Worldwide events newspaper; 225 issue; 26 apr 02 may 2015

Confederate Memorial Day U.S. - Apr 26

Confederate Memorial Day, also known as Confederate Decoration Day (Tennessee) and Confederate Heroes Day (Texas), is an official holiday and/or observance day in parts of the U.S. South as a day to honor those who died fighting for the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. Nine states officially observe Confederate Memorial Day: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

History In the spring of 1866 the Ladies Memorial As-

sociation of Columbus, Georgia passed a resolution to set aside one day annually to memorialize the Confederate dead. Additionally, the secretary of the association, Mrs. Charles J. (Mary Ann) Williams was directed to author a letter inviting the ladies in every Southern state to join them in the observance. The letter was written in March of 1866 and sent to all of the principal cities in the South, including Atlanta, Macon, Montgomery, Memphis, Richmond, St. Louis, Alexandria, Columbia, New Orleans, et al.

The date for the holiday was selected by Mrs. Elizabeth Rutherford Ellis. She chose April 26, the first anniversary of Confederate General Johnston's final surrender to General Sherman at Bennett Place, NC. For many in the South, that marked the official end of the Civil War. On April 26, 1866, tens of thousands of Southern women commemorated the first Confederate Memorial Day. Some, however, in the northernmost portions of the South did not participate because their flowers were not yet in bloom.

Consequently, they selected dates later in the spring to hold their first Confederate Memorial Days. For example, parts of Virginia chose May 10, commemorating Stonewall Jackson's death. Near Petersburg, VA, they chose June 9, the anniversary of a significant battle there. Others opted for Jefferson Davis' birthday, June 3.

To the present, Southern states continue to have Confederate Memorial days. Though most are still on April 26, others continue to be later in the year.

Union Day Tanzania - Apr 26

History At the end of the Second World

War, Libya associates much of its foreign policies in the West especially the United States and Great Britain while maintaining full diplomatic relations with Italy, Greece and France, including the dissolved Soviet Union (1955).

The military coup led by Muammar al-Gaddafi in 1969 resulted to the decision to close the American and British military bases in Libya and hoped to nationalize most of government’s properties including the fossil fuels resources and other commercial businesses in the country.

Moreover, Gaddafi’s temporarily embargoed the transport of oil to the US and other countries in the west as a means to convince the Western nations to halt the political and military support they’re giving Israel in 1973.

The last British troops left Libya in 1970 marking this day as one of the important turning points in Libya’s colonial history. Today, this is celebrated as British Evacuation Day.

Celebrations

British Evacuation Day is considered to be one of the most important holidays in Libya but it isn’t celebrated with festivities inasmuch as how religious holidays in Libya are celebrated. The employed consider this day as a time off from work.

Mujahideen Victory Day is a political holiday observed in parts of Afghanistan, falling on the 28 April each year. It commemorates the day when Mujahideen rebel forces overthrew Mohammad Najibullah's Democratic Republic of Afghanistan in 1992. It is celebrated mostly by former warlords and their followers, such as the Northern Alliance.

Other Afghans are against celebrating the day because it marks the start of civil war, and the fact that the Mujahideen were not only Afghans but included men from over 50 Islamic nations around the Muslim world.

Freedom Day South Africa - Apr 27

Freedom Day is a South African public holiday celebrated on 27 April. It celebrates freedom and commemorates the first post-apartheid elections held on that day in 1994. They were the first national elections in South Africa in which the franchise did not depend upon race.

History The South African general election of 1994 was an

election held in South Africa to mark the end of apartheid, therefore also the first held with universal adult suffrage. The election was conducted under the direction of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Millions queued in lines over a three-day voting period. Altogether 19,726,579 votes were counted and 193,081 were rejected as invalid. The African National Congress (ANC), whose slate incorporated the labour confederation COSATU and the South African Communist Party, fell short of a two-thirds majority. As required by the Interim Constitution, the ANC formed a Government of National Unity with the National Party and the Inkatha Freedom Party, the two other parties that won more than twenty seats in the National Assembly.

The date 27 April is now a public holiday in South Africa,Freedom Day.

Horse Day Turkmenistan - Apr 27

Turkmen Horse Day is a public holiday in Turkmenistan held annually on the last Sunday in April. It celebrates the Akhal-Teke, a horse breed from Turkmenistan which is presented on the country's official coat of arms.

The Akhal-Teke are believed to be one of the oldest existing horse breeds. They have a reputation for their endurance, speed, and intelligence. Akhal-Teke horses are also known for their ability to withstand severe climatic conditions. Due to their shiny coat with a distinctive metallic sheen they are sometimes referred to as Golden Horses.

Akhal-Teke horses are bred in many countries, but most of them are bred in Turkmenistan. This country even has a separate agency responsible for their breeding, maintenance and training. Akhal-Teke horses are considered to be the national pride of Turkmenistan. There even is a national holiday dedicated to them.

Turkmen Horse Day (also referred to as Turkmen Racing Horse Festival) is celebrated with equestrian fairs, exhibitions, dressage and racing competition and other events. In 2013, the first-ever International Fair marking the holiday was held in the city of Ashgabat, the country's largest city and national capital.

Independence Day Sierra Leone - A p r 2 7

Sierra Leone officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi) and has an estimated population of 6.3 million. It was a colony under the auspices of the Sierra Leone Company from March 11, 1792 until it became a British colony in 1808.

Sierra Leone has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. Freetown is the capital, largest city as well as its economic, educational, cultural and financial center. The second largest city is Bo. Other major cities are Kenema, Makeni and Koidu Town.

Sierra Leone is divided into four geographical regions: the Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and the Western Area; which are subdivided into fourteen districts. The districts have their own directly elected local government known as district council, headed by a council chairman. The country's six municipalities of Freetown, Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Koidu Town and the coastal town of Bonthe have their own directly elected city councils headed by mayors.

Sierra Leone is a constitutional representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both the head of state and the head of government. Legislative power is vested by the House of Parliament of Sierra Leone. The Judiciary of Sierra Leone is independent of the executive and the legislative and is headed by the Supreme Court. Since Independence in 1961 to present, Sierra Leone's politics have been dominated by two major political parties: the Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) and the All People's Congress (APC). Other political parties have also existed throughout but with no significant supports.

The country has relied on mining, especially diamonds, for its economic base. It is among the top diamond producing nations in the world, and mineral exports remain the main foreign currency earner. Sierra Leone is also among the largest producers of titanium and bauxite, and a major producer of gold. The country has one of the world's largest deposits of rutile. Sierra Leone is also home to the third largest natural harbour in the world where shipping from all over the globe berth at Freetown's famous Queen Elizabeth II Quay. Despite this natural wealth, 70% of its people live in poverty.

Sierra Leone is a predominantly Muslim country, though with an influential Christian minority. Sierra Leone is ranked as one of the most religiously tolerant nations in the world.

People are often married across ethnic and religious boundaries. Muslims and Christians collaborate and interact with each other Fragments of prehistoric pottery from Kamabai peacefully. Religious violence is very rare in Rock Shelter the country.

The population of Sierra Leone comprises sixteen ethnic groups, each with its own language and custom. The two largest and most influential are the Mende and Temne. The two are about equal in numbers and each comprises just over 30% of the population . The Mende are predominantly found in South-Eastern Sierra Leone; the Temne likewise predominate in Northern Sierra Leone.

Although English is the language of instruction in schools and the official language in government administration, the Krio language (derived from English and several indigenous African languages) is the primary language of communication among Sierra Leone's different ethnic groups, and is spoken by 95% of the country's population. The Krio Language unites all the different ethnic groups, especially in their trade and interaction with each other.

Between 1991 and 2002 the Sierra Leone Civil War devastated the country leaving more than 50,000 people dead, much of the country's infrastructure destroyed, and over two million people displaced in neighbouring countries; mainly to Guinea, which was home to around one million Sierra Leonean refugees. ECOMOG used cluster bomb in the war against convention. The war was resolved in 2002 after the Nigerian-led ECOMOG troops were heavily reinforced by a British force spearheaded by 1st Bn The Parachute Regiment, supported by the British Royal Navy The arrival of this force resulted in the defeat of rebel forces and restored the civilian government elected in 1996. On January 18, 2002 President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah declared the civil war officially over. Since then the country has re-established a functioning democracy.

