All - Leep Calendar

Tag-You're-It Day celebrates the childhood game of Tag played by chasing and touching someone (tagging them). The "tagged" person becomes the chaser upon the tagger, yelling: 'Tag, you're it!' Tag also has an adult function, known as telephone tag. To play, you call someone and leave a message. Then they call you back and leave a message. You call them back and leave a message, and so on, and so on, and so on. The childhood version is much more fun to play.

Africa

Oct

Take Your Medicine Week, America: October 8-14

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Thousands of Americans fail to take the prescription drugs prescribed yearly, meaning the medicines can not do their job. Ultimately this costs the economy $290 billion per year. America, Take Your Medicine Week aims to highlight this issue and seek a solution to its end.

Africa

Oct

White Sunday (WS): October 8

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White Sunday, Lotu Tamaiti in Polynesian, translates to "Children's Sunday" remains one of the most critical days for religious Polynesians. It is the day children become the parents, and parents the children. Families spend the day going from church to church, where the children, all dressed in white, lead the church services. Feasts, gifts, and family gatherings highlight the day in Samoa, Tonga, Niue, and with Polynesian families in New Zealand, Australia, and other islands.

The Monday following is a national holiday in Samoa, Tonga and Niue.

Africa

Oct

Wildlife Refuge Week, Ntl.: October 8-14

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National Wildlife Refuge Week, supported by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, is celebrated annually during the second week of October, Throughout the country, local events are planned. Contact your state office for opportunities in your area.

Africa

Oct

Alphabet Day (KR) (1446): October 9

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October 9, 1446, King Sejong (Yi Dynasty) created the 24-character phonetic alphabet of Korea called Hangul. It allowed people speaking other languages to write out the sounds of the words represented by characters in Korean, making it easier to communicate with different cultures and learn how to speak Korean.

Africa

Oct

American Indian Heritage Day, (US-AL): October 9

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The State of Alabama changed Columbus Day into American Indian Heritage Day in 2000, a statewide holiday on the 2nd Monday of October.

Africa

Oct

Baby Loss Awareness Week (UK): October 9-15

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Baby Loss Awareness Week runs in October each year. It is an opportunity for bereaved parents, family members, and friends to commemorate their babies' all-too-brief lives, knowing that thousands of other families elsewhere in the world will be doing the same. The week also provides a crucial opportunity for people to talk openly about the subject and raise awareness of baby loss. The week ends with Baby Loss Awareness Day on October 15th, a date recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day worldwide.

Here in the UK, we invite you to participate in the global 'Wave of Light.' Light a candle at 7 p.m. and leave it burning for at least 1 hour. This can be done individually, in a group, at home, or in a communal space. Wherever you do this, you will unite with others worldwide in honor of those babies who lit up our lives for a short time.

History of Baby Loss Awareness Week

October 15th, 2002, was the inaugural Baby Loss Awareness Day in the UK and was initiated by a group of parents inspired by Pregnancy & Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. Through the sale of handmade blue and pink ribbon pins, they raised several thousand pounds for UK organizations supporting bereaved parents.

2003: The campaign saw the day expanded to a week with events across the UK. The first official 'Wave of Light' service in the UK was held at the American Church in London and attended by representatives and members of each participating organization. There were also services held across the UK from Scotland to Surrey. Once again, the ribbon pins were made and sold by bereaved parents.

2004: The campaign was a more formal collaboration between the five organizations involved, which included Sands, the Miscarriage Association, the Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, ARC, and Babyloss.com. The ribbon pins were commercially manufactured, and balloon releases were held in several locations. The group organized a secular service at the Royal Statistical Society in London, with over twenty other events around the UK.

In 2006, the distinctive two-color ribbon was introduced, and bereaved parents once again made the ribbon pins with the help of their family and friends.

Since 2010, Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, has played a pivotal role in the organization of the week and, since 2014, has taken a lead role in promoting the week as part of its work raising awareness of the issues surrounding pregnancy and baby loss in the UK.

