Holidays Around The World � october 31 at AGLOBALWORLD.com

Reformation Day

Noel — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 23:30:13 +0000

Reformation Day: October 31

Reformation Day is observed in Germany and Slovenia.

As the name of this holiday clearly suggests, it is a day when people across several countries of the world celebrate one of the most important and crucial Reformations to have occurred in the history of Christianity, the Protestant Reformation.

Reformation Day is a religious holiday, which is celebrated in many countries of the world with a largely Christian population. It is celebrated on the last day of October every year. Many countries observe this day as a national or public holiday.

Reformation Day History

Martin Luther is a name, who every Protestant will be aware of. He was a famous professor of theology and a priest. During the year of 1517, the Roman Catholic Church, in order to raise money and funds for St. Peter’s at Rome, started the practice of selling pieces of paper known as the indulgences or pardons, to the general public. The Church induced fear in the people and influenced them to buy these pieces of paper from the Church, so that their sins will be forgiven by buying pardon from the Church.

Martin Luther revolutionized the entire belief system of the Christians when he stood up against the Roman Catholic Church. He proposed theses of ninety-five points, in which he condemned the various malpractices and abuses of the Catholic Church. These ninety-five theses he nailed on the doors of the Castle Church in Wittenberg in Germany. The church door was the place for main thoroughfare in Wittenberg and also used to post important public notices. This strategic vantage point gave Luther’s Theses the deserved attention that it should have got.

The Impact of Reformation

Martin Luther had never aimed to start a new church. However, people were greatly influenced by his preaching and writings. He brought to the notice of people some important points from the Bible such as justification by faith and the priesthood of all believers.

Justification by faith means that Christian’s can never buy or earn God’s love, but only have faith in God to seek forgiveness for their sins. Priesthood of all believers means that Christians need not depend on priests or middle men to have a relationship with God.

Thus, the brave and noble act of this individual brought about a complete change in the history of Christianity and gave rise to a new domain of Churches known as the Protestant Church and hence the reformation is also known as the Protestant Reformation. The followers of Luther came to be known as the Lutherans.

Martin Luther is also largely responsible for the singing of hymns in churches.

Reformation Day Traditions and Activities

Today, this day is celebrated with fond remembrance of Martin Luther. People try to reconstruct the day’s events as they might have happened on the same day several years earlier in 1517. They create various art and craft items, paint windows with glass paintings similar to the ones we would see in olden day’s churches. People also try to create old parchment paper, similar to the one that might have been used by Martin Luther and write hymns and prayers on them.

The church has special prayers and services on this day. They try to rejuvenate the doctrines and preaching of Martin Luther and reinforce the importance of faith in God above all other practices such as confessions, seeking absolution and other such malpractices.

Symbol and Color of the reformation Day

The color of the day is red which symbolizes the blood that Lord Jesus Christ had shed for the forgiveness of all our sins.

A very important symbol for the day is a seal that Martin Luther wore as a ring. It is known as the Luther Rose. The Luther Rose consists of a black cross, on a red heart. The heart is set in the middle of a white rose. The white rose is placed on a field of heavenly blue. Encircling this field is a ring of gold.

Reformation Day is a public holiday in Germany and Slovenia.

Reformation Day is also known as:

Martin Luther Reformation Day
Luther Reformation Day

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Cambodia remembers Birthday Anniversary of King Sihanouk

Noel — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 11:18:15 +0000

Birth of King Sihanouk: October 31-November 2

Birth of King Sihanouk is a Public Holiday in Cambodia.

The birth of King Norodom Sihanouk took place on Oct. 31st 1922 in Cambodia at the capital of Phnom Penh. King Norodom Sihanouk was a direct descendant of the 19th century King Norodom. King Sihanouk was ruler of Cambodia on two separate occasions, 1941-1955 and again from1993-2004. As a nationalist leader, King Sihanouk secured Cambodia’s independence from French colonial rule and protected his beloved country from the most powerful rivalries.