Early inhabitants of Sierra Leone included the Sherbro, Temne and Limba peoples, and later the Mende, who knew the country as Romarong, and the Kono who settled in the east of the country. In 1462, it was visited by the Portuguese explorer Pedro da Cintra, who dubbed it Serra de Leão, meaning "Lion Mountains". Sierra Leone later became an important centre of the transatlantic trade in slaves until March 11, 1792 when Freetown was founded by the Sierra Leone Company as a home for former enslaved from (or freed by) the British Empire. In 1808, Freetown became a British Crown Colony, and in 1896, the interior of the country became a British Protectorate; in 1961, the two regions combined and Bai Bureh, leader of the gained independence.

1898 rebellion against

British rule

Early history:

Archaeological finds show that Sierra Leone has been inhabited continuously for at least 2,500 years, populated by successive movements from other parts of Africa. The use of iron was introduced to Sierra Leone by the 9th century, and by AD 1000 agriculture was being practiced by coastal tribes. Sierra Leone's dense tropical rainforest largely protected it from the influence of any pre-colonial African empires and from further Islamic influence of the Mali Empire, the Islamic faith however became common in the 18th century.

European contacts within Sierra Leone were among the first in West Africa. In 1462,Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra mapped the hills surrounding what is now Freetown Harbour, naming shaped formation Serra de Leão (Portuguese for Lion Mountains). The Italian rendering of this geographic formation is Sierra Leone, which became the country's name.

Soon after Portuguese traders arrived at the harbour and by 1495 a fort that acted as a trading post had been built.

The Portuguese were joined by the Dutch and French; all of them using Sierra Leone as a trading point for slaves.

In 1562, the English joined the trade in human beings when Sir John Hawkins shipped 300 enslaved people, acquired 'by the sword and partly by other means', to the new colonies in America.

Early colonies:

In 1787 a settlement was founded in Sierra Leone in what was called the "Province of Freedom". A number of "Black Poor" arrived off the coast of Sierra Leone on 15 May 1787, accompanied by some English tradesmen. Many of the "black poor" were African Americans, who had been given their freedom after seeking refuge with the British Army during the American Revolution, but also included other West Indian, African and Asian inhabitants of London. After establishing Granville Town, disease and hostility from the indigenous people eliminated the first group of colonists and destroyed their settlement. A second Granville Town was established by 64 remaining colonists.

Through the impetus of Thomas Peters, the Sierra Leone Company was established to relocate 1,196 black Americans, most of whom had escaped enslavement in the United States by seeking protection with the British Army during the American Revolution. They had been given land in Nova Scotia and a few had died from the harsh winters there. These colonists built the second (and only permanent) Colony of Sierra Leone and the settlement of Freetown on March 11, 1792. In Sierra Leone they were called the Nova Scotian Settlers or 'Nova Scotians' but were commonly known as the Settlers. The Settlers built Freetown and introduced architectural styles from the American South as well as Western fashion and American courtesy. In the 1790s, the Settlers voted for the first time in elections, as did women. The Sierra Leone Company refused to allow the settlers to take freehold of the land. Some of the Settlers revolted in 1799. The revolt was only put down by the arrival of over 500 Jamaican Maroons, who also arrived via Nova Scotia. In 1800, Jamaican Maroons from Trelawny Town, Jamaica were settled via Nova ScoSir Milton Margai, lead tia.

After sixteen years of running the Colony, the Sierra Leone Company was Sierra Leone to Independformed into the African Institution. The Institution met in 1807 to achieve more ent in 1961 and became the success by focusing on bettering the local economy, but it was constantly split country's first prime minisbetween those British who meant to inspire local entrepreneurs and those ter. with interest in the Macauley & Babington Company which held the (British) monopoly on Sierra Leone trade.

Beginning in 1808 (following the abolition of the slave trade in 1807), thousands of formerly enslaved Africans were liberated in Freetown. Most of these Liberated Africans or 'Recaptives' chose to remain in Sierra Leone. Cut off from their homes and traditions, the Liberated Africans assimilated the Western styles of Settlers and Maroons and built a flourishing trade of flowers and beads on the West African coast. These returned Africans were from many areas of Africa, but principally the west coast. During the 19th century many black Americans, Americo Liberian 'refugees', and particularly West Indians immigrated and settled in Freetown creating a new ethnicity called the Krio.

Colonial era:

In the early 20th century, Freetown served as the residence of the British governor who also ruled the Gold Coast (now Ghana) and the Gambia settlements. Sierra Leone also served as the educational centre of British West Africa.

Fourah Bay College, established in 1827, rapidly became a magnet for English-speaking Africans on the West Coast.

For more than a century, it was the only European-style university in western Sub-Saharan Africa.

During Sierra Leone's colonial history, indigenous people mounted several unsuccessful revolts against British rule.

The most notable was the Hut Tax war of 1898. The Hut Tax War consisted of a Northern front, led by Bai Bureh, and Southern front that were sparked at different times and for different reasons. Bureh's fighters had the advantage over the vastly more powerful British for several months of the war. Hundreds of British troops and hundreds of Bureh's fighters were killed. Bai Bureh was finally captured on 11 November 1898 and sent into exile in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), while 96 of his comrades were hanged by the British.

The defeat in the Hut Tax war ended large scale organised resistance to colonialism; however resistance continued throughout the colonial period in the form of intermittent rioting and chaotic labour disturbances. Riots in 1955 and 1956 involved "many tens of thousands" of natives in the protectorate.

One notable event in 1935 was the granting of a monopoly on mineral mining to the Sierra Leone Selection Trust run by De Beers, which was scheduled to last 98 years.

In 1924, Sierra Leone was divided into a Colony and a Protectorate, with separate and different political systems constitutionally defined for each. Antagonism between the two entities escalated to a heated debate in 1947, when proposals were introduced to provide for a single political system for both the Colony and the Protectorate. Most of the proposals came from the Protectorate. The Krio, led by Isaac Wallace-Johnson, opposed the proposals, the main effect of which would have been to diminish their political power. It was due to the astute politics of Sir Milton Margai that the educated Protectorate elite was won over to join forces with the paramount chiefs in the face of Krio intransigence. Later, Sir Milton used the same skills to win over opposition leaders and moderate Krio elements for the achievement of independence.

In November 1951, Sir Milton Margai oversaw the drafting of a new constitution, which united the separate Colonial and Protectorate legislatures and—-most importantly—-provided a framework for decolonization. In 1953, Sierra Leone was granted local ministerial powers, and Sir Milton Margai, was elected Chief Minister of Sierra Leone. The new constitution ensured Sierra Leone a parliamentary system within the Commonwealth of Nations. In May 1957, Sierra Leone held its first parliamentary election. The SLPP, which was then the most popular political party in the colony of Sierra Leone, won the most seats in Parliament. Margai was also re-elected as Chief Minister by a landslide.

On April 20, 1960, Sir Milton Margai led the twenty four members of the Sierra Leonean delegation at the constitutional conferences that were held with Queen Elizabeth II and British Colonial Secretary Iain Macleod in the negotiations for independence held at the Lancaster House in London. . All of the twenty four members of the Sierra Leonean delegation were prominent and well-respected politicians including Sir Milton's younger brother lawyer Sir Albert Margai, the outspoken trade unionist Siaka Stevens, SLPP strongman Lamina Sankoh, outspoken Creole activist Isaac Wallace-Johnson, educationist Mohamed Sanusi Mustapha, Dr John Karefa-Smart, professor Kande Bureh, lawyer Sir Banja Tejan-Sie, former Freetown's Mayor Eustace Henry Taylor Cummings Paramount chief Ella Koblo Gulama, educationist Amadu Wurie, and Creole diplomat Hector Reginald Sylvanus Boltman. On the conclusion of talks in London, however, the outspoken trade unionist Siaka Stevens was the only delegate who refused to sign Sierra Leone's declaration of Independendence on the grounds that there had been a secret defence pact between Sierra Leone and Britain; another point of contention by Stevens was the Sierra Leonean government's position that there would be no elections held before independence which would effectively shut him out of Sierra Leone's political process . Upon their return to Freetown on May 4, 1960, Stevens was promptly expelled from the People's National Party (PNP).

