Diversity Calendar - September, 2009

September 2009

National Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15–October 15. Starting in 1968 as National Hispanic Heritage Week and incorporating September 15 and 16, the independence days for Central American nations and Mexico, respectively, the period was expanded in 1988 to National Hispanic Heritage Month. Each year the National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers Council and the Hispanic Foundation select a theme for the month and commission a poster to reflect that theme.

September 1, Tuesday

Ganesh Nimarjan : Hindu. (m)

Independence Day : Uzbekistan.

September 2, Wednesday

Liliuokalani (1838–1917) : Hawaiian. Monarch. The last sovereign of Hawaii, Liliuokalani succeeded to the throne after her brother's death in 1891. The growing influence of American missionaries and sugar planters had led to a weakening of the monarchy, and she attempted to reassert the royal authority in government and the economy. When she tried to proclaim a new constitution in 1893, a group of residents, mostly Americans or descendants of Americans, set up a provisional government, declared the monarchy abolished, and applied for annexation to the United States. After a delay of several years, while Liliuokalani tried to build support for her restoration, the islands were annexed in 1898.

Independence Day : Vietnam. This marks the day in 1945 of the surrender of Japan, ending World War II, and the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

September 3, Thursday

Ghost Festival (Kui chieh) : China.

A special ceremony is performed in temples with offerings of food to the lonely ghosts of those who are not cared for in their family's ancestral rituals. This ritual protects the community from harm by the lonely ghosts. This festival is celebrated in communities outside the People's Republic of China. (m)

September 4, Friday

Lewis H. Latimer (1848–1928) : African American. Inventor. In 1882, Latimer patented the first electric light bulb with a carbon filament. An employee of the Edison Company, Latimer also wrote the first textbook on the Edison electric system and supervised the installation of electric lights in Philadelphia and New York City.

Richard Wright (1908–1960) : African American. Writer. The most widely read African American writer of the early twentieth century, Wright was the author of powerful novels, the best known of which is Native Son (1940), and volumes of short stories and essays. His work exposed the brutal realities of racism in both the Deep South, where he was born, and the urban North, where he spent much of his adult life.

September 5, Saturday

Tashunka Witko (Crazy Horse) (c. 1842–1877) : American Indian (Oglala Sioux). Military leader. Tashunka Witko, an Oglala Sioux chief, was one of the leaders of the Sioux and Cheyenne in the war of 1876. In June of that year he defeated U.S. army forces at Rosebud and eight days later at Little Bighorn. He voluntarily surrendered to American troops in 1877. On this date in that year, he was shot to death by a soldier as he was being put into a jail cell. (See entry for June 25.)

Saradhas begins : Hindu. (m)

September 6, Sunday

Christy Brown (1932–1981) : Irish, People with Disabilities. Writer. Born with cerebral palsy, Christy Brown was unable to move any part of his body except his left foot. With the help of his mother, who also raised twelve other children, he learned to read, to paint holding the brush with the toes of his left foot, and to write by typing with his little toe. His first book, My Left Foot, was published in 1954. His autobiographical novel, Down All the Days, written in 1970, was translated into fourteen languages. He died on this date.

Marie E. Zakrzewska (1820–1902) : Polish American. Physician. Zakrzewska founded hospitals for women and children as well as the first American school for nurses and was known as the "Mother of the Playground Movement" for her efforts in establishing playgrounds. She was also active in the causes of women's rights and the abolition of slavery.

Defense of Pakistan Day : Pakistan. This day is celebrated to commemorate the military’s role in defense of the nation, and especially the successful defense of Pakistan in its war with India in 1965.

September 7, Monday

Michael Ellis DeBakey (born Michel Dabaghi) (1908–2008) : Lebanese American. Heart surgeon, inventor. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana to Lebanese immigrant parents, Michael DeBakey became world renowned as the father of modern cardiovascular surgery. While still in medical school, DeBakey invented the roller pump for use in blood transfusions, which later came to be an important component of the heart-lung machine that made open-heart surgery possible. In 1948 DeBakey joined the staff at Methodist Hospital and the faculty of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where over the next decades he performed many of his groundbreaking surgeries, turning the Texas Medical Center into a world-famous facility. He was the first to successfully remove a carotid artery blockage in 1953 and in 1964 he performed the first successful coronary artery bypass surgery. He pioneered the surgical treatment of aortic dissection, a procedure now known as the DeBakey Procedure, invented the Dacron artificial graft to repair aortic aneurysms, and created a miniature ventricular assist device (VAD) based on NASA space shuttle technology. DeBakey was a pioneer in the invention of the artificial heart, developing a left ventricular bypass (half an artificial heart) and successfully implanting the device in 1966. During World War II, he developed the concept of the mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) unit, which was first employed during the Korean War. He was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1969) and the National Medal of Science (1987). In 2000 DeBakey was cited as a “Living Legend” by the U.S. Library of Congress, and on April 23, 2008 he received the Congressional Gold Medal from President George W. Bush.