Cambodia Birth of King Sihanouk History

King Sihanouk was the first of four children from parents Norodom Suramarit and Princess Monivong Kossamak. It is said he parents were musically talented and raised him in a humble manner. King Sihanouk was selected as king in 1941 when he was just 18 years old. In March of 1945, he proclaimed Cambodia independence and came quickly came to terms with the returning French after the war. Both in 1947 and 1951, King Sihanouk opposed demands by legislatures for a re-declaration of independence from France.

In 1953 and effectively completed in 1954, King Sihanouk went into exile in Thailand successfully regaining Cambodia independence from France easily. In 1955, King Sihanouk stepped down as monarch in favour of his father who only served as King for 5 years afterward. During this period the former King Sihanouk served his country under many titles and continued playing a prominent role in Cambodian politics. King Sihanouk regained his crown 52 years later in 1993 when a United Nations sponsored election royalist party was elected to power and approved a new constitution that re-established monarchical rule.

Cambodia Birth of King Sihanouk Customs and Activities

Birth of King Sihanouk Festivals, Customs and Activities Many of the countries people will return to the capital city of Phnom Penh – birthplace of King Sihanouk – for celebration. Many years the popular Cambodian Water Festival and the King’s birthday will coincide with each other which creates a gigantic celebration along the riverfront of the Royal palace. This is typically a 3-day festival with an amazing fireworks display after sunset in front of the Royal Palace. For those who don’t necessarily visit the capital city of Phnom Penh, this is a great excuse to join in the festivities. With the combination of the Water Festival and King’s Sihanouk birthday celebration, the locals are in for quite a spectacular event. Tourists who happen to be in the area are in for a great treat as well.

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Taiwan Celebrates Chiang Kai-Shek Day

Noel — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:00:35 +0000

Chiang Kai-Shek Day Date: October 31

Taiwan celebrates Chiang Kai-Shek Day as a public holiday.

On October 31, Taiwan celebrates Chiang Kai-Shek Day. The birth anniversary of Chiang Kai-Shek is celebrated as a national holiday in Taiwan.

History of Chiang Kai-Shek Day in Taiwan

On October 31, 1887, in Chekiang province, China, Chiang Kai-Shek was born. He was the leader of the Nationalist government of China from 1928 to 1949. As a young man training in the Japanese military, Chiang was attracted to the ideals of republicanism. After completing his military training, he returned to China and fought against the dying Manchu imperial dynasty. He eventually joined forces with Sun Yat-sen’s Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang. During this association both Chiang and Sun became enamored of Soviet communism and even reorganized the Nationalist Party based on a Soviet model. After Sun’s death, Chinese communists, who had been admitted into the party, came into conflict with strict republicans. Chiang’s political shrewdness came to the fore at this point, as he stemmed the influence of the communists in his party while keeping Moscow as an ally.

When the Japanese Army invaded China in 1937, Chiang lost control of the coastal regions and was forced to move his capital from Nanking to Chungking. In an effort to beat the Japanese, he agreed to collaborate with Mao Zedong and his communist army. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Chiang and his government received considerable financial support from the United States. Eventually Chiang led a coup that expelled the communists, feeling that they were too strong a challenge to his own control of the party. In 1949, he lost his nation to communism. Chiang removed himself to Taiwan, where he set up a relatively benign dictatorship—an alternate China.

Taiwan’s Chiang Kai-Shek Day Traditions, Customs and Activities

Taiwan celebrates Chiang Kai-Shek’s birthday as a national holiday. All the government offices and schools remain closed on this day, and celebrations are held throughout the country to honor Chiang Kai-Shek.

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Reformation Day is Celebrated in Slovenia

Noel — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 10:00:20 +0000

Reformation Day Date: October 31

Slovenia celebrates Reformation Day as a public holiday.