Africa

Oct

Columbus Day (US)(1492): October 9

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Columbus Day is also called Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States.

Columbus Day was an official holiday in the United States, created by a joint Congressional/Presidential resolution on April 30, 1934, and modified in 1968 (36 USC 107). It was always the second Monday of October.

The day commemorates the events of October 11-15, 1492, when Christopher Columbus and his crew first sighted land. Landfall occurred on October 12, 1492; he thought he had found a way to India. He found the Bahamas.

It would take time for him to realize he had found an entirely new continent. Columbus Day, on October 12, is a national holiday in Belize. The Bahamas refer to it as Discovery Day. In Spain, it is called Día de la Hispanidad. In the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, it is called Friendship Day. Mexico refers to the anniversary as Día de la Raza, or Day of Race. The United States also marks the anniversary with Native American Day and the state of Hawaii with Discovers' Day.

FIRST EUROPEANS

Most Americans believe that Columbus was the first European to discover America. No. He's the first to find the islands of the Caribbean, but not mainland North America.

The first European to land on American soil was Leif Eriksson, a Viking, on October 9, 1000 AD. He called the new land Helluland (Stone Slab Land). Eriksson spotted it a year before when his ship was blown off course leaving Iceland but did not land. The following year, he returned sailing south and eventually set up camp in what we refer to as present-day Newfoundland, which he called Vinland since it was bursting with good wine grapes. Archeologists in the 1960s uncovered the original camp in modern L'Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage site today.

In 1964, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed October 9 as Leif Eriksson Day. On October 9, 1825, the first group of immigrants from Norway arrived in the United States.

Eriksson wasn't the first European to see America. That honor falls to another Viking, Bjarni Herjolfsson. Herjolfsson saw a land covered in trees in 986 AD. He was trying to get to Greenland with his father, Erik the Red. He missed it. However, Herjolfsson did not set foot on American soil; that would have to wait another 13 years.

CONTROVERSY OVER COLUMBUS

Columbus Day has become controversial in the United States because his discovery also led to the genocide of Native Americans, who lost 90% of their people over the next 400 years due to illness, enforced poverty, land theft, discrimination, and wars. That Columbus initiated colonialism, which led to slavery and the disenfranchisement of Native Americans, is another reason several groups do not want the day remembered. However, Columbus Day is significant to Italian Americans, who view the explorer with great pride. An Italian, he sailed to America under the patronage of the Spanish King and Queen.

The Black Lives Matter movement, Native American organizations, and other social justice movements continue to call into question Columbus' legacy and advocate for the abolition of the holiday. As near as I can tell, the state of Alabama was the first state to change its name to honor America's indigenous people.

In 2021, after a rise of activism to recognize indigenous people in the United States rather than their colonizers, President Biden proclaimed the first-ever National Indigenous Peoples' Day instead of Columbus Day.

Africa

Oct

Cupcake Day, Ntl. Pro-Life: October 9

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National Pro-Life Cupcake Day raises awareness about abortion and provides a means of peaceful protest. Supporters of the pro-life, anti-abortion, and forced birth movements pass out cupcakes on this day as a form of advocacy, handing out information and fundraising via cupcakes. Cupcakes remain a symbol of life's joy and pleasures, and they are miniaturized versions of the birthday cakes that mark each year of life.

Africa

Oct

Curious Events Day: October 9

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Curious Events Day isn't about celebrating a specific event or important anniversary. No, it's a day to celebrate ALL of them! For example: Loch Ness Monster sightings Socks escaping from the washing machine Why is it cops only see you when you're doing something wrong? Today is the day to celebrate all of life's greatest mysteries and curious events.

Africa

Oct

Curry Week, Ntl. (UK): October 2-8

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Since 1998, National Curry Week in the United Kingdom has been a highly anticipated celebration of flavor. Its focus is on the diversity of curries in cooking and raising funds for charities focused on malnourishment and poverty worldwide.

