celebration, when more than two million Muslims from around the world gather together to celebrate their faith. At Mecca, the pilgrims perform many rituals, including walking seven times around the sacred shrine of Kaaba. The culmination of the Hajj is the three-day festival of Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice), the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. Since Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar, the Hajj may occur twice in the same Gregorian year. (See discussion under Days of Religious Observance.) (m)

Winter Lent (Nativity Fast) (11/25–1/6) : Coptic Orthodox Christian.

November 26, Thursday

Sojourner Truth (1797?–1883) : African American. Evangelist and social reformer. Born a slave, Isabella Baumfree fled her slave master in 1826 and became free in 1828 under the New York State Anti-Slavery Act. In 1843 Isabella experienced what she regarded as a command from God to preach. She changed her name to Sojourner Truth and became a traveling speaker and an eloquent advocate of the abolition of slavery and the granting of civil rights to women. Sojourner Truth visited President Abraham Lincoln in the White House in 1864. After the Civil War, she settled in Washington, D.C., and worked to help impoverished former slaves. She died on this date.

Thanksgiving Day : United States. This legal holiday in all territories of the United States is a time for giving thanks for the harvest and for the blessings the year has brought. Although the celebration at Plymouth in 1621 is considered the first American thanksgiving observance, the idea was not a new one; harvest festivals and days of thanksgiving had long been observed in many cultures. In his first presidential proclamation on October 3, 1789, President George Washington declared Thursday, November 26, 1789 to be “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer.” The first nationwide observance occurred in 1863 during the Civil War, when President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday of November as a day of national thanksgiving. Since 1863, Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States. In 1941 Congress made Thanksgiving Day a federal holiday to be observed on the fourth Thursday of November. (m)

I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

—President Abraham Lincoln, Proclamation of Thanksgiving, October 3, 1863

November 27, Friday

Eid al-Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice) (11/27–11/29) : Islamic.

This three-day festival comes at the culmination of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims who can are required to make this pilgrimage once in their lifetime. Mecca and Medina, both in Saudi Arabia, are Islam’s two holiest sites. This religious observance commemorates the story of Abraham and Ishmail as told in the Qur’an. God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a proof of his faith. Before Abraham completed the sacrifice, God stopped him and provided a ram for sacrifice in place of Ishmail. The Eid al-Adha celebration commences with a congregational prayer and sermon, or khutba, at the mosque. This is followed by visiting friends and relatives, feasting, and other festive activities. Since Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar, the festival of Eid al-Adha may occur twice in the same Gregorian year. (See discussion under Days of Religious Observance.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Gift-giving is common during this three-day festival, as is the sharing of sweets and desserts. Muslims do not drink alcoholic beverages. Eid Mubarak and “Happy Eid” are common greetings. (m)

November 28, Saturday

(Sir) Grantley Herbert Adams (1898–1971) : Barbadian. Political leader. Educated in Barbados and England, Adams practiced law before being elected to the Barbados House of Assembly in 1934. An advocate of progressive causes, he achieved an important victory with the electoral reform act of 1944, which gave women the right to vote and lowered the income requirement for voters. In 1950, Adams became the colony's prime minister, an office he held until 1962, when he returned to private law practice. For the last four years of his term he was also prime minister of the West Indian Federation, a group of British Caribbean colonies that dissolved in 1962. This is the anniversary of his death.

Winter Lent (Nativity Fast) (11/28–1/6) : Eastern Orthodox Christian.

Independence from Spain : Panama. This day commemorates Panama's gaining independence from Spain in 1821. (See entry for November 3.)

November 29, Sunday

Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975) : People with Disabilities, United States. Signed into U.S. law on this date, this act establishes the right of every child with a disability to a free and appropriate public education. It requires states to identify such children and develop individualized education programs for them, and to provide educational services in the least restrictive environment possible. The law also protects the rights of such children and their parents in educational decisions.

Advent begins : Christian. Advent, which means “coming” or “arrival,” marks the beginning of the Western Christian ecclesiastical year. It begins on the Sunday nearest to the Feast of St. Andrew on November 30, and continues through Christmas Eve, encompassing four Sundays. Originally observed with fasting and penitence as a period during which converts to Christianity prepared themselves for baptism, Advent became during the Middle Ages a time to prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. Advent is now a solemn yet joyful season of prayer, reflection, and preparation for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in his First Advent, as well as a time to ready oneself in anticipation of Christ’s Second Coming. The Orthodox Christian churches do not have an Advent season, but rather have Winter Lent, a 40-day Lenten season of fasting, prayer, and reflection ending on Christmas Eve. (See entries for Winter Lent (Nativity Fast) on November 25 and November 28.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: The main symbol of this season is the Advent wreath, which had its origins in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic people. The wreath has three purple candles, which symbolize hope (or prophecy), peace, and love, and one rose candle, symbolizing joy. The candles are set in a circle of evergreen, which represents eternal life. On each Sunday in Advent, the candles are lit progressively as follows, with Scripture reading preceding the lighting of the candles: On the first Sunday of Advent, a purple candle is lit; on the second Sunday, two purple candles are lit; on the third Sunday, two purple candles and the rose candle are lit; and on the fourth Sunday, all four candles are lit. The lighting of the rose candle originally signified the breaking of the Advent fast. Often a fifth white candle will be placed in the center of the wreath. Known as the “Christ Candle,” this candle symbolizes Christ’s birth and is lit on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Another custom during Advent is to sing carols, a favorite being “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” which anticipates the coming of the Messiah. (m)

November 30, Monday

Shirley Chisholm (1924–2005) : African American. Politician, educator, author. Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968, where she served seven terms. While in Congress, Chisholm spoke out for civil rights, women’s rights, and the poor, and against the Vietnam War. In 1971 Chisholm, along with Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and others, founded the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) to increase women’s participation in the political process. In 1972 Chisholm became a Democratic candidate for President of the United States, the first major party African American candidate for the U.S. presidency.

Bonifacio Day : Philippines. This holiday commemorates the birth in 1863 of Andres Bonifacio, leader of the Philippine revolt against Spain in 1896.

Independence Day : Barbados. This holiday commemorates the independence of this Caribbean island from Great Britain in 1966.