Slovenia, on October 31, celebrates Reformation Day to mark the anniversary that ushered in a wave of reforms. Reformation Day is a national holiday in Slovenia.

History of Reformation Day in Slovenia

Reformation in Slovenia started relatively late, in the middle of the 16th century. Reformation—primarily of a Lutheranist form—spread to Slovenia, helping to create the foundations of the Slovenian literary language. On October 31, 1517, German priest Martin Luther posted at the doors of a church in Wittenberg, Germany a proposal, the Ninety-Five Theses, that debated the doctrine and practices of indulgence. This ushered in a time of reform and the emergence of new Christian groups. The advent of the printing press enabled his ideas to spread quickly around Europe.

Protestantism promoted the idea that the worship of God should be conducted in the mother tongue of the worshipers, and the idea reached well beyond Germany. It was during the second half of the 16th century when Reformation ideas flourished in Slovenia, and the first ever Slovenian-language book—a translation of the Holy Bible—was published. Protestantism left a deep mark on the predominantly Roman Catholic Slovenia.

Reformation Day in Slovenia – Traditions, Customs and Activities

Reformation Day is a national holiday in Slovenia, and it is also widely observed as a religious holiday. The liturgical color of the day is red, chosen to represent the Holy Spirit and the Martyrs of the Christian Church. Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”, is traditionally sung on this day. Children from Lutheran schools enact Reformation Day plays or pageants from the life of Martin Luther. All schools, public offices, and banks remain closed on this day.

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Halloween

Noel — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 05:22:26 +0000

Halloween Date: October 31

Halloween Day is celebrated as a festival worldwide.

A festival that is closely related to All Saints day or sometimes even considered the same in some parts of the world is Halloween. The festival itself evokes a great sense of joy among the younger generation of people. The festival comes about as a practice followed among the Christian population and had its genesis in Samhain, a Celtic festival.

Halloween History

The celebration of the festival is carried out in order to pacify the dead. It is believed that on this day the portal that separates the dead and the living is breached and that tragedy follows in the form of illness and crop failures. It is because of this reason that bonfires are carried out as a ritual practice on the day of Halloween so that bones of dead carcasses can be cast into the flames as a sacrifice for the dead.

Halloween mainly is associated with Europe as far as its origins are considered as some of the foremost civilizations like the Celtics often believed in supernatural powers and celebrated festivals and rituals to honor the dead. The festival spread to The United States where it now enjoys cult status thanks mainly due to Hollywood.

Halloween celebrations mainly involve scary proceedings like people wearing masks, bonfires, scary storytelling and events of such an order. This became popular as Hollywood started cashing on the people’s belief in Halloween and started making movies to cater to the scare thirsty followers thereby enabling more people to take part in the celebration of the festival.

Halloween was primarily named as All Hallows’ Eve. But this soon became the popular festival we know now. The celebrations of the festival have been going on for centuries now and the type of celebrations differ upon the place. In the more developed world that is today, kids often practice trick or treat, an event where kids visit people’s houses dressed up as scary monsters and ask for chocolates and candy.

Halloween Traditions and Activities

The event brings much cheer to the kids in town as they get to dress up as some of their favorite creatures. Soon, commercialization made its mark in the celebration of the festival and several companies started cashing in on the costume frenzy. Costumes that were irrelevant to Halloween were manufactured and sold by the thousands. Older generation of celebrations involved skeletons being hung outside houses to pacify the dead. Celebration of Halloween now is almost a universal event, with kids running in costumes and scary movies being watched. The festival has acquired a large fan following and studies show that the average American spends more on Halloween each year than he/she did the previous year.

Interesting facts about Halloween
The pumpkin shaved in the form of a head and with a light inside is done to replicate a person’s head as it is the most powerful part of the human body and is hung outside instead of skeletons used by the ancient Celtics. The festival is believed to have been brought to the Americas by the Irish in 1846 during the Great Famine.

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