Day of National Salvation Azerbaijan - Jun 15
Azerbaijan is a country near the intersection of Asia and Europe. This country has its borders on the verge of Russia in the north, Armenia in the west, Iran to the South, and the Caspian Sea eastwards. The majority of the people are Shiite Muslims and ethnic Azeri. The country follows secularism as a policy, and its love for peace is demonstrated by the membership in various organizations such as GUAM, Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the United Nations. It is also a part of the NATO Partnership for Peace program. One of the most important days in the calendar of this country is National Salvation Day celebrated every year on June 15.
HUNGARY Culture is the driving force of Central European cooperation
Prime Minister unveiled statue of István Tisza
History National Salvation Day is celebrated to commemorate both
the end of a civil war that went on within the country and the return of democracy to the people. The military coup was conducted by Surat Huseynov’s military on June 4 in Ganja and demanded resignation of Parliament Speaker Isa Gambar and Prime Minister Panah Huseyn. This led Azerbaijan to anarchy. These rebels then seized power in Ganja and moved towards Baku. To stop this insurgence and to battle against these anarchists, Heydar Aliyev was invited to Baku. He accepted the invitation, and once he arrived, he was elected unanimously as speaker and head of state. He held talks with the revolting group of the army when he reached Baku. The talks went on smoothly, and he reported the turn of events and the demands of the rebellion in the parliament. The members of the rebellion agreed to the demands, and hence the threat of the civil war that hung upon the country was lifted. To mark this day of lifting the specter of war, every year on June 15, National Salvation Day is celebrated. It is on this day when Heydar Aliyev was elected as the chairman of the parliament and subsequently as the president. This holiday was made official by an act of parliament in 1997.
Celebrations
The defense wing and the veterans of the military take part in the ceremonial parade that takes place every year. The president presides over this parade accepting the salute from the various wings or parts of his defense force. Like any other important day, this is also a public holiday with the majority of commercial establishments closing. The president also addresses the nation on this day emphasizing the need for national unity and security. These celebrations are also extended to the television, which broadcasts live the speech of the president to the civilians. There are also celebrations in the form of a fireworks display at night.
National Flag Day Denmark - Jun 15
The national flag of Denmark or Dannebrog is red with a white Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side. On the Danish flag, the cross design, which represents Christianity, was subsequently adopted by the other Nordic countries; Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands, as well as the Scottish archipelagos of Shetland and Orkney. During the Danish-Norwegian personal union, Dannebrog ("Danish cloth") was also the flag of Norway and continued to be, with slight modifications, until Norway adopted its current flag in 1821. Dannebrog is the oldest state flag in the world still in use by an independent nation.
Origin
The legend states the origin of the flag to the Battle of Lyndanisse, also known as the Battle of Valdemar (Danish: "Volmerslaget"), near Lyndanisse (Tallinn) in Estonia, on June 15, 1219. The battle was going badly, and defeat seemed imminent. But then, right when the Danes were about to give up, the flag fell from heaven. Grasping the flag before it could ever touch the ground, the king took it in his hand, and proudly waved it in front of his discouraged troops, giving them hope, and leading them to victory. No historical record supports this legend. The first record of the legend dates from more than 300 years after the campaign, and the first record connects the legend to a much smaller battle, though still in Estonia; the battle of Fellin (Viljandi) in 1208. Though no historical support exists for the flag story in the Fellin battle either, it is not difficult to understand how a small and unknown place is replaced with the much grander battle of Reval (Tallinn) from the Estonia campaign of King Valdemar II. This story originates from two written sources from the early 16th century. The first is found in Christiern Pedersen's "Danske Krønike", which is a sequel to Saxo’s Gesta Danorum, written 1520 – 23. It is not mentioned in connection to the campaign of King Valdemar II in Estonia, but in connection with a campaign in Russia. He also mentions that this flag, falling from the sky during the Russian campaign of King Valdemar II, is the very same flag that King Eric of Pomerania took with him when he left the country in 1440 after being deposed as King. The second source is the writing of the Franciscan monk Petrus Olai (Peder Olsen) of Roskilde, from 1527. This record describes a battle in 1208 near a place called "Felin" during the Estonia campaign of King Valdemar II. The Danes were all but defeated when a lamb-skin banner depicting a white cross falls from the sky and miraculously leads to a Danish victory. In another record by Petrus Olai called "Danmarks Tolv Herligheder" (Twelve Splendours of Denmark), in splendour number nine, the same story is re-told almost to the word; however, a paragraph has been inserted correcting the year to 1219. Whether or not these records describe a truly old oral story in existence at that time, or a 16th century invented story, is not currently determined. Some historians believe that the story by Petrus Olai refers to a source from the first half of the 15th century, making this the oldest reference to the falling flag. It is believed that the name of the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, came into existence after the battle. It is derived from "Taani linn", meaning "Danish town" in Estonian.
Other theories of the origin of the flag Caspar Paludan-Müller:
The Danish historian Caspar Paludan-Müller in 1873 in his book "Sagnet om den himmelfaldne Danebrogsfane" put forth the theory that it is a banner sent by the Popeto the Danish King to use in his crusades in the Baltic countries. Other kings and lords certainly received such banners. One would imagine, though, that if this story were true, some kind of record ought to exist of the event, and presumably Danish historians would not have failed to mention it in some way. Being granted a banner by the Pope would have been a great Dannebrog falling from the sky during the Battle of Lynhonour, but despite the many letters of the popes relating to danisse, June 15, 1219. Painted by Christian August Lorentzen the crusades, none of them in 1809. Original located at Statens Museum for Kunst, Denmentions granting a banner to a mark King of Denmark. On the other hand, the letter in question might simply have been lost.
Johan Støckel:
A similar theory was suggested by Danish explorer, adventurer and Captain Johan Støckel in the early 20th century. He suggested that it was not a papal banner to the King but a papal banner to the Churchly legate in the North, more specifically to archbishop Andreas Sunesøn, which he – without the knowledge of the King – brought with him on the King's crusade in the Baltic countries, in an effort to make the army take on a Christian symbol (over the king's symbol) and thereby strengthen the power of the church. It is unlikely that the very fair and loyal archbishop would do such a thing behind the king's back. Moreover, it is unlikely that the pope would send such a banner, given the fact that they already had one, namely the banner of the Knights Hospitaller (Danish: "Johanitterne").
Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen:
A theory brought forth by the Danish historian Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen in 1875 in his book "Danebroges Oprindelse" is that the Danish flag is the banner of the Knights Hospitaller. He notes that the order came to Denmark in the latter half of the 12th century and during the next centuries spread to major cities, like Odense, Viborg, Horsens, Ribe and their headquarters in Slagelse, so by the time of theBaltic crusade, the symbol was already a known symbol in Denmark. Furthermore he claims that Bishop Theoderich, already co-initiator of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword in Livonia, had the idea of starting a similar order in Estonia; and that he was the original instigator of the inquiry from Bishop Albert of Buxhoeveden to KingValdemar II in 1218, that set the whole Danish participation in the Baltic crusades in motion. In the contemporary writing of the priest Henry of Livonia from Riga it is said that Bishop Theoderich was killed during the 1219 battle, when the enemy stormed his tent, thinking it was the King's tent. Adolf Ditlev Jørgensen explains that it was Bishop Theoderich who carried the flag, planted outside his tent; thus as an already well-known symbol of the Knights Hospitaller in Livonia, the enemy thought this was the King's symbol and mistakenly stormed Bishop Theoderich tent. He claims that the origin of the legend of the falling flag comes from this confusion in the battle.
L. P. Fabricius:
The Danish church-historian L. P. Fabricius proposed yet another theory, explained in his study of 1934, titled "Sagnet om Dannebrog og de ældste Forbindelser med Estland". He ascribes the origin to the 1208 Battle of Fellin, not the Battle of Lyndanisse in 1219, based on the earliest source available about the story. He says in this theory that it might have been Archbishop Andreas Sunesøn's personal ecclesiastical banner or perhaps even the flag of Archbishop Absalon, based on his tireless efforts to expand Christianity to the Baltic countries. Under his initiative and supervision several smaller crusades had already been conducted in Estonia. The banner would then already be known in Estonia. He repeats the story about the flag being planted in front of Bishop Theodorik's tent, which the enemy mistakenly attacks believing it to be the tent of the King. All these theories centre on two battles in Estonia, Fellin (1208) or Lyndanisse (1219), and thus try to explain the origin in relation to the tale brought forth over 300 years after the event.
Fabricius and Helga Bruhn:
A much different theory is briefly discussed by Fabricius and elaborated more by Helga Bruhn in her book "Dannebrog" from 1949. She claims that it is neither the battle nor the banner that is central to the tale, but rather the cross in the sky. Similar tales of appearances in the sky at critical moments, particularly of crosses, can be found all over Europe. Bruhn mentions a battle (also mentioned by Fabricius) taking place on September 10, 1217 between Christian knights and Moorwarriors on the Iberian Peninsula near the castle Alcazar, where it is said that a golden cross on white appeared in the sky, to bring victory to the Christians. Likewise an almost identical Swedish tale from the 18th century about a yellow cross on blue appearing in 1157 during a Swedish battle in Finland. Probably a later invention to counter the legendary origins of the Danish flags, but nevertheless of the same nature. The English flag, the Saint George's Cross is also claimed to have appeared in the sky during a critical battle, in this case in Jerusalem during the crusades. The similarities to the legends is obvious. In Spain, the colours of the Pope appears in the sky, in Finland the Swedish colours. In Estonia it is the Danish colours, and in Jerusalem the English The Danish flag from the front page of Christiern Pedersen’s version of colours. Basically, these are all variations of the same legend. Since King Valdemar II was married to the Portuguese princess, Saxo’s Gesta Danorum, 1514. Berengaria, it is not unthinkable that the origin of the story, if not the flag, was the Spanish tale or a similar tale, which again might have been inspired by an even older legend.
Photo: Gyula Bartos (Online 12 Jun) Culture is the lifeblood of Central European cooperation and in the absence of culture politics and economies cannot succeed – Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog said on Wednesday in Fertőd, western Hungary. On behalf of Hungary, Minister Balog is hosting Czech, Polish and Slovak representatives at the annual gathering of the Visegrád Four cultural policy leaders in the Esterházy Palace in Fertőd on June 11-12. On the first day of the meeting, participants attended a concert of the National Philharmonic Orchestra in the Palace’s Marionette Theatre. In his opening speech, Mr. Balog said that the future of Europe demands that in the 21st century the continent must again have a “special centre”, where nations – despite their language barriers – understand one another
better than in any other region and can formulate their common interests. Mr. Balog said that despite common historical and political roots and similar economic interests, it was difficult to say whether the region has a common cultural identity. The Fertőd meeting was a good opportunity to define those Czech, Hungarian, Polish and Slovak national elements that could constitute the basis of a common cultural identity, the Minister said, adding that “we must find what unites and what separates us, and also enter into dialogue on the latter”. He said these nations can only successfully represent their joint European interests through a common cultural language. Mr. Balog said the hall that would provide the setting for the evening concert was originally built as a marionette theatre and later hosted opera performances, but
Photo: Károly Árvai in the 1950s, 60s and 70s was used as a stable. It was restored to its concert hall purpose in 2013 and since then it has also hosted a government session. It can take a long time to repair past mistakes, but 25 years after the regime change this has now happened, he said. After the concert, Minister Balog told journalist that culture must be an integral part of the EU2020 strategy. He said poverty and disadvantaged status should not prevent people’s access to culture and EU funds should also ensure that. Before the concert, the Visegrad award for preserving and safeguarding Central European spirituality was presented to the National Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra played compositions by Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
(Online 10 Jun) On Monday Prime Minister Viktor Orbán expressed hope that a re-erected statue of former Hungarian prime minister István Tisza could be the "symbol of a new era of nation-building". István Tisza served as Hungary’s prime minister between 1903 and 1905, and from 1913 to 1917. He was assassinated in October 1918. Speaking at the inauguration of the statue on Kossuth Square, Prime Minister Orbán stated that the re-erection marked the beginning of the new era for which the
Government had been working hard since 2010. In the last four years, Hungary's honour has been restored and the foundation laid on which it again makes sense to speak about a Hungarian future in 21st-century Europe, he said. Tisza saw that political parties on the side of labour did not necessarily have to be communist or socialist, they could be national, too, he pointed out. Tisza saw the solidarity shared between different members of the nation, a solidarity that was capable of bridging differences between
classes, he added. The Prime Minister noted that Tisza had initially opposed World War I even while everybody around him supported it. He was one of the few who saw that the short-term alternative to the monarchy was anarchy, which would lead to the breakup of Hungary, he highlighted. Present at the inauguration were Speaker László Kövér, former prime minister Péter Boross, church officials, ministers, MPs and members of the Tisza family.
Minister of Human Resources introduces new Ministers of State
Hungary condemns Karachi airport attack (Online 12 Jun) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary was shocked to learn about the attack of 8th June, by ten heavily armed at the gunmen Karachi Jinnah International Airport, for which the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility and which claimed the lives of
innocent numerous victims. The Ministry condemns the attack in the strongest terms, just like all acts of terrorism. The attack was perpetratred in a time when the Pakistani Government is making huge efforts to try to direct the conflicts to the path of neThe gotiations.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade expresses its deepest condolences to the relatives of the victims. Hungary confirms its support to the endeavours of the Government of Pakistan in the fight against terrorism, for the sake of stability and development.