Curry is a catchall phrase for spice sauces, gravies, and marinades with roots in multiple cultures. Its origins can be traced back to the Indian subcontinent, specifically to Indian cuisine. The word "curry" is from the Tamil word "kari," which means sauce or gravy. Indian curry typically consists of a mixture of spices, herbs, vegetables, and sometimes meat or fish, cooked in a sauce or gravy base.

From India, curry spread to various parts of the world through trade routes and colonization. British colonialists played a significant role in popularizing curry outside the Indian subcontinent by bringing curry recipes back to Britain, where it became part of British cuisine. This British version of curry, often known as "Anglo-Indian curry," is characterized by milder flavors and added ingredients such as tomatoes, cream, and yogurt.

Curry also found its way to Southeast Asia, undergoing further regional adaptations. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar developed unique curry styles with distinctive flavors and ingredients. Thai curries, for example, are known for their vibrant and spicy flavors, while Malaysian curries often feature a combination of spices and coconut milk.

Japan discovered curry during the Meiji era in the late 19th century and was influenced by British curry. It underwent further modifications to suit Japanese tastes. Japanese curry is typically thicker, milder, and sweeter than other curries. It often includes ingredients like potatoes, carrots, onions, and meat and is commonly served with rice.

As for the number of different varieties of curry, due to the immense diversity of curries across regions and cultures. Each country, and even regions within countries, can have its distinct styles of curry with unique flavor profiles and ingredients. There are numerous types of curries, such as Indian curries like butter chicken, tikka masala, and vindaloo, Thai curries like green curry and red curry, Japanese curry, Malaysian curry laksa, Indonesian rendang, and many more.

Africa

Oct

Day of National Honor, (PE)(1968): October 9

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Day of National Honor in Peru marks the anniversary of October 9, 1968, the official day Peru nationalized its oil fields. Day of National Honor is a national holiday.

Africa

Oct

Egg Week, Ntl. (UK): October 9-15

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British Lion Eggs sponsor Egg Week in the United Kingdom. The week's goal is to encourage Brits to try eating eggs in new and unusual ways. Eggs are one of the least expensive and most versatile forms of protein and can be used in baking alone or as part of the main dish.

Africa

Oct

Fire Prevention Day, Ntl. (1871): October 9

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National Fire Protection Day marks the anniversary of two killer fires, The Great Chicago Fire and The Peshtigo Fire. Both fires began on October 8, 1871.

The Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871, killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 structures, and burned more than 2,000 acres. October 9 represents the deadliest of the three days.

The most devastating fire in American history remains Wisconsin's Peshtigo Fire, October 8, 1871. The fire only burned for one day but killed 1,200 - 2,400 people and charred over 1.2 million acres. Rain, after months of drought, put it out.

The largest fire in the world included forests in two countries, Russia and China. The 1987 Black Dragon Fire scorched 2.5 million acres and is the deadliest forest fire in history in the People's Republic of China. One hundred ninety-one died by fire, 250 were injured, and 33,000 Chinese became homeless.

For context, the second largest fire to date in the US, the 2021 Dixie Fire in California, burned 463,000 acres and killed one; the largest, Alaska's 2004 Taylor Complex Fire, killed 15 and burned 1.3 million acres.

HISTORY OF THE EVENT

In 1920, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first National Fire Prevention Day Proclamation, and since 1922, Fire Prevention Week is observed on Sunday through Saturday, including October 8. According to the National Archives and Records Administration's Library Information Center, Fire Prevention Week is the record's longest-running public health and safety observance. The President of the United States has signed a proclamation proclaiming a national observance during that week every year since 1925.

Africa

Oct

Foot Health Week (AU): October 9-15

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There are few things worse than foot aches, whether from standing too long, walking, or wearing the wrong shoes. Your foot health affects everything in your body, from posture to your hips, legs, and knees. National Foot Health Week in Australia is an awareness campaign designed to educate the public about foot-related issues and the treatments and practices available to help you live your best life pain-free.

Africa