Holidays Calendar for October 9, 2023
South Korea, North Korea and China use Hangul, that is the alphabet for writing their words. The alphabet was created in 1446 and now this anniversary is known as Hangul Day, that is celebrated in South Korea on October 9.
Independence Day is one of the major national holidays in Uganda. It's annually celebrated on October 9 on the anniversary of gaining of independence from Great Britain in 1962.
The former colonies often celebrate Abolition Day as one of the public holidays. For instance, the French overseas collectivity of Saint Barthélemy celebrates this day on October 9.
Guayaquil Independence Day is one of the public holidays in Ecuador. This holiday is observed annually on October 9, celebrating the day when the city of Guayaquil gained independence from Spain in 1820.
National Heritage Day is a public holiday in the Turks and Caicos Islands celebrated on the second Monday in October. It was established in 2014 to replace Columbus Day.
Thanksgiving Day is mostly known as an American holiday, but it is also celebrated in Canada, where it falls on the second Monday in October.
Health and Sports Day (Taiiku no Hi) is a Japanese public holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October. It was established in 1966 to promote sports and a healthy lifestyle. The original date of the holiday was October 10, but in 2000 it was moved to create a long weekend.
Norfolk Island Agricultural Show is an annual event held in October. The culmination of the show falls in the second Monday in October, it is an official public holiday in the Territory of Norfolk Island.
National Heroes' Day is a public holiday in the Bahamas celebrated on the second Monday of October. It was officially established in 2013, replacing Discovery Day (also known as Columbus Day).
Public Holidays →
USA,
American Virgin Islands,
Guam,
American Samoa,
Northern Mariana Islands,
Puerto Rico
Columbus Day in the United States
Columbus Day is one of the federal holidays in the United States. It is observed on the second Monday in October. Columbus Day celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s first arrival to the Americas in 1492.
On the second Monday of October, the citizens of Sint Maarten, a small island country in the Caribbean, celebrate Constitution Day. This public holiday was established to commemorate the day when the current Constitution of Sint Maarten entered into force.
Public Holidays →
American Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day in the US Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands–Puerto Rico Friendship Day is celebrated in the United States Virgin Islands on the second Monday of October, coinciding with Columbus Day. This public holiday honors Puerto Ricans residing in the U.S. Virgin Islands and their contributions.
Public Holidays →
Venezuela,
Uruguay,
Guatemala,
Costa Rica,
Chile,
Colombia,
Argentina,
Belize
Día de la Raza (Columbus Day in Latin America)
On October 12, 1492, Christopher Columbus arrived in the Americas for the first time. The anniversary of his arrival is celebrated in the United States as Columbus Day. However, this name is frowned upon in Hispanic countries and Belize because it is associated with colonization and the oppression of indigenous peoples. The most common alternative name for the holiday is Día de la Raza (Day of the [Hispanic] Race).
Beer and pizza are a match made in heaven, yes or no? If you wholeheartedly agree with this statement, don’t forget to celebrate International Beer and Pizza Day, also referred to as simply Beer and Pizza Day, on October 9.
PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day, also known as World PANS/PANDAS Awareness Day, is observed annually on October 9. It was created to raise awareness of the pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS).
Naval Forces Day is one of the most recent professional days in Turkmenistan. This day was established in 2011 and the first observance took place on October 9, 2012.
October 9 (17 Mehr in the Solar Hijri calendar) is marked as Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Day in Iran. It honors a branch of Iran’s Armed Forces tasked with protecting the country’s Islamic Republic system.
Indian diplomats celebrate their professional holiday, Indian Foreign Service Day, on October 9. It commemorates the founding anniversary of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), a central civil service responsible for India’s representation abroad.
National Dignity Day (Día de la Dignidad Nacional) was a public holiday in Peru commemorating the nationalization of the petroleum industry. Today, it is celebrated only in the province of Talara as Oil Worker Day (Día del Trabajador Petrolero).
Ukrainian realtors celebrate their professional holiday, Realtor’s Day, on October 9. Although the holiday hasn’t been recognized officially yet, it is very popular in the professional community.
National Nanotechnology Day is an annual event held in the United States on October 9. It was launched by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, a U.S. federal government program for the science, engineering, and technology research and development for nanoscale projects.
Leif Erikson Day, which is observed annually in the United States on October 9, is to honor the Norse explorer who was the leader of the first Europeans known to have set foot on the North American continent.
People of Romania observe National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust annually on October 9. This memorial day was created to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust in Romania during World War II.
Valencia Day (Día de la Comunidad Valenciana) is the official holiday of the Valencian Community of Spain. It is celebrated on October 9 to commemorate the 1238 reconquest of Valencia from the Moors by King James I of Aragon.
The Battle of the Caucasus Day is one of the days of military honor observed in the Russian Armed Forces to celebrate the most outstanding victories. It celebrates the Red Army’s victory in one of the most important battles on the Eastern Front of World War II.
Some people think moldy cheese is gross, but others enjoy its distinct taste and flavor immensely National Moldy Cheese Day celebrated on October 9 is the perfect excuse for the latter to indulge themselves with gourmet cheese such as Gorgonzola or Roquefort.
World Post Day is annually observed on October 9. This observance was created by the Universal Postal Union Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.
National Fire Prevention Day is observed in the United States and Canada on October 9. The week (from Sunday to Saturday) in which it falls is declared National Fire Prevention Week.
Indigenous Peoples' Day is celebrated in some localities in the United States on the second Monday in October. This observance was originally designed as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day, a federal holiday which celebrates Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas.