An Independent nation and Sir Milton Margai Administration:

On April 27, 1961, Sir Milton Margai lead Sierra Leone to Independent from Great Britain and became the country's first Prime Minister. It retained a parliamentary system of government and was a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. In May 1962 Sierra Leone held its first general election as an Independent nation. The Sierra Leone People's Party (SLPP) won plurality of seats in parliament and Sir Milton Margai was re-elected as prime minister. The years just after independence were prosperous with money from mineral resources being used for development and the founding of Njala University.

An important aspect of Sir Milton's character was his self-effacement. He was neither corrupt nor did he make a lavish display of his power or status. Sir Milton's government was based on the rule of law and the notion of separation of powers, with multiparty political institutions and fairly viable representative structures. Margai used his conservative ideology to lead Sierra Leone without much strife. He appointed government officials with a clear eye to satisfy various ethnic groups. Margai employed a brokerage style of politics by sharing political power between political groups and the paramount chiefs in the provinces.

In 1962, Outspoken critic against the SLPP government, Siaka Stevens, formed an alliance with several prominent northern politicians like Sorie Ibrahim Koroma, Christian Alusine-Kamara Taylor, Mohammed Bash-Taqui, S.A.T. Koroma and S.A. Fofana to form their own political party called the All People's Congress (APC). Stevens used the Northern part of Sierra Leone as his political base.

Sir Albert Administration:

Upon Sir Milton's death in 1964, his half-brother, Sir Albert Margai, was appointed as Prime Minister by parliament.

Sir Albert's leadership was briefly challenged by Sierra Leone's Foreign Minister John Karefa-Smart, who questioned Sir Albert's succession to the SLPP leadership position. Kareefa-Smart received little support in Parliament in his attempt to have Margai stripped of the SLPP leadership.

Soon after Margai was sworn in as Prime Minister, he immediately dismissed several senior government officials who had served under his elder brother Sir Milton's government, as he viewed them as traitors and a threat to his administration.

Unlike his late brother, Sir Milton, Sir Albert proved unpopular and resorted to increasingly authoritarian actions in response to protests, including enacted several laws against the opposition All People's Congress (APC) and attempting to establish a singleparty state. Unlike his late brother Milton, Sir Albert was opposed to the colonial legacy of allowing the country's Paramount Chiefs executive powers and he was seen as a threat APC political rally in the northern town of Kabala to the existence of the ruling houses across outside the home of supporters of the rival SLPP in the country. In 1967, Riots broke out in Free- 1968 town against Sir Albert's policies; in response Margai declare a state of emergency across the country. Sir Albert was accused of corruption and of a policy of affirmative action in favor of his own Mende ethnic group Sir Albert had the opportunity to perpetuate himself in power, but he elected not to do so even when the opportunities presented themselves. He had the police and the army on his side and nothing could have prevented him from achieving his ambition to hold on to power, but he chose not to and called for a free and fair elections

Three Military Coups, 1967-1968:

The APC, with its leader Siaka Stevens, narrowly won a small majority seats in Parliament over the SLPP in a closely contested 1967 Sierra Leone general election and Stevens was sworn in as Prime Minister of April 26, 1968. Within hours after taking office, Stevens was ousted in a bloodless military coup lead by the commander of the army Brigadier General David Lansana, a close ally of Sir Albert Margai who had appointed him to the position in 1964.

Brigadier Lansana placed Stevens under house arrest in Freetown and insisted the determination of office of the Prime Minister should await the election of the tribal representatives to the house. On March 23, 1968, A group of senior military officers in the Sierra Leone Army lead by Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith overrode this action by seizing control of the government, arresting Brigadier Lansana, and suspending the constitution. The group constituted itself as the National Reformation Council (NRC) with Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith as its chairman and Head of State of the country . In April 1968, a group of senior military officers who called themselves the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement lead by Brigadier General John Amadu Bangura overthrew the NRC junta. The ACRM juntas arrested many senior NRC members. The democratic constitution was restored, and power was handed back to Stevens, who at last assumed the office of Prime Minister.

Independence Day Togo - Apr 27

Togo, officially the Togolese Republic is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east, and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately 57,000 square kilometres (22,000 sq mi) with a population of approximately 6.7 million. Togo is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with a climate that provides good growing seasons. While the official language is French, there are many other languages spoken in Togo, particularly those of the Gbe family. The largest religious group in Togo are those with indigenous beliefs, but there are significant Christian and Muslim minorities. Togo is a member of the United Nations, African Union, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, La Francophonie and Economic Community of West African States.

From the 11th to the 16th century, various tribes entered the region from all directions. From the 16th century to the 18th century, the coastal region was a major trading centre for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast". In 1884, Germany declared Togoland a protectorate. After World War I, rule over Togo was transferred to France. Togo gained its independence from France in 1960. In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma led a successful military coup, after which he became president. At the time of his death in 2005, Eyadéma was the longest-serving leader in modern African history, after having been president for 38 years. In 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was elected president. In April 2012, Togo was ranked 156th in Gross National Happiness - GNH World Happiness report published by the earth institute.

History

During the period from the 11th century to the 16th century, various tribes entered the region from all directions: the Ewé from the east, and the Mina and Guin from the west. Most settled in coastal areas.

The slave trade began in the 16th century, and for the next two hundred years the coastal region was a major trading center for Europeans in search of slaves, earning Togo and the surrounding region the name "The Slave Coast".

In 1884 a treaty was signed at Togoville with the King Mlapa III, whereby Germany claimed a protectorate over a stretch of territory along the coast and gradually extended its control inland. In 1905, this became the German colony of Togoland. During World War I this German territory was invaded by British troops from the neighbouring Gold Coast colony and French troops coming from Dahomey. Togoland was separated into two League of Nations mandates, administered by Britain and France. After World War II, these mandates became UN Trust Territories. The residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana in 1957, and French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French Union in 1959.

Independence for French Togoland came in 1960 under Sylvanus Olympio. He was assassinated in a military coup on 13 January 1963 by a group of soldiers under the direction of Sergeant Etienne Eyadema Gnassingbe. Opposition leader Nicolas Grunitzky was appointed president by the "Insurrection Committee", headed by Emmanuel Bodjollé.

However, on 13 January 1967, Eyadema Gnassingbe overthrew Grunitzky in a bloodless coup and assumed the presidency, which he held from that date until his sudden death on 5 February 2005 after 38 years in power, the longest occupation of any dictator in Africa. The military's immediate but short-lived installation of his son, Faure Gnassingbé, as president provoked widespread international condemnation, except from France. However, some democratically elected African leaders such as Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria supported the move, thereby creating a rift within the African Union. Faure Gnassingbé stood down and called elections which he won two months later. The opposition claimed that the election was fraudulent. The developments of 2005 led to renewed questions about a commitment to democracy made by Togo in 2004 in a bid to normalise ties with the European Union, which cut off aid in 1993 over the country's human rights record.[] Up to 500 people were killed and around 40,000 fled to neighbouring countries in the political violence surrounding the presidential poll, according to the United Nations.

Day of Resistance Slovenia - Apr 27

The Day of Uprising or Resistance Day (Slovenia, dan upora proti okupatorju) is a holiday in Slovenia to commemorate the establishment of Slovenia’s Liberation Front to fight the occupying forces of nearby European countries such as the Germany, Italy, and Hungary.

The holiday is celebrated on the 27th of April every year. It is formerly known as Liberation Front Day and a considered a work-free day.

History Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, saw the

birth of Liberation Front of the Slovenian People or the Anti-Imperialist Front on April 26, 1941 that was created to free the Slovenians from foreign occupation. This massive movement is driven by the some of the most notable Slovenians writers and literary critics during the protest such as Ferdo Kozakand and Josip Vidmar; the Communist Party of Slovenia, the dissident or breakaway group of Slovene Sokols, and some Christian Socialists.

A quick civil war broke out in Spring of 1942 between the Liberation Front of the Slovenian People and the Slovene Home Guard which are anti-communist militia in the province of Ljubljana sponsored by the Axis powers. The former took over some portions of territories in Slovenia and contributed, to a large extend, the fall of Nazi Germany, and partly, the fascist Italy.

The Liberation Front of the Slovenian People was renamed Socialist Alliance of the Working People of Slovenia at the wake of the Second World War.