Ec onom y a nd s c ie nc e c a n joint ly c ont r ibut e t o c ount r y ’s s uc c e s s (Online 13 Jun) The joint efforts of the economy and science can make a significant contribution to a country’s success – this is clearly shown by the example of Austria, which Hungary aims to emulate, Hungarian Minister for Human Resources Zoltán Balog said on Thursday in Vienna after a meeting with Austrian Federal Minister for Economy, Family and Youth Reinhold Mitterlehner. Mr. Balog said science, research and
innovation should all serve the economy. Austria has recognised this, and has accordingly established a dual education system in which theoretical and practical training go hand in hand. He said that the two countries will set up a student exchange programme the Buthrough dapest-based Andrássy Gyula German Speaking University. Minister Balog also praised Austrian achievements within the fields of inclusion and equal opportuni-
ties, pointing out that socially disadvantaged people are given preferential access to vocational training. As a result, in Austria under ten percent of students end their vocational studies without receiving a diploma, whereas in Hungary this ratio is 30 percent overall and 50 percent among the socially disadvanScholarship taged. programmes have a significant role to play in the inclusion of the disadvantaged, Minister Balog said.
Photo: László Beliczay (Online 12 Jun) Minister of Human Resources, Zoltán Balog, introduced his Ministry’s new Ministers of State on 10 June. They are the following: Deputy Minister and Parliamentary State Secretary Bence Rétvári, and Ministers of State Györgyi Lengyel (administrative affairs), Judit Czunyiné Bertalan (public education), István Simicskó (sports), Miklós Soltész (church affairs), Péter Hoppál (culture) Katalin Novákné Veres (youth and family affairs) Károly Czibere (social affairs and inclusion) and Gábor Zombor (health). The candidate for Minister of State for higher education would be introduced within the next few weeks, Mr. Balog said, adding that his new colleague would be arriving from one of the most successful and wellknown international technology companies and that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is personally conducting the related negotiations. Mr. Balog also said that EU-funded development projects would also be overseen by a separate State Secretariat in future, and while the search for the ideal candidate is ongoing, the position will temporarily be filled by Deputy State Secretary
Tamás Köpeczi-Bócz. The Minister also said that the past four years have confirmed that the Ministry could function well in its present form, adding that the Ministry’s Christian-Democratic nature is of particular importance to him and the areas under the Ministry’s supervision are well-suited to enable valuebased governance. The candidates also introduced themselves after the Minister had given a short overview of what he expected from his new colleagues. Bence Rétvári said he would focus work on families, because by helping families the state assures the long-term survival of the nation. Györgyi Lengyel – reaffirmed in her position after the elections – said her area of responsibility is the “nerve centre” of the Ministry and she will continue to make sure that the Ministry functions as single unit. Gábor Zombor considers his biggest challenge to be finding the right balance between the explosive development of medical technology and the sector’s limited resources. Judit Czunyiné Bertalan believes that the framework of public education has found a proper definition in the past few years and her work will be delineated accordingly.
Károly Czibere will focus on improving basic home care services and completing the work of developing career path blueprints for social employees. Péter Hoppál said Hungarian “high culture” must be made more accessible both in Hungary and abroad and the Government must cooperate with major cultural institutions to achieve this goal. Miklós Soltész said that the relationship with Hungary’s nationalities – an area under his supervision – also has an impact on how neighbouring countries treat their Hungarian minorities. Katalin Novákné Veres said her priority will be to reverse the country’s unfavourable demographic trends, thereby assuring a better distribution of public burdens. István Simicskó said the Government considers sports a strategic area with the task of “raising a healthy nation”. The Government announced a few days ago that a few Ministries will be relocated in regional cities, and journalists asked Minister Balog whether there are any plans to also move his Ministry. The Minister said he was not aware that such plans existed.
Earliest recorded use of the flag:
Danish literature of the 13th and 14th centuries remains quiet about the national flag. Whether the flag has its origins in a divine sign, a banner of a military order, an ecclesiastical banner, or perhaps something entirely different, Danish literature is no help before the early 15th century. However, several coins, seals and images exist, both foreign and domestic, from the 13th to 15th centuries and even earlier, showing flags similar to Dannebrog. In the 19th and early 20th century, these images were used by many Danish historians, with a good flair of nationalism, trying to date the origins of the flag to 1219. However, if one examines the few existing foreign sources about Denmark from the 13th to 15th centuries, it is apparent that, at least from foreign point of view; the national symbol of Denmark was not a red-and-white banner but the royal coat of arms (three blue lions on a golden shield.) This coat of arms remains in use to this day. An obvious place to look for documentation is in the Estonian city of Tallinn, the site of the legendary battle. In Tallinn, a coat-of-arms resembling the flag is found on several buildings and can be traced back to the middle of the 15th century where it appears in the coat-of-arms of the "Die Grosse Gilde", a sort of merchant consortium which greatly influenced the city's development. The symbol later became the coat-of-arms of the city. Efforts to trace it from Estonia back to Denmark have, however, been in vain. The national Coat of Arms of Estonia, three blue lions on a golden shield, is almost identical to the Coat of Arms of Denmark, and its origin can be traced directly back to King Valdemar II and Danish rule in Estonia 1219-1346.
Laws and flag variations
Denmark does not have a specified flag law, but various regulations and rules spread out over many documents, from King Christian IV's time till today, can be found.
Superstitions:
A part of the Danish culture, states that Dannebrog is not allowed to touch the ground because it came from heaven. Another part states that Dannebrog is not allowed to be hoist at night, because it is said to salute the Devil.