Independence Day : Brazil. Unlike the other areas of South America, the region now known as Brazil was colonized by the Portuguese in 1500 led by the explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral. On this day in 1822, the son of Portugal's king, and regent of Brazil, declared Brazil independent of Portugal and himself Emperor Pedro I. He was succeeded by his son Pedro II in 1831, who until his death in 1889 led the development of Brazil as a modern nation.

Labor Day : Canada, United States. This day is celebrated as a public holiday in the United States and Canada to honor all working people. In most other countries, this celebration occurs on May 1. (m)

National Unity Day : Chile. This has replaced the former holiday commemorating the military coup on September 11, 1973 that toppled Salvador Allende and brought dictator Augusto Pinochet to power. Since 1999 Chile has instead observed National Unity Day on the first Monday in September. (m)

September 8, Tuesday

International Literacy Day : United Nations.

September 9, Wednesday

Confucius' Death : People's Republic of China. Celebrated on the anniversary of his death in the People’s Republic of China, this day honors Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.), the founder of the main doctrines of Chinese philosophy. (See entry for Confucius’ Birthday.)

Independence Day : Tajikistan.

September 10, Thursday

Alice Brown Davis (1852–1935) : American Indian (Seminole). Civic activist. Alice Brown Davis was prominent in tribal affairs for much of her life. She acted as an interpreter and spokesperson for her people in the courts and once as part of a delegation to Mexico that sought unsuccessfully to find a new homeland for the tribe, which was under increasing economic and legal pressure from the influx of White people into Indian territory. She also served briefly as director of a tribal boarding school for girls. In 1922 the U.S. government briefly appointed her chief, an office which had lapsed with the end of tribal government years before, but stripped her of the office when she refused to sign over tribal property without reimbursement.

September 11, Friday

New Year (Enqutatash) : Coptic Orthodox Christian. This begins the new year for the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, which follows a Julian calendar very similar to that of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church. Christmas falls on January 7, Epiphany on January 19, and Easter follows the date of the Orthodox calendar as well. The Coptic Orthodox Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark, who brought Christianity to Egypt in the first century. The Coptic Church has a structure distinct from the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. The head of the church is Pope Shenouda III, believed to be the 117th successor of Saint Mark. There are approximately 9 million Copts living in Egypt, out of a total population of about 64 million. The Coptic Church has spread around the world, with Coptic Orthodox Christians living in Ethiopia and Eritrea, and with significant numbers in Sudan and Israel, and in diaspora throughout the world.

However, the Tewahedo Church of Ethiopia and the Eritrean Orthodox Church, while once part of the Coptic Orthodox Church, are now autocephalous. The Copts’ religious observance often involves fasting. Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for about 210 days, during which time no animal products are eaten and no food or drink of any kind can be taken between sunrise and sunset. Whereas the Gregorian calendar uses “A.D.” to mark years, Coptic Christians use “A.M.” (anno martyrum), the annual year of the martyrs. The first year of the martyrs was A.D. 284, which makes 2009 the year A.M. 1726 according to the Coptic Christian calendar. Coptic Christians date their years from the time of religious persecution under the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the third century. During that time, many Christians fled to the desert to escape persecution and heavy taxation—the word anchorite, which was used to refer to Christian monks, originally referred to people who left their land rather than face debtors prison. Even after the persecution abated, many Christians stayed in the desert to pray and meditate in caves and monasteries, thus beginning the monastic tradition in Christianity. The word Copt comes from the Arabic word Qubt. When the Arabs conquered Egypt in A.D. 641, they called the native Egyptian population Qubt, which was derived from the Greek Aiguptios or Aigyptos, meaning Egypt. In modern usage the word Copt refers to a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church. (m)