Festivals on October 9, 2023
- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, USA
- International Antalya Film Festival in Antalya, Turkey
- Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission, USA
- International Alba White Truffle Fair in Alba, Italy
- Festival Kreol in Seychelles in Victoria, Seychelles
- Warsaw International Film Festival in Warsaw, Poland
- Celtic Colours International Festival in Cape Breton Island, Canada
- Berlin Festival of Lights in Berlin, Germany
- Baku International Jazz Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan
- Sitges Film Festival in Sitges, Spain
- O Grove Seafood Festival in O Grove, Spain
- Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in Yamagata, Japan
- Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- GIMS Qatar (ex. Qatar Motor Show) in Doha, Qatar
- CinEast Film Festival in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
This Day in History
- 2023 Died: Keith Griffen, American comics artist and writer known for his work for DC Comics on their Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice League titles.
- 2016 Died: Andrzei Wajda, Polish film and theatre director who received an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards during his 65-year-long career.
- 2010 Died: Maurice Allais, French economist, winner of the 1988 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for his pioneering contributions to the theory of markets and efficient utilization of resources.
- 1996 Born: Bella Hadid, American model. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world on its annual list in 2023.
- 1987 Died: William P. Murphy, American physician who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1934 with George Richards Minot and George Hoyt Whipple.
- 1986 The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty's Theater in London. It eventually became the second-longest running musical in the West End after Les Misérables.
- 1984 Born: Marie Kondo, Japanese organizing consultant, author, and TV presenter. She is widely known for her method of organizing called the KonMari method.
- 1983 South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan survived an assassination attempt in Rangoon, Burma (present-day Yangon, Myanmar), but the blast killed 21 and injured 17 others.
- 1981 France became the last Western Country to practice capital punishment to abolish it. The abolition of capital punishment was backed by the newly elected president François Mitterrand.
- 1979 Born: Brendon Routh, American actor. He is known for portraying Superman in Superman Returns and Ray Palmer / The Atom in the Arrowverse, where he also reprised his role as Superman.
- 1974 Died: Oskar Schindler, German industrialist, humanitarian, and member of the Nazi Party who is credited with saving the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
- 1969 Born: Steve McQueen, British film director, film producer, screenwriter, and video artist. His best known directorial works include Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave, and Widows.
- 1969 Born: PJ Jarvey, English singer-songwriter. In the 2013 Birthday Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to music.
- 1967 Died: Cyril Norman Hinshelwood, British physical chemist and expert in chemical kinetics. His work in reaction mechanisms earned the 1956 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
- 1967 Died: Joseph Pilates, German-American fitness trainer, known as the inventor and promoter of the Pilates method of physical fitness.
- 1967 Died: Che Guevara, Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. His stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion.
- 1966 Born: David Cameron, British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and latterly as Foreign Secretary under Rishi Sunak from November 2023 to July 2024.
- 1964 Born: Guillermo del Toro, Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty in the grotesque.
- 1963 Over 2,000 people were killed when a large landslide behind the Vajont Dam in Italy caused a giant wave of water to overtop it. The accident was caused by design flaws.
- 1961 Born: Julian Bailey, British former Formula One driver from England, who raced for the Tyrrell and Lotus teams. He was one of the several drivers to race as The Stig on the show Top Gear.
- 1958 Died: Pope Pius XII (born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli), head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from March 2, 1939 until his death.
- 1954 Born: Scott Bakula, American actor, best known for his lead roles in two sci-fi television series: as Sem Beckett on Quantum Leap, and as Captain John Archer on Ster Trek: Enterprise.
- 1953 Born: Tony Shalhoub, American actor of stage and screen. He won a Tony for his performance in The Band's Visit and an Emmy for his role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
- 1950 Born: Jody Williams, American political activist, known for her work in banning anti-personnel landmines and defense of human rights. In 1997, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1944 Born: John Entwistle, English musician, songwriter, and producer, best known as the bass guitarist and occasional vocalist for the English rock band The Who.
- 1943 Died: Pieter Zeeman, Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for his discovery of the Zeeman effect.
- 1941 Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Arango was declared the new President of Panama after a coup. His administration lasted until June 15, 1945, when he was succeeded by Enrique Adolfo Jiménez.
- 1940 Born: John Lennon, English singer, songwriter and musician. He gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles.
- 1940 St. Paul's Cathedral in London was hit by a bomb during a nighttime air raid by the German Luftwaffe. The bombing destroyed the high altar.
- 1933 Born: Peter Mansfield, English physicist who was awarded the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, shared with Paul Lauterbur, for discoveries concerning magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
- 1892 Born: Ivo Andrić, Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in his native Bosnia under Ottoman rule.
- 1888 The Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. officially opened to the general public.
- 1852 Born: Hermann Emil Fischer, German chemist, remembered for his work on sugar and purine synthesis. This work brought him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902.
- 1834 The first public railway, the Dublin and Kingstown Railway, opened in Ireland, linking Westland Row in Dublin with Kingstown Harbor in County Dublin.
- 1740 Dutch colonists and various slave groups began massacring ethnic Chinese in Batavia (present-day Jakarta), Indonesia. They eventually killed 10,000 people.
- 1709 Died: Barbara Palmer, 1st Duchess of Cleveland, English courtesan and the most notorious mistress of King Charles II of England. They had five children, all of whom were acknowledged and ennobled.
- 1604 Johannes Kepler began observing the luminous display of a supernova, later called Kepler's Supernova or Supernova 1604, in the constellation Ophiuchus.
- 1562 Died: Gabriele Falloppio, Italian priest and anatomist. He was one of the most important anatomists and physicians of the 16th century, giving his name to the fallopian tube.
- 1201 Born: Robert de Sorbon, French theologian, the chaplain of Louis IX of France, and founder of the Sorbonne college in Paris.