Celebrations

Libya, a country in North Africa, bordering Egypt (east), Chad and Niger (south), and Algeria and Tunisia (west), and Sudan (southeast), and Mediterranean Sea (north), celebrates the anniversary of the evacuation of British military forces in the country in 1970 after the British government agreed to pull out its troops from Tobruk “Al Adam” (present day, Jalal Abdulnasir Base), the air base they established after the Second World War broke out.

Mujahideen Victory Day Afghanistan - A p r 2 8

On April 26, 1964, the East African countries of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Union Day celebrates this merger.

In the city of Dar es Salaam, speeches and a parade mark Union Day. Dignitaries from nearby countries join Tanzanian government officials in these festivities.

In 2004, to mark Union Day, Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa pardoned nearly 4,500 prisoners who had been sentenced for minor crimes or who had less than three years to serve of a longer sentence.

History

Evacuation Day (British) Libya - A p r 2 8

During the holiday, events such as public speeches from surviving Slovenian guerillas and political groups gather at the Monument of Freedom, created by Jakob Savinek (1922-1961) to commemorate this momentous event which liberated the country from foreign rule during World War II. Speeches signify stories about how Slovenes were united during the occupation and how the establishment of liberation army helped Slovenia gain its independence from the three occupying European powers.

Hero's Day Barbados - A p r 2 8

Barbadian National Heroes are the designees of the Order of National Heroes Act, as passed by the Parliament of Barbados in 1998. The act formally recognized the stature of ten major figures in the history of Barbados.

The first National Heroes Day was celebrated on 28 April 1998, the centenary of the birth of Sir Grantley Adams.

National Day of Mourning Canada - Apr 28

The National Day of Mourning is observed in Canada on 28 April. It commemorates workers who have been killed, injured or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and incidents.

Workers' Memorial Day was started by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 1984, and the Canadian Labour Congress officially declared it an annual day of remembrance in 1985 on April 28. In December 1990, this day became a national observance with the passing of the Workers Mourning Day Act, so that on April 28, 1991, it was officially the National Day of Mourning for persons killed or injured in the workplace; making April 28, an official Workers’ Mourning Day..

Since its inception, the observance has spread to over 80 countries around the world, but is known is most other countries as the Workers' Memorial Day. The date 28 April was picked because on that day in 1914, the Workers Compensation Act received its third reading.In 2001 the International Labour Organization first observed World Day for Safety and Health at Work on this day.

Typically the Canadian flag on Parliament Hill is flown at half-mast, and workers and employees observe this day in various ways including lighting candles, donning ribbons and black armbands, and observing moments of silence.

The purpose of Day of Mourning is twofold- to remember and honour those lives lost or injured and to renew the commitment to improving health and safety in the workplace - to prevent further deaths, injuries and diseases from work.

Ming loyalist Koxinga's Landing in Taiwan Taiwan - Apr 29

The life of Ming loyalist Koxinga has become a thing of myth and legend. Whilethe facts of his life may be debated, there is no question about the lasting impact he had on the island nation of Taiwan. In 1661 Koxinga expelled the Dutch from Taiwan. He planned to use the island as a base of operations for his campaign against the Manchurian leaders of China, the Qing Dynasty. Koxinga was unsuccessful in his efforts against the Qing, but found success on the island of Taiwan. During his short time there he established a government and ended Western control. Centuries after his death, Koxinga lives on as a Taiwanese folk legend, commemorated in shrines and temples. He is viewed by the Taiwanese as the original ancestor of their nation.

History

There are few mentions of Taiwan in Chinese history before an explorer of the Ming dynasty announced his discovery of it in 1430. There were few inhabitants on the island, mainly aborigines and a few Chinese merchants and refugees. Over the course of the next century, the island became a refuge for Japanese and Chinese outlaws and rebels.

The end of the fifteenth century saw an end to the Ashikaga shogunate in Japan, after which war broke out across the nation. Many Japanese fled the conflicts of their country, turning to piracy and trading. The island of Taiwan proved a good locations to launch their operations from. They claimed the northern port of Chi-lung as their headquarters.

There were Chinese pirate-traders as well, and they sailed out of Tainan, a port on the island’s southern coast. The location of Taiwan in relation to other Asian nations, as well as absence of any true government, was perfect for their maritime business. By the end of the 16th century, even more Chinese came to the island, seeking refuge from the rule of the Ming dynasty. This steady stream of immigrants from China led to heightened tensions amongst the Taiwan’s inhabitants. Conflicts arose between the Chinese and the aborigines, followed by problems with the Japanese. These skirmishes were interrupted by the arrival of European nations seeking a base of operations in the Far East.

The Dutch arrived in Taiwan in 1624 as part of the European scramble for territory in Asia. They built defensive forts and forged a strong bond with the native inhabitants. They converted many aborigines to Christianity and later enlisted their support in the struggle against the Chinese settlers. The Dutch made an agreement with the Japanese and Chinese traders on the island, demanding a yearly tribute but vowing not to interfere with them. This agreement proved ineffectual, as conflict between the Japanese and Dutch arose almost immediately. In the Japanese view, the island was rightfully theirs, due to the fact that they had occupied it long before the Dutch arrived. There were several clashes between the two over this issue. However the ending was anticlimactic as the Japanese withdrew from Taiwan on their on accord in 1628.

The Spanish moved in to fill the void left by the Japanese, but were permanently expelled from the island in 1642. The Dutch then exercised their supremacy in the area to its fullest. Their fleet became so proficient at harassing other nations’traders that the Dutch had a virtual monopoly in the region.

Report

Koxinga’s hometown was Na’an, in Quanzhou, Fujian. His father, Zheng Zhilong, was a merchant and pirate, operating out of China, Taiwan, and Japan He married a Japanese woman, Tamura Matsu. She gave birth to Zheng Chenggong, who would later become known as Koxinga in 1624. He was raised by his mother for the first seven years of his life, then his father took him back to Na’an. At that time women were not allowed to leave Japan, so he left his mother there. At his father’s demand Koxinga studied under Confucian scholars, preparing to pass the Chinese imperial examinations.

Zheng Zhilong was a powerful pirate, successfully harassing the Chinese coast. In order to limit his attacks on Chinese merchants, the Ming emperor granted him a position of authority in the region. As the Manchus threatened the Ming empire, Zheng Zhilong was appointed head of the Ming navy. He failed at this position, and the struggling Ming fell to the Manchus in 1644. Some Ming princes refused to give up the fight, creating Ming strongholds along the southeastern coast of China. It was Prince Tang who won the support of Zheng Zhilong, and as the prince had no heir of his own, Zheng Zhilong gave him his own son. This is how Zheng Chenggong became called Gou-xingye, or “lord ofthe royal surname”, which the Dutch later pronounced as Koxinga.

Despite the gift of his son, Zheng Zhilong was not loyal to Prince Tang’s cause against the Qing. Instead he used his favor with the prince for personal benefit. The Qing attacked Prince Tang in 1646, taking him prisoner. He died in captivity, and when Zheng Zhilong saw the Ming cause was doomed, he quickly surrendered. His behavior was in contradiction to the wishes of Koxinga, who had long been trying to cure his father of his self-serving ways. They parted company. By this time Koxinga’s mother had come to China, and the attacking Qing troops raped and killed her. This only increased Koxinga’s desire for revenge against the Qing. Koxinga took up base in Xiamen and Jinmen and worked with another Ming prince, Prince Gui. Prince Gui gave him the title “Prince of Yanping Prefecture”.

Koxinga waged war against the Qing along the coast. The Dutch allowed Koxinga to operate freely in the waters north of Taiwan. The numbers of his troops grew as Chinese fled the new Qing dynasty. Koxinga fought until 1658, but failed to defeat the Qing.

In China, the Qing were utilizing a scorched earth policy against the rebellious Ming loyalists. This left the Ming loyalists with few resources, forcing them to look elsewhere for a base to launch their operations from. After Koxinga gave up his Chinese base, he turned his attention to Dutch possessions in Taiwan. On April 30, 1661, Koxinga and his troops landed at Luerhmen, on the island of Taiwan. He brought 25,000 men, greatly outnumbering the 2,000 Dutch soldiers on the island. Koxinga’s forces laid siege to Taiwan for the next nine months, breaking the will of the Dutch. Upon their surrender, Koxinga allowed to let them fully evacuate with no harassment, quietly ending thirtyeight years of Dutch rule.