National flag:
The size and shape of the coufhordie flag ("Koffardiflaget") for merchant ships is given in the regulation of June 11, 1748, which says: A red flag with a white cross with no split end. The white cross must be 1/7 of the flags height. The two first fields must be square in form and the two outer fields must be 6/4 lengths of those. The proportions are thus: 3:1:3 vertically and 3:1:4.5 horizontally. This definition are the absolute proportions for the Danish national flag to this day, for both the civil version of the flag ("Stutflaget"), as well as the merchant flag ("Handelsflaget"). Both flags are identical. A somewhat curious regulation came in 1758 concerning Danish ships sailing in theMediterranean. These had to carry the King's cypher logo in the center of the flag, to distinguish them from Maltese ships, due to the similarity of the flag of the Order of St. John (also known as the Knights Hospitaller). To the best of knowledge, this regulation has never been revoked, however it is probably no longer done. According to the regulation of June 11, 1748 the colour was simply red, which is common known today as "Dannebrog rød" ("Dannebrog red"). The only available red fabric dye in 1748 was made of madder root, which can be processed to produce a brilliant red dye (used historically for British soldiers' jackets). The private company, Dansk Standard, regulation number 359 of 2005, defines the red colour of the flag as Pantone 186c. No official nuance definition of "Dannebrog rød" exists. During the next about 150 years nobody paid much attention to actually abide fully to the proportions of the flag given in the 1748 regulation, not even the government. As late as 1892 it was stated in a series of regulations that the correct lengths of the two last fields in the flag were 6/4. Some interested in the matter made inquires into the issue and concluded that the 6/4 length would make the flag look blunt. Any new flag would also quickly become unlawful, due to wear and tear. They also noted that the flag currently used had lengths, of the last two fields, anywhere between 7/4 to 13/6. So in May 1893 a new regulation to all chiefs of police, stated that the police should not intervene, if the two last fields in the flag were longer than 6/4 as long as these did not exceed 7/4, and provided that this was the only rule violated. This regulation is still in effect today and thus the legal proportions of the National flag is today anywhere between 3:1:3 width / 3:1:4.5 length and 3:1:3 width / 3:1:5.25 length. That some confusion still exists in this matter can be seen from the regulation of May 4, 1927, which once again states that Danish merchant ships have to fly flags according to the regulation of 1748.
Splitflag and Orlogs flag:
The Splitflag and Orlogsflag have similar shapes but different sizes and hues. Legally, they are two different flags. The Splitflag is a Danish flag ending in a swallow-tail, it isDannebrog red, and is used on land. The Orlogsflag is an elongated Splitflag with a deeper red colour and is only used on sea. The Orlogsflag with no markings, may only be used by the Royal Danish Navy. There are though a few exceptions to this. A few institutions have been allowed to fly the cleanOrlogsflag. Same flag with markings has been approved for a few dozen companies and institutions over the years. Furthermore, the Orlogsflag is only described as such if it has no additional markings. Any swallow-tail flag, no matter the color, is called a Splitflag provided it bears additional markings. The first regulation regarding the Splitflag dates from March 27, 1630, in which King Christian IV orders that Norwegian Defensionskibe(armed merchants ships) may only use the Splitflag if they are in Danish war service. In 1685 an order, distributed to a number of cities in Slesvig, states that all ships must carry the Danish flag, and in 1690 all merchant ships are forbidden to use the Splitflag, with the exception of ships sailing in the East Indies, West Indies and at the coast of Africa. In 1741 it is confirmed that the regulation of 1690 is still very much in effect; that merchant ships may not use the Splitflag. At the same time the Danish East India Company is allowed to fly the Splitflag when past the equator. It is obvious that some confusion must have existed regarding the Splitflag. In 1696 the Admiralty presented the King with a proposal for a standard regulating both size and shape of the Splitflag. In the same year a royal resolution defines the proportions of the Splitflag, which in this resolution is called Kongeflaget (the King's flag), as follows: The cross must be 1/7 of the flags height. The two first fields must be square in form with the sides three times the cross width. The two outer fields are rectangular and 1½ the length of the square fields. The tails are the length of the flag.
Gov e r nm e nt t o c le a r up life s e nt e nc e wit hout pa r ole is s ue (Online 12 Jun) The issue of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole will be cleared up by the Government „in some form” by the end of this year, Minister of Justice László Trócsányi said on public television on 8 June 2014. Minister Trócsányi said on M1 television that a recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights
Youth Day on 16 June in South Africa commemorates the start of the Soweto riots of 1976, initially sparked by a government edict that Afrikaans be used as medium of instruction for certain subjects in black schools. The iconic picture of Hector Peterson, a black schoolchild shot by the police, brought home to many people within and outside of South Africa the brutality of the Apartheid government.
Day of the African Child International - Jun 16
The International Day of the African Child has been celebrated on June 16every year since 1991, when it was first initiated by the Organisation of African Unity. It honors those who participated in the Soweto Uprising in 1976 on that day. It also raises awareness of the continuing need for improvement of the education provided to African children. In Soweto, South Africa, on June 16, 1976, about ten thousand black school children marched in a column more than half a mile long, protesting the poor quality of their education and demanding their right to be taught in their own language. Hundreds of young students were shot, the most famous of which being Hector Peterson. More than a hundred people were killed in the protests of the following two weeks, and more than a thousand were injured.
Blooms Day International - Jun 16
Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writerJames Joyce during which the events of his novel Ulysses (which is set on 16 June 1904) are relived. It is observed annually on 16 June in Dublin and elsewhere. Joyce chose the date as it was the date of his first outing with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle; they walked to the Dublin suburb of Ringsend. The name derives from Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of Ulysses. The English portmanteau word Bloomsday is usually used in Irish as well, though some purist publications, including the Irish Wikipedia, call it Lá Bloom .
First Bloomsday Celebration Bloomsday (a term Joyce himself did not employ)
was invented in 1954, on the 50th anniversary of the events in the novel, when John Ryan (artist, critic, publican and founder of Envoy magazine) and the novelist Flann O'Brien organised what was to be a daylong pilgrimage along the Ulysses route. They were joined by Patrick Kavanagh, Anthony Cronin, Tom Joyce (a dentist who, as Joyce's cousin, represented the family interest) and AJ Leventhal (Registrar of Trinity College, Dublin). Ryan had engaged two horse drawn cabs, of the old-fashioned kind, which in Ulysses Mr. Bloom and his friends drive to poor Paddy Dignam's funeral. The party were assigned roles from the novel. They planned to travel round the city through the day, visiting in turn the scenes of the novel, ending at night in what had once been the brothel quarter of the city, the area which Joyce had called Nighttown. The pilgrimage was abandoned halfway through, when the weary Lestrygonians succumbed to inebriation and rancour at the Bailey pub in the city centre, which Ryan then owned, and at which, in 1967, he installed the door to No. 7 Eccles Street (Leopold Bloom’s front door), having rescued it from demolition . A Bloomsday record of 1954, informally filmed by John Ryan, follows this pilgrimage.
Bloomsday activities Dublin:
The day involves a range of cultural activities including Ulysses readings and dramatisations,pub crawls and other events, much of it hosted by the James Joyce Centre in North Great George's Street. Enthusiasts often dress in Edwardian costume to celebrate Bloomsday, and retrace Bloom's route around Dublin via landmarks such as Davy Byrne's pub. Hard-core devotees have even been known to hold marathon readings of the entire novel, some lasting up to 36 hours. A five-month-long festival (ReJoyce Dublin 2004) took place in Dublin between 1 April and 31 August 2004. On the Sunday in 2004 before the 100th "anniversary" of the fictional events described in the book, 10,000 people in Dublin were treated to a free, open-air, full Irish breakfast on O'Connell Street consisting of sausages, rashers, toast,beans, and black and white puddings. "Every year hundreds of Dubliners dress as characters from the book ... as if to assert their willingness to become one with the text. It is quite impossible to imagine any other masterpiece of modernism having quite such an effect on the life of a city." On Bloomsday 1982, the centenary year of Joyce's birth, Irish state broadcaster, RTÉ, transmitted a continuous 30hour dramatic performance of the entire text of Ulysses on radio.