Patriot Day : United States. On the morning of September 11, 2001, the United States suffered the worst terrorist attack in its history when a group of terrorists belonging to the militant Islamic al-Qaeda network hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing one into each of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon just outside of Washington, D.C., and one into a field in Pennsylvania in an aborted attempt to crash into the White House or U. S. Capitol building. The death toll of close to 3,000 people exceeded the toll after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. In response to this horrific attack, the United States led a coalition of international forces into Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al-Qaeda network for whom the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan provided refuge; although bin Laden was not captured, the Taliban were ousted from power by December 2001. President George W. Bush proclaimed three days of prayer and remembrance to be held each year on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday preceding September 11 to commemorate the anniversary of this terrorist attack. In his proclamation, the president said “On September 11, 2001, America was attacked with deliberate and massive cruelty. . . . Since that day, our Nation has waged a relentless war against terror and evil. . . . I ask that the people of the United States and places of worship mark these National Days of Prayer and Remembrance with memorial services, the ringing of bells, and evening candlelight remembrance vigils. I invite the people of the world to share in these Days of Prayer and Remembrance.”

New Year (Enqutatash) : Ethiopia, Rastafarian. This begins the new year 2002 in Ethiopia, according to the Julian calendar. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until it was granted autocephaly by the Coptic pope in 1950, thereby becoming an independent church of the same denomination. New Year’s Day is a national holiday in Ethiopia and for Rastafarians as well, who revere Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I as the incarnation of God, and regard Ethiopia as their spiritual homeland. (See entry for Birthday of Haile Selassie.) (m)

Anniversary of the Death of Qaid-i-Azam : Pakistan.

Public holiday. (See entry for Qaid-i-Azam's Birthday.)

September 13, Sunday

Alain LeRoy Locke (1886–1954) : African American. Educator, writer, and philosopher. The first African American Rhodes Scholar, Locke studied at Harvard, Oxford, and the University of Berlin. He chaired the philosophy department at Howard University for nearly 40 years. During his distinguished career, he published widely as an essayist, anthologist, and critic, and encouraged and interpreted the work of African American artists. He is generally regarded as the leader and chief chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance. This is the anniversary of his death.

Grandparents Day : United States. (m)

September 14, Monday

Anthony J. Celebrezze (1910–1998) : Italian American. Lawyer and politician. Born in Italy, Celebrezze immigrated to Cleveland with his family and rose from poverty to become Mayor of that city from 1953 to 1962, serving an unprecedented five terms. In 1962, he became Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under John F. Kennedy, the first Italian American to serve as a cabinet officer. Celebrezze later served for 30 years as a member of the United States Court of Appeals based in Cincinnati.

Lola Rodríguez de Tio (1843–1924) : Puerto Rican. Poet and patriot. A supporter of the Puerto Rican independence movement, Rodríguez de Tio spent much of her life in exile in New York, where she worked with the Cuban exile José Martí to plan his revolutionary invasion of 1895. She wrote several volumes of poetry. Her most famous work is the patriotic verses of "La Borinqueña," the national anthem of Puerto Rico.

September 15, Tuesday

Jan E. Matzeliger (1852–1889) : African American. Inventor. Matzeliger produced machines that revolutionized the shoe industry. By using the machine he patented in 1883, cobblers could make 1,000 pairs of shoes in one day.

Independence Day : Central American nations. This commemorates the declaration of independence from Spain of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua in 1821.

September 16, Wednesday

Independence Day (El Día de Independencia): Mexico.

On September 16, 1810, in the small town of Dolores, in the province of Guanajuato in Mexico, a handful of people were summoned by a parish priest to take up arms against the Spanish colonial government. This began the fight for independence that ended 350 years of Spanish rule. To this day, the church bell that was used to call people to revolt hangs in the National Palace in Mexico City and is rung on the eve of September 16 by the President of the Republic.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Celebrated by people of Mexican origin throughout the world and in such places in the United States as East Los Angeles, Austin, and El Paso, this is a day when Mexican Americans often hang Mexican flags at their homes. In addition to parades and fairs, the day’s festivities always involve traditional antojitos, most aptly described as a variety of finger foods, Mexican candies, and punch. Punch, ponche, is a drink made of fruits that are in season: guayabas, sugarcane, raisins, and apples. The music of mariachi bands is also common.

September 17, Thursday

Laylat al-Qadr : Islamic.

This festival occurs during the month of Ramadan and commemorates the beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad. (m)

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day : United States. On September 17, 1787, the final draft of the U.S. Constitution was signed in Philadelphia by delegates to the Constitutional Convention replacing the Articles of Confederation as the governing document of the newly formed country. The U.S. Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world.