The kingdom Koxinga established, called Tung-ning, was ruled by a Ming-style government and a Chinese legal system. The capital was in Tainan. Migrants from China were welcomed to the island, increasing the population to 100,000 by 1683. The influence of Koxinga’s fleet was still so great on the mainland that the Qing government evacuated coastal cities in southern China, moving people inland. Despite his continued dominance, Koxinga would never accomplish his dream of overthrowing the Qing. He died the year after he took Taiwan, 1662.

Koxinga’s son followed in his footsteps, then his grandson. They ruled Taiwan and continued to harass the Chinese.

In 1683, the Qing mounted a full-scale naval attack on Taiwan. They defeated the Ming loyalists there, and made Taiwan a prefecture of Fujian province. The Qing government did not pay much attention to Taiwan once they had control of it. They considered it a “frontier area” inhabited by troublemakers and vicious aboriginals.

Historical significance

Koxinga freed Taiwan from the rule of European colonists. This was the beginning of a movement by Eastern nations to remove Western influence and claim control over the region as their own. His status as a sort of folk hero was capitalized on by the Japanese when they gained control of Taiwan at the end of the nineteenth century. Koxinga, the man who expelled the Westerners, was, after all, half Japanese, and Japan used this connection to strengthen their legitmacy with the Taiwanese.

Koxinga’s arrival on Taiwan was of great importance to the island’s history. He left behind a Chinese style government that set the foundation for Taiwan’s Asian identity. The island of Taiwan still has a shrine to Koxinga, whose reputation has grown to mythical proportions. He is considered by many to be the father of their country, the man who freed the island from the Europeans and began the creation of a national identity.

Showa Day Japan - A p r 2 9

Shōwa Day (昭和の日 Shōwa no hi) is a Japanese annual holiday held on April 29. It honors the birthday of the Shōwa Emperor (Hirohito), the reigning Emperor from 1926 to 1989.

The purpose of the holiday is to encourage public reflection on the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign.

History

Emperor Hirohito died on January 7, 1989. April 29 was subsequently no longer celebrated asThe Emperor's Birthday but instead as Greenery Day, part of Japan's Golden Week. After a series of failed legislative attempts beginning in 2000, the April 29 holiday was finally renamed Shōwa Day in May 2005, and Greenery Day was moved from April 29 to May 4.

According to the then-main opposition party (and current ruling party) the Democratic Party of Japan (which backed the bill for the first time after many years of refusal), the holiday encourages public reflection of the turbulent 63 years of Hirohito's reign rather than glorifying the emperor himself. Hirohito's reign saw, among other things, the end of Taishō Democracy, the May 15 Incident, the February 26 Incident, the rise of Fascism, World War II, the post-war occupation, and the rise of Japan as an industrial and economic power.

Children's Day Mexico - A p r 3 0

In Mexico, Children's Day is celebrated on April 30. It is also known as "El Día Del Niño". On this day teachers in schools organize the day for their children. In some schools, lessons are suspended for the day. They organize games, music, and the children bring in their favorite foods to share with others. Some families also have a day out with their children. There are special activities for the children in parks and sports centers. Sometimes, also, the children will be given presents by their families. This is the day when children are honored in Mexico. Children's Day in Mexico started in 1925.

King's Birthday Sweden - A p r 3 0

Carl XVI Gustaf, the King of Sweden, was born on 30 April 1946 at Haga Palace.

He is son of then Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf and Princess Sibylla of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha. He was baptised at the Palace Church on 7 June 1946 and named Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus.

The King has four older sisters: the Princesses Margaretha, Birgitta, Désirée and Christina. His father Prince Gustaf Adolf died in a plane crash in 1947 in Copenhagen. Princess Sibylla died in Stockholm in 1972.

Crown Prince at four years of age

With the accession of Gustaf VI Adolf to the throne in 1950, following the death of Gustaf V, the four-year-old Carl Gustaf became Crown Prince.

Crown Prince Carl Gustaf became the Swedish Head of State at the age of 27, following the death of King Gustaf VI Adolf, who died on 15 September 1973.

The new King took “For Sweden - With the times" as his motto, thereby declaring his intention of meeting the demands of society on a modern monarch.

Education

The Crown Prince was taught privately at the Royal Palace of Stockholm during his pre-school years. He started school in the autumn of 1952, attending Broms School followed by the Sigtuna Boarding School. He graduated from upper secondary school in 1966.

School was followed by military service. The Crown Prince completed two and a half years' training in the Army, Navy and Air Force, with a special emphasis on naval training. Amongst other military activities, he took part in a long voyage on the mine-laying vessel Älvsnabben in the winter of 1966-67.

Naval Officer Examination The Crown Prince passed his Naval Officer Examination in

1968. He later completed a command course at the Swedish National Defence College and complemented his naval training with officer´s duties on board various ships in the Swedish Navy.

In 1968 The Crown Prince began a one-year programme of academic studies comprising History, Sociology, Political Science, Financial Law and Economics at the University of Uppsala. Later he also studied Economics at the University of Stockholm.

Practical social studies The Crown Prince then followed a specially composed pro-

gramme of field trips to national and local authorities, industries, factories, laboratories and schools.

He studied the Swedish judicial system, social welfare organisations and institutions, trade unions and employer associations, with a special emphasis on the work of the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament), the Government and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

International studies

In order to acquire international experience The Crown Prince participated in the work of the Permanent Mission of Sweden to the United Nations in New York and spent time working with SIDA (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) in Africa. He also spent considerable time in London - at Hambro Bank, the Swedish Embassy and the Swedish Chamber of Commerce - and in France at the Alfa Laval plant in Nevers.

In addition, The Crown Prince represented Gustaf VI Adolf on a number of official occasions. In 1970, for example, he headed the Swedish delegation to the World Exposition in Osaka, Japan.

Family During the Olympic Games in Munich, Germany in 1972, The Crown Prince met Miss Silvia Renate Sommerlath.

She was working at the Games as an interpreter and hostess. Silvia Sommerlath was born in Heidelberg on 23 December 1943. She is the daughter of Walther Sommerlath and his Brazilian wife Alice, née de Toledo, both now deceased.

The Royal Wedding in 1976

The engagement of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath was officially announced on 12 March 1976. They were married three months later on 19 June 1976 at Stockholm Cathedral.

King Carl Gustaf and Queen Silvia have three children: Crown Princess Victoria, born on 14 July 1977, Prince Carl Philip, born on 13 May 1979 and Princess Madeleine, born on 10 June 1982.

Under the Order of Succession introduced in 1980 by the Swedish Parliament, the throne passes to the eldest child.

The Royal Family resided at the Royal Palace of Stockholm until 1981, when they moved to Drottningholm Palace.

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) Netherlands - A p r 3 0

Koninginnedag or Queen's Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Antilles, and Aruba on 30 April or on 29 April if the 30th is a Sunday. Queen's Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen of the Netherlands and is supposed to be a day of national unity and "togetherness" (Dutch: saamhorigheid). The tradition started on 31 August 1885, on the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina, later Queen Wilhelmina.

Since 1949, after the accession of Queen Juliana, Queen's Day is Queen Juliana's birthday on 30 April. Although Queen Beatrix's birthday is on 31 January, she officially celebrates her birthday on 30 April. Queen's Day is known for its "freemarket" (Dutch: vrijmarkt) all over the country, where everybody is allowed to sell things in the streets. Other activities during Queen's Day are children's games, individual musical performances, and music concerts. The night before Queen's Day is celebrated too in most cities, and this is called Queen's Night (Dutch: Koninginnenacht). The largest celebration of Queen's Day is in Amsterdam, Queen's Night inThe Hague and Queen's Dance (Dutch: Koninginnedans) in Rotterdam. During the celebrations as reference to the colours of the House of Orange-Nassau, people dress in the colour orange, which is sometimes called "orange craze" (Dutch: oranjegekte).

History

The present-day celebration of Queen's Day was originally intended by the Liberal Union to be a day of national unity in the Netherlands. It started with the celebration of the birthday of Princess Wilhelmina on 31 August 1885.