Hungary:
Bloomsday has also been celebrated since 1994 in the Hungarian town of Szombathely, the fictional birthplace of Leopold Bloom's father, Virág Rudolf, an emigrant Hungarian Jew. The event is usually centered around the Iseum, the remnants of an Isis temple fromRoman times, and the Blum-mansion, commemorated to Joyce since 1997, at 40–41 Fő street, which used to be the property of an actual Jewish family called Blum. Hungarian author László Najmányi in his 2007 novel, The Mystery of the Blum-mansion (A Blum-ház rejtélye) describes the results of his research on the connection between Joyce and the Blum family.
United States:
The Rosenbach Museum & Library in Philadelphia is the home of the handwritten manuscript of Ulysses and celebrates Bloomsday with a street festival including readings, Irish music, and traditional Irish cuisine provided by local Irish-themed pubs. New York City has several events on Bloomsday including formal readings at Symphony Space and informal readings and music at the downtown Ulysses' Folk House pub. The Syracuse James Joyce Club holds an annual Bloomsday celebration at Johnston's BallyBay Pub in Syracuse, New York, at which large portions of the book are either read aloud, or presented as dramatizations by costumed performers. The club awards scholarships and other prizes to students who have written essays on Joyce or fiction pertaining to his work. The city is home to Syracuse University, whose press has published or reprinted several volumes of Joyce studies.
Italy:
There have been many Bloomsday events in Trieste, where the first part ofUlysses was written. The Joyce Museum Trieste, opened on 16 June 2004, collects works by and about James Joyce, including secondary sources, with a special emphasis on his period in Trieste. Since 2005 Bloomsday has been celebrated every year in Genoa, with a reading of Ulysses in Italian by volunteers (students, actors, teachers, scholars), starting at 0900 and finishing in the early hours of 17 June; the readings take place in 18 different places in the old town centre, one for each chapter of the novel, and these places are selected for their resemblance to the original settings. Thus for example chapter 1 is read in a medieval tower, chapter 2 in a classroom of the Faculty of Languages, chapter 3 in a bookshop on the waterfront, chapter 9 in the University Library, and chapter 12 ("Cyclops") in an old pub. The Genoa Bloomsday is organized by the Faculty of Languages and the International Genoa Poetry Festival.
Australia:
In Sydney, Australia, Bloomsday is hosted by the John Hume Institute for Global Irish Studies UNSW in association with the National Irish Association Sydney and the Consulate General of Ireland, Sydney.
Global:
On Bloomsday 2011, @11ysses was the stage for an experimental day-long tweading of Ulysses. Starting at 0800 (Dublin time) on Thursday 16 June 2011, the aim was to explore what would happen if Ulysses was recast 140 characters at a time. It was hoped that the event would become the first of a series.
Literary references In 2004 Vintage Publishers issued Yes I said yes I will yes: A Celebration of James Joyce, Ulysses, and 100 Years
of Bloomsday. It is one of the few monographs that details the increasing popularity of Bloomsday. The book's title comes from the novel's famous last lines. In 1956, Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath were married by special licence of the Archbishop of Canterbury at St George the Martyr Church, Holborn, on 16 June, in honour of Bloomsday. Seamus Sweeney's short story "Bloomsday 3004" is a description of a future in which Bloomsday continues to be celebrated, however its origins are completely forgotten and it is now a quasi-religious folk ritual. Pat Conroy's 2009 novel South of Broad has numerous references to Bloomsday. Leopold Bloom King is the narrator. The book's first chapter describes the events of 16 June 1969 in Leo's story. In the novel by Enrique Vila-Matas Dublinesca (2010), part of the action takes place in Dublin for the Bloomsday. The book's main protagonist, Riba, a retired Spanish editor, moves to this city with several writer friends to officiate a "funeral" for the Gutenberg era.
Popular cultural references Jefferson Airplane's 1967 album After Bathing at Baxter's contains the track, "Rejoyce", inspired by Joyce's Ulysses.
In Mel Brooks' 1968 film The Producers, Gene Wilder's character is called Leo Bloom, an homage to Joyce's character. In the musical2005 version, in the evening scene at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, Leo asks, "When will it be Bloom's day?". However, in the earlier scene in which Bloom first meets Max Bialystock, the office wall calendar shows that the current day is 16 June, indicating that it is, in fact, Bloomsday. Punk band Minutemen have a song on their 1984 Double Nickels on the Dime album entitled "16 June". Richard Linklater references Ulysses in two of his films. Once in 1991's Slacker, where a character reads an excerpt from Ulysses after convincing his friends to dump a tent and a typewriter in a river as a response to a prior lover's infidelity. And again in 1995's Before Sunrise, where the events take place on 16 June. In 2009 an episode of the cartoon The Simpsons, "In the Name of the Grandfather", featured the family's trip to Dublin and Lisa'sreference to Bloomsday. U2's 2009 song "Breathe" refers to events taking place on a fictitious 16 June.
Bunker Hill Day U.S. - Jun 17
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after the adjacent Bunker Hill, which was peripherally involved in the battle and was the original objective of both colonial and British troops, and is occasionally referred to as the "Battle of Breed's Hill." On June 13, 1775, the leaders of the colonial forces besieging Boston learned that the British generals were planning to send troops out from the city to occupy the unoccupied hills surrounding the city. In response to this intelligence, 1,200 colonial troops under the command of William Prescott stealthily occupied Bunker Hill and Breed's Hill, constructed an earthen redoubt on Breed's Hill, and built lightly fortified lines across most of the Charlestown Peninsula. When the British were alerted to the presence of the new position the next day, they mounted an attack against them. After two assaults on the colonial lines were repulsed with significant British casualties, the British finally captured the positions on the third assault, after the defenders in the redoubt ran out of ammunition. The colonial forces retreated to Cambridge over Bunker Hill, suffering their most significant losses on Bunker Hill. While the result was a victory for the British, they suffered heavy losses: over 800 wounded and 226 killed, including a notably large number of officers. The battle is seen as an example of a Pyrrhic victory, because the immediate gain (the capture of Bunker Hill) was modest and did not significantly change the state of the siege, while the cost (the loss of nearly a third of the deployed forces) was high. Meanwhile, colonial forces were able to retreat and regroup in good order having suffered few casualties. Furthermore, the battle demonstrated that relatively inexperienced colonial forces were willing and able to stand up to regular army troops in a pitched battle.
