CULTURE: What is Double Ten Day and Fil-Am History Month?

Flag Raising Ceremony (top) and National Day Celebration of the Republic of China in Denver

The Double Ten Day commemorates the start of the Wuchang Uprising on October 10, 1911, which ultimately led to the collapse of the imperial Qing Dynasty. The revolt led to the founding of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912.

The revolt marked the end of the Qing Dynasty that had been established in 1644 by the Manchus. Since the start of the nineteenth century the power and control of the Qing court had been on a decline and at the start of the twentieth century, Sun Yatsen led an uprising of nationalists.

Overseas Chinese played a key role, since the nation’s founding father Sun Yat-sen, a medical doctor by training, received financial support mainly from the overseas Chinese communities abroad to overthrow the imperial Qing Dynasty and establish the second republic in Asia in 1912.

During the establishment of the Republic of China (ROC), Taiwan was under Japanese rule, which began in 1895. In 1945, after Japan surrendered in World War II, Taiwan was placed under the control of the ROC, and Sun Yatsen was elected provisional president of the new republic.

Outside Taiwan, the National Day is celebrated by many overseas Chinese communities. Ceremonies and parades occur yearly in the Chinatowns of San Francisco and Chicago. Celebrations are also held in Denver by the Chinese American Council of Colorado, Denver Chinese Culture Center, and other organizations.

What is Filipino American History Month?

In 2009, the U.S. Congress recognized October as Filipino American History Month of the achievements, contributions, and legacy of the Filipino American community. It also provides a link between Filipinos in the U.S. and Filipinos in the Philippines by showcasing their shared culture and heritage.

Prior to that, the Filipino American National Historical Society proposed the first annual Filipino American History Month to commence in October 1992. October was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Filipinos who landed in what is now Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587. It is also the birth month of Filipino American labor leader Larry Itliong.

Filipinos are the second largest Asian ethnic group in the U.S. with about four million Filipino Americans.

This year in Denver, the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) Region V invites community members to its annual gala on Saturday, Oct. 9, Moda Filipiniana 2021, showcasing designs by Filipino-American designer Kirsten Regalado to be modeled by Filipino-American organizations’ leaders and community members at the Radisson Hotel in Aurora.

The gala will benefit the NaFFAA Region V Disaster Preparedness Fund to be able to send financial assistance quickly to the Philippines when the country experiences crises, such as its estimated 20 typhoons a year.