From 1885 to 1890 the celebration was therefore called Prinsessedag or Princess' Day, until the Coronation of Wilhelmina in 1890. Since 31 August 1891, the celebration was called Koninginnedag or Queen's Day. The day was not only the birthday of the Queen, but also the last day of the summer vacation, which made the celebrations popular with children. Unlike her successors, Queen Wilhelmina almost never attended festivities on Queen's Day. In September 1948 Queen Juliana ascended to the Dutch throne and from 1949 onwards Queen's Day was on her birthday on 30 April. When 30 April is a Sunday, Queen's Day is celebrated on 29 April. On this day, Queen Juliana received a flower tribute at Soestdijk Palace, where she lived. The Queen and her family would stand on a dais and a long line of citizens would walk past, congratulating her and presenting her gifts and flowers. The parade was broadcast on national television from the 1950s. When more and more people received a day off from their work, Queen's Day became a national holiday of togetherness (Dutch: samenhorigheid). When Queen Beatrix succeeded her mother Queen Juliana on 30 April 1980, she decided to keep the holiday on 30 April as a tribute to her mother. Furthermore for practical reasons, the weather on her own birthday in the winter on 31 January tends to prohibit the traditional outdoor festivities, while 30 April normally has better weather. In contrast to her mother, Juliana, Beatrix decided to go into the country to meet the people, rather than receiving people at her residence. Since her ascension to the throne, Queen Beatrix and her family visit one, two, or sometimes three places on Queen's day, where she is shown regional versions of traditional Dutch dances and demonstrations of old crafts. In 2001, the Queen's Day visits of the Royal Family were canceled as there was worry about maintaining the quarantine measures to control an ongoing outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease. Queen Beatrix has visited the following cities over the years on Queen's Day.

Liberation Day Vietnam - A p r 3 0

Victory Day (Ngày Chiến thắng), Reunification Day (Ngày Thống nhất), or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải phóng) is a public holiday in Vietnamthat marks the occasion Viet Cong and North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) on April 30, 1975. This signalled the end of the Vietnam War, known in Vietnamese as Chiến tranh Việt Nam (Vietnam War) or Kháng chiến chống Mỹ ("Resistance War Against America"). It was the start of the transition period toward reunification, which occurred July 2, 1976.

In the Overseas Vietnamese exile community, the day is remembered as the "Fall of Saigon" or "Ngày Quốc hận". This is loosely translated as "National Defeat Day," or more literally as "National Day of Resentment." These terms are considered treasonous in present day Vietnamand can lead to harassment or imprisonment. This is a commemorative day for exile Vietnamese who served, were affected, and displaced in those overseas communities, and as such is a day of reflection. The anniversary is marked by several festivals around the date.

Constitution Day Marshall Islands - M a y 0 1

In 1943, during World War II, the Allied forces—the United States, Britain, France, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Greece, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, and Yugoslavia—invaded the Marshall Islands. By 1944, the Allied forces occupied the Marshall Islands. At the end of World War II, the United States was given effective power in the Marshall Islands. Throughout their occupation, the United States conducted nuclear weapons testing on the islands.

On May 1, 1979, the Marshall Islands constitution was signed, establishing it as a self-governing country. In 1982, the Marshall Islands officially changed its name to the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Constitution Day is a public holiday in the Marshall Islands. On this day of celebration, people gather together for a parade to commemorate their independence. Also as part of the celebration, field-day contests are held between all private and public schools, entities within the community itself, and more. Some of these contests include basketball, women's softball, men's baseball, volleyball, soccer, tug-of-war, and various track-and-field events.

People's Unity Day Kazakhstan - M a y 0 1

The “May Day” is celebrated as “People's Unity Day” of Kazakhstan. It is holiday of Kazakhstan, was renamed by Presidential Decree in 1995. Almaty is the capital of Kazakhstan.

In Almaty, President congratulates the Kazakhstanis, who gathered in front of the Almaty citizens gathered in the capital’s Square of Republic. Each year the first day of May is celebrated as May Day. May Day is also known as Labor Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievement of the labor movement. Labor Day is celebrated on May 1 in many countries around the world and it is still often a day for protests and rallies. On this day, various labor organizations across the country carry out processions and organize competitions for children belonging to labor class. The origins of unions' existence can be traced from the eighteenth century, where the rapid expansion of industrial society drew women, children, rural workers, and immigrants to the work force in larger numbers and in new roles. International Workers' Day or May Day is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations and street marches by millions of working people and their labor unions throughout most of the countries of the world. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, l883. According to History, on this day labor unions across the US went to strike for demanding for eight working hours per a day.

Brothers and Sisters Day U.S. - M a y 0 2

Brothers and Sisters Day is observed on May 02. It is a day in which siblings celebrate one another. A sibling is one of two or more individuals having one or both parents in common. A male sibling is called a brother, and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together, facilitating the development of strong emotional bonds such as love, hostility or thoughtfulness.

May Day Eve - A p r 3 0 Finland, Germany, Sweden

The current festival is, in most countries that celebrate it, named after Saint Walburga (ca. 710-777/9). As Walburga was canonized on 1 May (ca. 870), she became associated with May Day, especially in the Finnish and Swedish calendars. The eve of May day, traditionally celebrated with dancing, came to be known as Walpurgisnacht ("Walpurga's night"). The German term is recorded in the 17th century, e.g. by Johannes Praetorius (1668), as S. Walpurgis Nacht or S. Walpurgis Abend. In earlier references, 1 May is more typically referred to as Jacobi Philippi (after James the Less and Philip, the apostles whose feast day falls on 1 May), e.g. in the Calendarium Perpetuum by Johannes Coler (1603, p. 89). The 17th century German tradition of a meeting of sorcerers and witches on May Day is influenced by the descriptions of Witches' Sabbaths in 15th and 16th century literature.

Finland In Finland, Walpurgis day (Vappu) is, along with New Year's

Eve and Juhannus, the biggest carnival-style festival held in the streets of Finland's towns and cities. The celebration, which begins on the evening of 30 April and continues to 1 May, typically centres on copious consumption of sparkling wine and other alcoholic beverages. Student traditions, particularly those of the engineering students, are one of the main characteristics of Vappu. Since the end of the 19th century, this traditional upper-class feast has been appropriated by university students.

Many graduates from lukio, and thus traditionally assumed as university students or alumni, wear a cap. Most people think the caps of the engineering students are distinguished by pompoms hanging from them; however, nurses and some other vocational school graduates also have caps with pom-poms. One tradition is to drink sima, a home-made mead, along with freshly cooked doughnuts. In the capital Helsinki and its surrounding region, fixtures include the capping (on 30 April at 6 pm) of the Havis Amanda, a nude female statue in Helsinki, and the biannually alternating publications of ribald matter called Äpy and Julkku, by engineering students of Aalto University School of Science and Technology. Both are sophomoric; but while Julkku is a standard magazine, Äpy is always a gimmick. Classic forms have included an Äpy printed on toilet paper and a bedsheet. Often, the magazine has been stuffed inside standard industrial packages, such as sardine cans and milk cartons. For most university students, Vappu starts a week before the day of celebration. The festivities also include a picnic on 1 May, which is sometimes prepared in a lavish manner, particularly in Ullanlinnanmäki—and Kaisaniemi for the Swedish-speaking population—in Helsinki city. The Finnish tradition is also a shadowing of the Socialist May Day parade. Expanding from the parties of the left, the whole of the Finnish political scene has adopted Vappu as the day to go out on stumps and agitate. This does not only include political activists: other institutions, such as the church, have followed suit, marching and making speeches. In Sweden, it is only the left-wing parties that use 1 May for political activities, while others observe the traditional festivities. Left-wing activists who were active in the 1970s still party on May Day. They arrange carnivals, and radio stations play leftist songs from the 1970s. Traditionally, 1 May is celebrated by a picnic in a park (Kaivopuisto or Kaisaniemi in the case of Helsinki). For most, the picnic is enjoyed with friends on a blanket with good food and sparkling wine. Some people, however, arrange extremely lavish picnics with pavilions, white tablecloths, silver candelabras, classical music and extravagant food. The picnic usually starts early in the morning, where some of the previous night's party-goers continue their celebrations undaunted by lack of sleep. Some student organisations reserve areas where they traditionally camp every year. Student caps, mead, streamers and balloons have their role in the picnic, as well as in the celebration as a whole. Vappu/Valborg and Midsummer are Finland's two main holidays in the summer half of the year, on a par with Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve in the winter half.