World Day to Combat Desertification & Drought Worldwide - Jun 17
The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is a United Nations observance each June 17. Its purpose is to highlight ways to prevent desertification and recover from drought. Each annual celebration has a different theme. This day was proclaimed on January 30, 1995 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/49/115.
life imprisonment without parole. Minister Trócsányi said he was certain that life imprisonment without the possibility of parole would remain part of Hungary’s penal system. There will be separate regulations on the issue, although that is not the most pressing matter at hand, he added.
National Day Iceland - J u n 1 7
Royal Standard:
The current version of the royal standard was introduced on 16 November 1972 when theQueen adopted a new version of her personal coat of arms. The royal standard is the flag of Denmark with a swallow-tail and charged with the monarch’s coat of arms set in a white square. The centre square is 32 parts in a flag with the ratio 56:107.
Youth Day South Africa - Jun 16
against life sentences without the possibility of parole in Hungary was „onesided”. The Court failed to consider that Hungary’s Fundamental Law has a system of pardons as well as exercising a “strict penal policy”, he explained. The Court in Strasbourg ruled against Hungary earlier in May in a non-final decision involving the case of
National Day (Icelandic: Icelandic Þjóðhátíðardagurinn, the day of the nation's celebration) is an annual holiday in Iceland which commemorates the foundation of The Republic of Iceland on 17 June 1944 and its independence from Danish rule. The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, a major figure of Icelandic culture and the leader of the 20th century Icelandic independence movement.
History The formation of the republic was based on
a clause in the 1918 Act of Union with Denmark, which allowed for a revision in 1943, as well as the results of the1944 plebiscite. German occupation of Denmark meant that the revision could not take place, and thus some Icelandic politicians demanded that Icelanders should wait until after the war. The British and U.S governments, which occupied Iceland at the time, also delayed the declaration by asking the Icelandic parliament to wait until after 1943. Although saddened by the results of the plebiscite, King Christian X sent a letter on 17 June 1944 congratulating Icelanders on forming a Republic. Abolishing the monarchy resulted in little change to the Icelandic constitution, "The King" was merely substituted for "The President". However the people of Iceland celebrated the end of the long struggle for total independence and praised Jón Sigurðsson for his early independence movement and Sveinn Björnsson, who became the first president of Iceland.
Celebrations
Today, Icelanders celebrate this holiday on a national scale. The celebration traditionally takes the form of a parade through each urban area with a brass band at the fore. Riders on Icelandic horses often precede the brass band and flag bearers from the Icelandic scout movement traditionally follow the brass band. After the parade several speeches are held out in the open, including one from Fjallkonan (the woman of the mountain), clad in Skautbúningur, who recites a poem. She represents the fierce spirit of the Icelandic nation and of Icelandic nature; this is in many ways an inheritance from the period of romanticism that reigned when the first steps toward independence were taken. After speeches and other official ties are over, a less formal celebration takes place with musicians entertaining the crowd, candy being devoured by children in huge quantities, and gas-filled balloons escaping their owners and flying to the sky. It is also somewhat traditional to expect rain on this day, particularly in the Southwest of Iceland.
Artigas Day Uruguay - J u n 1 9
José Gervasio Artigas Arnal (June 19, 1764 – September 23, 1850) is a national hero of Uruguay, sometimes called "the father of Uruguayan nationhood".
Biography Early life:
Artigas was born in Montevideo on June 19, 1764. His grandparents were from Zaragosa, Buenos Aires and Tenerife (Canary Islands), his grandparents fought in the War of the Spanish Succession and moved to the Americas to escape from poverty, settling in Buenos Aires in 1716. Artigas was the son of Martín José Artigas and Francisca Antonia Arnal, who came from a wealthy family. His parents enrolled him in the Colegio de San Bernardino, to pursue religious studies, but Artigas refused to submit to the school's strict discipline. Before he left the school, he developed a strong friendship with Fernando Otorgues, who would work with him in later years. At the age of 12, he moved to the countryside and worked on his family's farms. His contact with the customs and perspectives of gauchos made a great impression on him. Once he had come of age, he distanced himself from his parents and became involved in cattle smuggling. This made him a wanted man among the owners of haciendas and with the government in Montevideo. A reward was put out for his death. Things changed with the opening of the Anglo-Spanish War, and the threat of a British attack upon the viceroyalty. The viceroy Antonio de Olaguer y Feliú negotiated a pardon with his family, on the condition that he joined the Corps of Blandengues with a hundred men, to form a battalion. Thus, he began his military career in 1797, at age 33, with the rank of lieutenant. The attack finally came in 1806, when William Beresford invaded Buenos Aires, in the first British invasions of the Río de la Plata. Although Artigas's unit was tasked with patrolling the frontier with Brazil, he requested to take part in the military expedition that Santiago de Liniers launched from Montevideo to drive the British out of Buenos Aires. His request was granted, and the British were defeated. After the liberation of Buenos Aires, he was tasked with returning to Montevideo and informing the governor Pascual Ruiz Huidobro of the result of the battle. A second British attack aimed to capture Montevideo, which was captured in theBattle of Montevideo. Artigas was taken prisoner, but he managed to escape and returned to the countryside. He organized groups of gauchos and began a guerrilla war against the invaders. The British tried to capture Buenos Aires a second time, but were defeated by the local armies, and returned Montevideo to Spanish control as part of the terms of capitulation. Artigas was promoted to captain in 1809.