Constitution Week (9/17–9/23) : United States.

September 18, Friday

Independence Day : Chile. This holiday celebrates the proclamation of independence from Spain on September 18, 1810, although Chile would not earn total independence until 1818.

September 19, Saturday

Sarah "Sadie" Delaney (1889–1999) : African American. Educator and writer. Born to slaves in Georgia, Delaney attended and taught school both in the South and in New York City. The first Black woman to receive a master's degree from the Columbia School of Education, she also became the first Black woman to teach home economics to Whites in New York City schools. With her sister, Dr. A. Elizabeth Delaney, a dentist, she gained fame in 1993 after the publication of their memoir, Having Our Say: The Delaney Sisters' First 100 Years. Now a part of the curriculum in many high schools and colleges, the memoir was on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list for 28 weeks and on the paperback list for 77 weeks. The memoir was adapted into a Broadway play that was nominated for three Tony awards. Delaney died in 1999 at 109 years of age.

Najeeb Halaby (1915–2003) : Syrian Lebanese American. Businessman and government official. Born in Dallas, Texas, Najeeb Halaby was the son of a Syrian-born immigrant of Lebanese descent and a native Texan. During World War II he was a Navy test pilot and in 1945 became the first person to make a nonstop, transcontinental jet flight. In 1948 Halaby was made foreign affairs advisor to then-Secretary of Defense James Forrestal, and later served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs under President Eisenhower. In 1961, President John Kennedy appointed him head of the Federal Aviation Administration, a position he held until 1965. Halaby then joined Pan American World Airways, becoming chief executive officer in 1969 and chairman in 1970. In 1978 his daughter, Lisa, married King Hussein of Jordan, becoming Queen Noor, the first Arab American to be queen of a foreign country.

Asuj Navratras begins : Hindu. This festival, also known as Navaratri (the “nine nights festival”), honors the goddess Durga. It is celebrated for nine nights with dancing, worshipping at temples, and recitation of sacred scriptures, culminating on the tenth day with the festival of Dassehra. (m)

Rosh Hashanah (New Year) : Jewish.

The holiday, like most Jewish holidays, begins at sundown on the evening before the first (full) day of the holiday. This begins the Jewish New Year 5770 and the Jewish month of Tishri. Rosh Hashanah signifies the beginning of the Days of Awe, a period of serious reflection about the past year and the year to come. This period, which continues until Yom Kippur, is a time for asking forgiveness from both God and people and for committing oneself to live a better life in the year to come. Traditionally, this is the time that God decides the fate of each Jew in the new year. (See entry for September 20.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: There are many traditional foods eaten during the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Eating apple dipped in honey or some other sweet dish is common. Honey cake is also popular. Either would make an appropriate and welcome gift. Common greetings include L’shana Tova, “Happy New Year,” “Have a healthy and sweet New Year,” and “May you be inscribed for a year of good health and happiness.” (m)

Armed Forces Day : Chile. This day honors Chile’s armed forces and is observed with military and naval presentations celebrating the victories over the Spanish forces led by Chile’s national hero, Bernardo O’Higgins, and José de San Martín.

September 20, Sunday

Dalip Singh Saund (1899–1973) : Indian American. Activist and legislator. Born in a village in India, Saund came to the United States in 1920 after earning his college degree. As a founding member and early president of the Indian Association of America, he campaigned for changes in the immigration laws to permit East Indians to become naturalized citizens. These efforts succeeded, and he became a U.S. citizen in 1949. In 1956 he became the first Indian American to win election to the U.S. Congress. He served three terms, representing his California district in Washington, D.C., until 1962.

Eid al-Fitr (9/20–9/22) : Islamic.

This holiday, which marks the end of Ramadan, begins at the sighting of the first lunar crescent following the new moon and is the time for breaking the fast. This is a three-day festival of feasting, buying and wearing new clothes, and celebrations. (See discussion under Days of Religious Observance.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: This ends the month-long fast during Ramadan. Gifts of sweets, such as pastries, halvah, and sugared almonds, are appropriate. Eid Mubarak and “Happy Eid” are common greetings. (m)

Rosh Hashanah (New Year, second day of observance) : Jewish. Second day of observance. (m)

September 21, Monday

International Day of Peace : United Nations.

Independence Day : Armenia. This celebrates Armenia's reestablishment as a free republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union. A referendum was held on this day in 1991 declaring Armenia an independent Republic; independence was declared on September 23.