Germany

In Germany, Walpurgisnacht, the night from 30 April to 1 May, is the night when witches are reputed to hold a large celebration on the Brocken and await the arrival of spring. Walpurgis Night (in German folklore) the night of 30 April (May Day's eve), when witches meet on the Brocken mountain and hold revels with their gods..." Brocken is the highest of the Harz Mountains of north central Germany. It is noted for the phenomenon of the Brocken spectreand for witches' revels which reputedly took place there on Walpurgis night. The Brocken Spectre is a magnified shadow of an observer, typically surrounded by rainbowlike bands, thrown onto a bank of cloud in high mountain areas when the sun is low. The phenomenon was first reported on the Brocken.

—Oxford Phrase & Fable. A scene in Goethe's Faust Part One is called "Walpurgisnacht", and one in Faust Part Two is called "Classical Walpurgisnacht". The last chapter of book five in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain is also called "Walpurgisnacht". In Edward Albee's 1962 play 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?', Act Two is entitled "Walpurgisnacht". In some parts of northern coastal regions of Germany, the custom of lighting huge fires is still kept alive to celebrate the coming of May, while most parts of Germany have a derived Christianized custom around Easter called "Easter fires". In rural parts of southern Germany, it is part of popular youth culture to play pranks such as tampering with neighbours' gardens, hiding possessions, or spraying graffiti on private property. These pranks occasionally result in serious damage to property or bodily injury. In Berlin, traditional leftist May Day riots usually start at Walpurgis Night in the Mauerpark in Prenzlauer Berg. There is a similar tradition in the Schanzenviertel district of Hamburg, though in both cases, the situation has significantly calmed down in the past few years.

Sweden

In Sweden, Walpurgis Night (Swedish: Valborgsmässoafton or simply Valborg) has more or less become a de facto half holiday. The forms of celebration in Sweden vary in different parts of the country and between different cities. Sir James George Frazer in The Golden Bough writes, "The first of May is a great popular festival in the more midland and southern parts of Sweden. On the eve of the festival, huge bonfires, which should be lighted by striking two flints together, blaze on all the hills and knolls." One of the main traditions in Sweden is to light large bonfires, a custom that is most firmly established in Svealand and may have begun in Uppland during the 18th century: "At Walpurgis (Valborg), farm animals were let out to graze, and ever since the early 18th century bonfires (majbrasor, kasar) have been lit to scare away predators." In Southern Sweden, an older tradition, no longer practised, was for the younger people to collect greenery and branches from the woods at twilight, these were used to adorn the houses of the village. The expected reward for this task was to be paid in eggs.

Singing traditional songs of spring is widespread throughout the country. The songs are mostly from the 19th century and were spread by students' spring festivities. The strongest and most traditional spring festivities are also found in the old university cities, such as Uppsala and Lund, where undergraduates, graduates and alumni gather at events that last most of the day from early morning to late night on 30 April, or sista april ("The Last Day Of April") as it is called in Sweden. More modern Valborg celebrations, particularly among Uppsala students, oftentimes consist of enjoying a breakfast including champagne and strawberries. During the day, people gather in parks, drink considerable amounts of alcoholic beverages, barbecue and generally enjoy the weather, if it happens to be favourable.

In Uppsala, since the mid-1970s, students also go rafting on Fyrisån through the centre of town with home-made, in fact quite easily wreckable, and often humorously decorated rafts. Several nations also hold "Champagne Races", where students go to drink and spray champagne or somewhat more modestly priced sparkling wine on each other.

The walls and floors of the old nation buildings are covered in plastic for this occasion, as the champagne is poured around recklessly and sometimes spilled enough to wade in. Spraying champagne is, however, a fairly recent addition to the Champagne Race. The name derives from the students running down the downhill slope from the Carolina Rediviva library, toward the Student Nations, to drink champagne.

In Linköping, the students and public gather at the courtyard of Linköping Castle. Spring songs are sung by the Linköping University Male Voice Choir, and speeches are made by representatives of the students and the university teachers.

In Gothenburg, the carnival parade, The Cortège, which has been held since 1909 by the students at Chalmers University of Technology, is an important part of the celebration. It is seen by around 250,000 people each year.

In Landskrona, people gather at the Citadel to play beer-baseball, a game in which one drinks beer and plays baseball at the same time.

International Workers' Day Worldwide - M a y 0 1

International Workers' Day (also known as May Day) is a celebration of the internationallabour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries. It is also celebrated unofficially in many other countries.

History International Workers' Day is the commemoration of the 1886

Haymarket Massacre in Chicago, which occurred after an unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed a public assembly during a general strike for the eight-hour workday. In response, the Chicago police fired on the workers killing dozens of demonstrators and several of their own officers. In 1889, the first congress of the Second International, meeting in Paris for the centennial of the French Revolution and the Exposition Universelle, following a proposal by Raymond Lavigne, called for international demonstrations on the 1890 anniversary of the Chicago protests.

May Day was formally recognized as an annual event at the International's second congress in 1891.

Subsequently, the May Day Riots of 1894 occurred. In 1904, the International Socialist Conference meeting in Amsterdam called on "allSocial Democratic Party organizations and trade unions of all countries to demonstrate energetically on May First for the legal establishment of the 8-hour day, for the class demands of the proletariat, and for universal peace." The congress made it "mandatory upon the proletarian organizations of all countries to stop work on May 1, wherever it is possible without injury to the workers."

In many countries, the working classes sought to make May Day an official holiday, and their efforts largely succeeded.

May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist and anarchist groups. In some circles, bonfires are lit in commemoration of the Haymarket martyrs, usually at dawn. May Day has been an important official holiday in countries such as the People's Republic of China, North Korea, Cuba and the former Soviet Union.

May Day celebrations typically feature elaborate popular and military parades in these countries.

In the United States and Canada, however, the official holiday for workers is Labor Day in September. This day was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, who organized the first parade in New York City. After the Haymarket Massacre, US President Grover Cleveland feared that commemorating Labor Day on May 1 could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots. Thus he moved in 1887 to support the Labor Day that the Knights supported.

In 1955, the Catholic Church dedicated May 1 to "Saint Joseph The Worker". The Catholic Church considers Saint Joseph the patron saint of (among others) workers, craftsmen, and "people fighting communism".

Right-wing governments have traditionally sought to repress the message behind International Workers' Day, with fascist governments in Portugal, Italy, Germany and Spain abolishing the workers' holiday, the official May 1st holiday in the US being Loyalty Day, and the Conservative party in the UK currently attempting to abolish the UK's annual May Day Bank Holiday.

May Day International - M a y 0 1

May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures.

Traditional May Day celebrations

May Day is related to the Celtic festival of Beltane and the Germanic festival of Walpurgis Night. May Day falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is also associated with various northern European pagan and the year in the Northern hemisphere, and it has traditionally been an occasion for popular and often raucous celebrations.

As Europe became Christianized the pagan holidays lost their religious character and either changed into popular secular celebrations, as with May Day, or were merged with or replaced by new Christian holidays as with Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and All Saint's Day. In the twentieth century, many neopagans began reconstructing the old traditions and celebrating May Day as a pagan religious festival again.

Origins:

The earliest May Day celebrations appeared in pre-Christian times, with the festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, and the Walpurgis Night celebrations of the Germanic countries. It is also associated with the Gaelic Beltane. Many pagan celebrations were abandoned orChristianized during the process of conversion in Europe. A more secular version of May Day continues to be observed in Europe and America. In this form, May Day may be best known for its tradition of dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May. Various Neopagan groups celebrate reconstructed (to varying degrees) versions of these customs on May 1st.

The day was a traditional summer holiday in many pre-Christian European pagan cultures. While February 1 was the first day of Spring, May 1 was the first day of summer; hence, the summer solstice on June 25 (now June 21) was Midsummer. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, in works of art, school skits, and so forth, Mary's head will often be adorned with flowers in a May crowning. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.

Europe

Great Britain:

Traditional British May Day rites and celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queenand celebrations involving a Maypole. Much of this tradition derive from the pagan Anglo-Saxonand customs held during "Þrimilci-mōnaþ" (the Old English name for the month of May meaningMonth of Three Milkings) along with many Celtic traditions.

May Day has been a traditional day of festivities throughout the centuries.