Oriental revolution:
The ideas of the Age of Enlightenment and the outbreak of the Peninsular War in Spain, along with the capture of King Ferdinand VII, generated political turbulence all across the Spanish Empire. The absence of the king from the throne (replaced by the French Joseph Bonaparte) and the new ideas of the Enlightenment sparked the Spanish American wars of independence, between patriots (who wanted to establish republics or constitutional monarchies) and royalists (who wanted to keep an absolute monarchy). Artigas, who thought that the gauchos were not treated well, supported the new ideas. Buenos Aires deposed the viceroy in 1810, during the May Revolution, replacing him with the Primera Junta. Mariano Moreno, secretary of war, wrote at the Operations plan that Artigas would be a decisive ally against the royalists in Montevideo, and called him for an interview. However, by the time Artigas arrived in Buenos Aires, Moreno had already left the government. He was still welcomed, but received little help. He was promoted to colonel and received some weapons, money and 150 men, very little to organize a rebellion at the Banda Oriental. This was the last time Artigas saw the city of Buenos Aires. Spain declared Buenos Aires a rogue city, and appointed Montevideo as the new capital, with Francisco Javier de Elío as the new viceroy. The city had financial problems, and the measures taken by Elío to maintain the royalist armies were highly unpopular in the countryside. This allowed Artigas to channel the popular discontent against the colonial authorities. A hundred men met near the Asencio stream and made the cry of Asencio, a pronunciamiento against the viceroy. They captured many villages in the Banda Oriental, such as Mercedes, Santo Domingo, Colla, Maldonado, Paso del Rey, Santa Teresa and San José. They also capturedGualeguay, Gualeguaychú and Arroyo de la China, at the west of the Uruguay river. Elío sent some soldiers to kill Artigas, who failed. Then, he sent Manuel Villagrán, a relative of Artigas, to offer him the pardon and appoint him general and military leader of the Banda Oriental if he gave up the rebellion. Artigas considered the offer an insult, and sent Villagrán prisoner to Buenos Aires. Montevideo was soon surrounded by Artigas's forces. A Montevidean army tried to stop the patriots at the Battle of Las Piedras, but they were defeated, and the city was put to siege. José Rondeau, commanding forces from Buenos Aires, joined the siege. Artigas wanted to attack the city right away, but Rondeau thought that there would be less loss of lives by establishing a blockade and waiting for the city to surrender. However, the besiegers did not consider the naval forces of Montevideo, who kept the city supplied and enabled them to endure the blockade. On the verge of defeat, Elío allied himself with Brazilian forces, requesting their intervention in the conflict. Dom Diogo de Sousa entered into the Banda Oriental, leading an army of five thousand men. This added to the defeat of Manuel Belgrano at the Paraguay campaign, the defeat of Juan José Castelli at the First Upper Peru campaign and the Monte- La Mañana de Asencio, portrait videan naval blockade of Buenos Aires. Fearing a complete defeat, by Carlos María Herrera about Buenos Aires signed a truce with Elío, recognizing him as the ruler of the Banda Oriental and half of Entre Ríos. Artigas felt the truce to be the cry of Asencio. treasonous. He broke relations with the city, and lifted the blockade over Montevideo. Artigas left the Banda Oriental and moved to Salto Chico, in Entre Ríos. All his supporters moved with him. This massive departure is known as the Oriental exodus. The Supreme Director Gervasio Antonio de Posadas offered a reward of $6.000 for the capture of Artigas, dead or alive. The only consequence of this action was increased resentment of the orientals towards Buenos Aires. Several royalist leaders, such as Vigodet or Pezuela, sought an alliance with Artigas against Buenos Aires, but he rejected them: "I may not be sold, nor I want more reward for my efforts to see my nation free of the Spanish power". Despite the deep disputes, Artigas was still eager to return to good terms with Buenos Aires, but only if the city accepted a national organization based on federalist principles. Posadas sent two more armies to capture and execute Artigas, but they mutinied and joined the orientals. When the Artiguist influence expanded to Corrientes, Posadas sought to negotiate by accepting the autonomy of the provinces. Artigas accepted the terms, but clarified that such autonomy must not be understood as national independence. He did not want to secede the Banda Oriental from the United provinces, but to organize them as a confederation. Posadas, who supported the authority of Buenos Aires as the head of a centralized state, delayed the approval of the treaty. Buenos Aires renewed the military actions against Montevideo. This time, the naval skills of William Brown helped to overcome the strength of the Montevidean navy, leading to the final defeat of the royalist stronghold. Carlos María de Alvear led the capture of Montevideo, and lured Artigas there by promising that he would turn over the city to the Oriental patriots. Alvear attacked them without warning at Las Piedras, but Artigas managed to escape from the trap.
Liga Federal:
In 1814, Artigas organized the Liga de los Pueblos Libres (League of the Free Peoples), of which he was declared Protector. In the following year, he liberated Montevideo from the control of the "Unitarians" from Buenos Aires. In 1815, Artigas attended the Proto-congress of the Independence of Argentina, held in Arrollo de la China (today known as Concepción del Uruguay). It was at this congress that the provinces of the Oriental Province (today the country of Uruguay), Córdoba, Corrientes,Entre Ríos, Misiones and Santa Fe declared themselves independent from Spain and formed the Liga Federal ("Federal League"). The Liga Federal invited other provinces of the former Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata to join them under a federal system. In this congress, Artigas ratified the use of the flag created by Manuel Belgrano (which would later become the flag of the Argentine Republic), but added a diagonal festoon in red, the color of federalism in Argentina at that time.
Luso Brazilian invasion:
The continued growth of influence and prestige of the Federal League frightened the governments in Buenos Aires (because of its federalism) and Portugal (because of its republicanism), and in August 1816, Portugal invaded the Eastern Province (with tacit complicity from Buenos Aires), with the intention of destroying Artigas and his revolution. The Portuguese forces, led by Carlos Frederico Lecor, captured Artigas and his deputies and occupied Montevideo on 20 January 1817, but the struggle continued for three years in the countryside. Infuriated by Buenos Aires's passivity, Artigas declared war on Buenos Aires while he was losing to the Portuguese. His subordinates, members of the Federal League -- Francisco Ramírez, governor of Entre Ríos, and Estanislao López, governor of Santa Fe— managed to defeat the centralism of Buenos Aires. But hope for a new nation was short-lived; both commanders entered agreements with Buenos Aires that went against the principles of Artigas. They rebelled against him and left him to be crushed by the Portuguese. Without resources and men, Artigas withdrew to Paraguay in September 1820. In Paraguay, Dr. Francia, the dictator, banished him to Candelaria. He then disappeared from the political life of the region. (B. Nahum). After a long exile, he died in Paraguay in 1850, at age 86. It is said that Artigas, feeling himself to be near death, asked for a horse and died in the saddle, as a gaucho. His remains were buried and then re-interned at the Panteón Nacional in 1855. On the 19th of June, 1977, his remains were transferred to the Artigas Mausoleum in the centre of the Plaza Independencia.
Ideals
Artigas was a staunch democrat and federalist, opposed to monarchism. In his thought is visible the influence of Catholic clerics, such as his secretary José Benito Monterroso.
Labour Day - J u n 1 9 Tr i n i d a d & To b a g o
In Trinidad and Tobago, Labour Day is celebrated every June 19. This holiday was proposed in 1973 to be commemorated on the anniversary of the 1937 Butler labour riots.
Emancipation Day (Texas) U.S. - Jun 19
In Texas, Emancipation Day is celebrated on June 19. It commemorates the announcement in Texas of the abolition of slavery made on that day in 1865. It is commonly known as Juneteenth. Since the late 20th century, this date has gained recognition beyond Texas, and has been proposed for a national Emancipation Day.
Juneteenth (Milwaukee, Wisconsin & Texas) U.S. - Jun 19
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and is recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 41 states of the United States.