Respect for the Aged Day (Keiro No Hi) : Japan.

This is a day for paying respect to the aged and celebrating their longevity. (m)

September 22, Tuesday

Chichen Itza Festival : Mexico. This festival is celebrated on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes at the ancient Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan. When the mid-afternoon sunlight hits the stairway on these days, it creates shadows that look like the body of a serpent creeping downward until it joins the serpent’s head carved in stone at the bottom. (m)

Mabon (Autumnal Equinox) : Pagan and Wiccan. This is the Sabbat observed on the autumnal equinox. (m)

Autumnal Equinox : General. (m)

September 23, Wednesday

Autumnal Equinox Day (Shubun No Hi) : Japan.

This is a public holiday to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of the fall harvest season. (m)

Grito de Lares (1868) : Puerto Rico.

This day is commemorated in Puerto Rico as the anniversary of the uprising that initiated the movement for Puerto Rican independence. On this date, a 400-man army of liberation led by Manuel Rojas, under orders from the exiled leader Ramón Emeterio Betances, gathered and took the town of Lares. They formed a provisional government and issued four proclamations, including one promising freedom for all slaves who joined the rebel army. Although the army was defeated and disbanded the following day, some of its aims were realized nearly immediately (the Spanish government decreed the gradual abolition of slavery by 1873), and the revolt is remembered as the first large-scale armed rebellion against Spanish colonial rule. (See entries for March 22 and April 8.)

Unification of the Kingdom : Saudi Arabia. Since the end of the seventh century, Saudi Arabia was a collection of separate kingdoms. In 1932, however, King Ibn Saud began unifying these kingdoms under his rule into the single nation of Saudi Arabia.

September 24, Thursday

Our Lady of Las Mercedes : Dominican Republic. Public holiday.

Heritage Day : South Africa. This day is set aside to reinforce the importance of African culture and heritage in the lives of South African people, recognizing that they are powerful agents for promulgating a South African identity, fostering reconciliation, and celebrating diversity. The government determines a theme for each year’s celebrations.

September 25, Friday

Christopher Reeve (1952–2004) : People with Disabilities. Actor. Christopher Reeve’s successful career as an actor, including the hit role of Superman, as well as acting in 17 feature films, a dozen TV movies, and more than 150 plays, was cut short when he suffered a fall during a horse competition called “eventing,” which combines the precision of dressage with the excitement of cross-country and show jumping. Reeve landed head first, fracturing the uppermost vertebrae in his spine, instantly paralyzing him from the neck down. After a grueling effort to regain his ability to breathe and speak, Reeve became an advocate for research on healing spinal cord injuries. He became Chairman of the American Paralysis Association and Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability. In partnership with philanthropist Joan Irvine Smith, he founded the Reeve-Irvine Research Center in California and created the Christopher Reeve Foundation in 1996 to raise research money and provide grants to local agencies that focus on quality of life for the disabled. He also became a national spokesperson for and raised funds in support of stem cell research. In the years after his accident, Christopher Reeve, reflecting gains unusual for his kind of injury, gradually regained sensation in parts of his body—notably down the spine, in his left leg, and in areas of his left arm.

Eric Williams (1911–1981) : Trinidadian. Political leader and writer. Educated in Trinidad and in England, Williams taught at Howard University before returning to Trinidad in 1955 to enter politics. His party, the People's National Movement, won a landslide victory in the elections of 1961, making him prime minister of the colony and then, in August of the following year, of the newly independent republic of Trinidad and Tobago. He was repeatedly returned to office, serving as prime minister until his death. Under his leadership the republic became the most prosperous Caribbean nation in the British Commonwealth. A scholar as well as a statesman, Williams also wrote a number of books on Caribbean history.

Cabrillo Day : Portugal. This holiday, celebrated most commonly by Portuguese on the West Coast, commemorates the discovery of California by Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo when he sailed into the harbor of what is now San Diego in 1542.

September 26, Saturday

George Gershwin (1898–1937) : Jewish American. Composer. Gershwin won international fame in the 1920s as a composer of scores for Broadway musical comedies, collaborating with his brother, the lyricist Ira Gershwin; their songs include "I Got Rhythm," "The Man I Love," and "S'Wonderful." Gershwin also wrote successful concert music using blues and jazz themes, notably the Rhapsody in Blue, and the African American "folk opera" Porgy and Bess.