Observation The state of Texas is widely considered the
first U.S. state to begin Juneteenth celebrations with informal observances taking place for over a century; it has been an official state holiday since 1890. It is considered a "partial staffing holiday", meaning that state offices do not close, but some employees will be using a floating holiday to take the day off. Schools are not closed, but most public schools in Texas are already into summer vacation by June 19th. Its observance has spread to many other states, with a few celebrations even taking place in other countries. As of June 2011, 41 states and the District of Columbia have recognized Juneteenth as either a state holiday or state holiday observance; these are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
History Though Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of
January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves’ day-to-day lives, particularly in the Confederate States of America. Texas, as a part of the Confederacy, was resistant to the Emancipation Proclamation, and though slavery was very prevalent in East Texas, it was not as common in the Western areas of Texas, particularly the Hill Country, where most German-Americans were opposed to the practice. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, legend has it while standing on the balcony of Galveston’s Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of “General Order No. 3”: The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. That day has since become known as Juneteenth, a name coming from a portmanteau of the words June and teenth like nineteenthand other numbers ending with -teenth. Former slaves in Galveston rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations. Juneteenth celebrations began in Texas the following year. Across many parts of Texas, freed people pooled their funds to purchase land specifically for their communities and increasingly large Juneteenth gatherings — including Houston’s Emancipation Park, Mexia’s Booker T. Washington Park, and Emancipation Park in Austin.
Martyr's Day Eritrea - Jun 20
Following its defeat of Ethiopian government forces in 1991 to establish nationalindependence, Eritrea instituted an official holiday to pay tribute to those who diedfor the country's liberation. The struggle, which lasted from 1961 to 1991,claimedthe lives of an estimated 65,000 freedom fighters and tens of thousands of civilians. Many Eritreans observe Martyrs' Day by filing into mass mourning processions thatconclude at the "Martyrs' Graveyards" located throughout the country. On the eve ofMartyrs' Day in 1997, the government expanded the national tribute by opening theNational Martyrs' Park, situated in a forest and wildlife preserve outside the capitalcity, Asmara. Individuals arrive to pay their respects to the dead by finding namesengraved on the National Martyrs' Monument and walking through museums thatdepict the 30-year struggle for independence.
World Refugee Day Worldwide - Jun 20
World Refugee Day, observed June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
History
On 4 December 2000, the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/76 decided that, from 2001, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. In this resolution, the General Assembly noted that 2001 marked the 50th anniversary of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. African Refugee Day had been formally celebrated in several countries prior to 2000. The UN noted that the Organization of African Unity (OAU) had agreed to have International Refugee Day coincide with Africa Refugee Day on 20 June. In the Roman Catholic Church, the World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated in January each year, having been instituted in 1914 by Pope Pius X.
Celebrations
From June 18 to 20 the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) commemorates World Refugee Day in Washington, DC, in order to draw the public's attention to the millions of refugees worldwide who are forced to flee their homes. Each year, UNHCR selects a theme and coordinates events across the globe.
National Day Greenland - Jun 21
World Refugee Day, observed June 20 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the situation of refugees throughout the world.
History
The area now known as Greenland was taken into Norwegian control in the 13th century, and then passed to Denmark through a union of the countries in 1380. Though little was done with Greenland initially, Denmark eventually asserted its sovereignty over the land in the 18th and 19th centuries. Though Norway tried to reclaim parts of eastern Greenland in 1933, the area remained fully under Danish control. On May 1, 1979, Greenland was legally granted home rule by Denmark’s national parliament. Unhappy with the European Economic Community’s regulations and bans on commercial fishing and products made from seals, Greenland left the international organization. In late November of 2008, 75 percent of voters approved a referendum for greater autonomy, and on June 21, 2009 the referendum went into effect making Greenland responsible for its own future. While not true independence, the government of Greenland has called the referendum a major step in the direction towards independence.
Celebrations
National Day celebrations are marked by a variety of programs in every settlement in Greenland. The celebrations include morning songs, speeches, hoisting the national flag, and the act of “kaffemik”, a social gathering around a cup of coffee. Apart from this there are a number of programs for entertainment like music and dance and several cultural events which portray the culture and tradition of Greenland. The national channel broadcasts news from all the towns as to how the celebrations are taking shape.
White Nights Festival Russia - Jun 21
The White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia is an annual international arts festival during the season of the midnight sun. The White Nights Festival consists of a series of classical ballet, opera and music events and includes performances by Russian dancers, singers, musicians and actors, as well as famous international guest stars. The Scarlet Sails celebration is the culmination of the White Nights season, the largest public event anywhere in Russia with the annual estimated attendance about one million people, most of whom are students from thousands of schools and colleges, both local and international. Organised by the Saint Petersburg City Administration, the festival begins in May with the "Stars of the White Nights" at Mariinsky Theatre and ends in July. However, some performances connected to the festival take place before and after the official dates. Numerous night-time cultural festivals, White Night festivals, have been inspired by this, in French they are called Nuit Blanche.
National Aboriginal Day Canada - Jun 21
National Aboriginal Day is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples of Canada. The day was first celebrated in 1996, after it was proclaimed that year by then Governor General of Canada Roméo LeBlanc, to be celebrated on June 21 annually. Most provincial jurisdictions, however, do not recognise it as a statutory holiday.
Overview The day of recognition came about after a series of
calls for such a celebration. In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day to be celebrated on June 21. Slightly more than a decade later in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended that a National First Peoples Day be designated. Also in that same year, a national conference of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people chaired by Elijah Harper, titled The Sacred Assembly, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to Canada. June 21 often coincides with the summer solstice. National Aboriginal Day is now part of a series of Celebrate Canada days, beginning with National Aboriginal Day, and followed by St-Jean Baptiste Day on June 24, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27, and concluding with Canada Day on July 1.
National Music Day France - Jun 21
The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day, is a music festival taking place on June 21.
History
The idea was first broached in 1976 by American musician Joel Cohen, then employed by the national French radio station France Musique. Cohen proposed an all-night music celebration at the moment of the summer solstice. The idea was taken up by French Music and Dance director Maurice Fleuret for Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1981 and first took place in 1982 in Paris. Its purpose is to promote music in two ways: Amateur and professional musicians are encouraged to perform in the streets. The slogan Faites de la musique (Make music), ahomophone of Fête de la Musique, is used to promote this goal. Many free concerts are organized, making all genres of music accessible to the public. Two of the caveats to being sanctioned by the official Fête de la Musique organization in Paris are that all concerts must be free to the public, and all performers donate their time for free. In 2011, the festival utilized online booking site Gigmaven to organize its performers. Despite there being a large tolerance about the performance of music by the general public of amateurs in public areas after usual hours, the noise restrictions still apply, and can cause some establishments to be forbidden to open and broadcast music out of their doors without prior authorization. So the prefectures of police in France can still forbid them to install any audio hardware in the street.