Bessie Smith (1894–1937) : African American. Blues singer. Bessie Smith's authentic country blues style was first recorded in 1923. During her first year as a recording artist, she sold over two million records. Known as the "Empress of the Blues," she achieved her greatest fame between 1924 and 1927, when she was accompanied by some of the great jazz artists of the time.

September 27, Sunday

Dith Pran (1942–2008) : Cambodian American. Photojournalist. Dith Pran was a survivor of the Cambodian genocide after he stayed in Cambodia to cover the fall of Phnom Penh to the communist Khmer Rouge in 1975, acting as a guide and interpreter for New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg. He endured four years of starvation and torture in a forced labor camp, then escaped to Thailand and in 1980 came to the United States. His life story was portrayed in the film The Killing Fields, a name coined by Dith Pran to describe the countryside where two million Cambodians were killed under the Khmer Rouge’s murderous regime. (See entry for Haing Ngor.)

Meskel (Feast of the True Cross) : Coptic Orthodox Christian. (m)

French Community Holiday (Wallonia) : Belgium. The French Community of Belgium is one of the three official communities in Belgium, along with the Flemish Community and the German- speaking Community. The French Community of Belgium is an institution having its own parliament, government, and administration. This day commemorates the limited autonomy granted to the community in 1980.

Meskel (Feast of the True Cross) : Ethiopia, Rastafarian. (m)

September 28, Monday

Confucius' Birthday (Teacher's Day) : Republic of China (Taiwan). This day celebrates the anniversary of the birth of Confucius (551–479 B.C.E.), the founder of the main doctrines of Chinese philosophy. “Confucius” is a Latin version of his title K’ung fu-tzu, meaning “Master K’ung.” Confucius is revered by all Chinese as the “Teacher of All Generations.” Colorful rites are performed at all Confucian temples on this day. (See entry for Confucius’ Death.)

The wheel of fortune turns round incessantly, and who can say to himself, "I shall today be uppermost."

—Confucius

Dassehra (Durga Puja) : Hindu.

Dassehra, which means “the tenth day,” is celebrated at the culmination of the “nine nights” festival of Asuj Navratras. Celebrated with feasting and rejoicing, it commemorates Rama’s victory over Ravana and honors the goddess Durga. This festival is also known as Vijay Dasami. (See entry for Asuj Navratras.)

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Keep in mind that Hindus neither eat meat nor drink alcoholic beverages. Appropriate greetings for all Hindu holidays include “God bless you with prosperity and happiness” or “I wish you happiness and prosperity.” (m)

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) : Jewish.

The ten days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe or the Days of Repentance. During this time Jews are to remind themselves of their sins and seek forgiveness for their wrongdoings. Wrongdoing against God can be forgiven by God, but wrongdoing against others can be forgiven only by the person wronged. Because sin corrupts not only the person who commits it, but the entire community as well, all sins are confessed by the whole congregation. The last service of Yom Kippur, the Closing, occurs as the sun begins to set. Initially, the “closing” pertained to the gates of the Temple. The deeper meaning, however, is that the Book of Life is sealed for the ensuing year. Thus, freed from sin by repentance and sealed in the Book of Life, the worshippers turn from the past to the future.

Recognizing the Festival/Holiday: Many Jews observe Yom Kippur, the holiest Jewish holiday, by taking no food or water from sundown the day before through sundown the following day. It is also common for Jews not to work on the night before and the day of Yom Kippur. Appropriate greetings include “May you be sealed in the book of life for a good year” and “Good yuntef.” (m)

September 29, Tuesday

Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) : Italian American. Physicist. Fermi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938 for his research on radioactivity. In 1942 he created the first self-sustaining chain reaction in uranium, an achievement that made possible the development of the atomic bomb and other devices using nuclear energy.

September 30, Wednesday

José Morelos (1765–1815) : Mexican. Political and military leader. A village priest, Morelos joined the uprising led by Father Miguel Hidalgo in 1810 to fight for Mexico's independence from Spain. Appointed a lieutenant, Morelos became the most successful commander of the rebel forces, rising to the position of supreme commander. His victories culminated in the capture of Acapulco in 1813. He then led the effort to convene a congress, which issued a declaration of independence and a constitution for Mexico. Factional conflicts among the leaders weakened the insurgent movement, however, and Morelos lost his command. In 1815 he was defeated, captured, tried, and executed by the Spanish.

San Geronimo Day : American Indian.