May Day is most associated with towns and villages celebrating springtime fertility and revelry with village fetes and community gatherings. Since the reform of the Catholic Calendar, May 1st is the Feast of St Philip & St James, they became the patron saints of workers. Seeding has been completed by this date and it was convenient to give farm labourers a day off. Perhaps the most significant of the traditions is the Maypole, around which traditional dancers circle with ribbons.

The May Day bank holiday, on the first Monday in May, was traditionally the only one to affect thestate school calendar, although new arrangements in some areas to even out the length of school terms mean that the Good Friday and Easter Monday bank holidays, which vary from year to year, may also fall during term time. The May Day bank holiday was created in 1978. In February 2011, the UK Parliament was reported to be considering scrapping the Maibaum in Munich, Gerbank holiday associated with May Day, replacing it with a bank holiday in Oc- many. tober, possibly co-inciding with Trafalgar Day(celebrated on 21 October), to create a "United Kingdom Day".

May Day was abolished and its celebration banned by puritan parliaments during the Interregnum, but reinstated with the restoration of Charles II in 1660. 1 May 1707 was the day the Act of Union came into effect, joining England and Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In Oxford, it is traditional for May Morning revellers to gather below the Great Tower of Magdalen College at 6:00 am to listen to the college choir sing traditional madrigals as a conclusion to the previous night's celebrations. It is then thought to be traditional for some people to jump off Magdalen Bridge into the River Cherwell. However this has actually only been fashionable since the 1970s. In recent years, the bridge has been closed on 1 May to prevent people from jumping, as the water under the bridge is only 2 feet (61 cm) deep and jumping from the bridge has resulted in serious injury in the past. There are still people who insist on climbing the barriers and leaping into the water, causing themselves injury.

In Durham, students of the University of Durham gather on Prebend's Bridge to see the sunrise and enjoy festivities, folk music, dancing, madrigal singing and a barbecue breakfast. This is an emerging Durham tradition, with patchy observance since 2001.

Whitstable, Kent, hosts a good example of more traditional May Day festivities, where the Jack in the Green festival was revived in 1976 and continues to lead an annual procession of morris dancers through the town on the May Bank Holiday. A separate revival occurred in Hastings in 1983 and has become a major event in the town calendar. A traditional Sweeps Festival is performed over the May bank holiday in Rochester, Kent, where the Jack in the Green is woken at dawn on 1 May by Morris dancers.

The Maydayrun involves thousands of motorbikes taking a 55-mile (89 km) trip from London(Locksbottom) to the Hastings seafront, East Sussex. The event has been taking place for almost 30 years now and has grown in interest from around the country, both commercially and publicly. The event is not officially organised; the police only manage the traffic, and volunteers manage the parking.

Padstow in Cornwall holds its annual 'Obby-Oss' (Hobby Horse) day of festivities.

This is believed to be one of the oldest fertility rites in the UK; revellers dance with the Oss through the streets of the town and even through the private gardens of the citizens, accompanied by accordion players and followers dressed in white with red or blue sashes who sing the traditional 'May Day' song. The whole town is decorated with springtime greenery, and every year thousands of onlookers attend. Prior to the May Queen on village 19th century distinctive May day celebrations were widespread throughout West green, Melmerby Cornwall, and are being revived in St. Ives and Penzance.

Kingsand, Cawsand and Millbrook in Cornwall celebrate Flower Boat Ritual on the May Day bank holiday. A model of the ship The Black Prince is covered in flowers and is taken in procession from the Quay at Millbrook to the beach at Cawsand where it is cast adrift. The houses in the villages are decorated with flowers and people traditionally wear red and white clothes. There are further celebrations in Cawsand Square with Morris dancing and May pole dancing.

In St Andrews, some of the students gather on the beach late on April 30 and run into the North Sea at sunrise on May Day, occasionally naked. This is accompanied by torchlit processions and much elated celebration.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow organize Mayday festivals and rallies. In Edinburgh, the Beltane Fire Festival is held on the evening of May eve and into the early hours of May Day on the city's Calton Hill. An older Edinburgh tradition has it that young women who climb Arthur's Seat and wash their faces in the morning dew will have lifelong beauty.

Ireland:

May Day has been celebrated in Ireland since pagan times as the feast of Bealtaine and in latter times as Mary's day.

Traditionally, bonfires were lit to mark the coming of summer and to banish the long nights of winter. Officially Irish May Day holiday is the first Monday in May. Old traditions such as bonfires are no longer widely observed, though the practice still persists in some communities, such as Arklow, County Wicklow.

France:

On May 1, 1561, King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime, on May 1. The government permits individuals and workers' organisations to sell them tax-free. It is also traditional for the lady receiving the sprig of lily of the valley to give a kiss in return. Nowadays, people may present loved ones either with bunches of lily of the valley or dog rose flowers.

Germany:

In rural regions of Germany, especially the Harz Mountains, Walpurgisnacht celebrations of pagan origin are traditionally held on the night before May Day, including bonfires and the wrapping of a Maibaum (maypole). Young people use this opportunity to party, while the day itself is used by many families to get some fresh air. Motto: "Tanz in den Mai!" ("Dance into May!"). In the Rhineland, May 1 is also celebrated by the delivery of a maypole, a tree covered in streamers to the house of a girl the night before. The tree is typically from a love interest, though a tree wrapped only in white streamers is a sign of dislike. Females usually place roses or rice in form of a heart at the house of their beloved one. It is common to stick the heart to a window or place it in front of the doormat. On leap years, it is the responsibility of the females to place the maypole. All the action is usually done secretly and it is an individual's choice whether to give a hint of their identity or stay anonymous. May Day was not established as a public holiday until 1933. As Labour Day, many political parties and unions host activities related to work and employment.

Finland:

Celebrations among the younger generations take place on May Day Eve, see Walpurgis Night in Finland, most prominent being the afternoon 'crowning' of statues in towns around the country with a student cap.

May Day is known as Vappu, from the Swedish term. This is a public holiday that is the only carnival-style street festivity in the country. People young and old, particularly students, party outside, picnic and wear caps or other decorative clothing.

Some Finns make a special lemonade from lemons, brown sugar, and Queen Guinevere's Maying yeast called "sima". It contains very little alcohol, so even children can drink it. You can also buy a similar product in all stores.

Some Finns also make doughnuts and a crisp pastry fried in oil made from a similar, more liquid dough.

Balloons and other decorations like serpentines are seen everywhere.

Sweden:

The more traditional festivities have moved to the day before, Walpurgis night ("Valborgsmässoafton"), known in some locales as simply "Last of April".

The first of May is instead celebrated as International Workers' Day.

Pacific (USA):

In Hawaii, May Day is also known as Lei Day, and is normally set aside as a day to celebrate island culture in general and native Hawaiian culture in particular. Invented by Morris dancing on May Day in Oxford,Enga poet and a local newspaper columnist in the 1920s, it has land 2004. since been adopted by state and local government as well as the residents, and has taken on the sense of a general spring celebration. The first Lei Day was proposed in 1927 in Honolulu by poet and artist Don Blanding. Leonard "Red" and Ruth Hawk composed "May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i," the traditional holiday song. Originally it was a contemporary fox trot, later rearranged as the Hawaiian hula song performed today.

USA:

May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These are small baskets usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The giver rings the bell and runs away. The person receiving the basket tries to catch the fleeing giver. If May Day festivities at National Park Semithey catch the person, a kiss is exchanged.

Modern May Day ceremonies in the U.S. vary greatly from nary in Maryland, 1907. region to region and many unite both the holiday's "Green Root" (pagan) and "Red Root" (labor) traditions.

May 1 is also recognized in the U.S. as Law Day.

Dos de Mayo Spain - May 02

On the second of May (Spanish: Dos de Mayo), 1808, the people of Madrid rebelled against the occupation of the city by French troops, provoking a brutal repression by the French Imperial forces and triggering the Peninsular War.

Background

The city had been under the occupation of Napoleon's army since 23 March of the same year. King Charles IV had been forced to abdicate in favour of his son Ferdinand VII, and at the time of the uprising both were in the French city of Bayonne at the insistence of Napoleon. An attempt by the French general Joachim Murat to move the daughter and youngest son of Charles IV to Bayonne led to a popular rebellion that was harshly suppressed by French troops after hours of fierce street fighting. The uprising in Madrid, together with the subsequent proclamation as king of Napoleon's brother Joseph, provoked resistance across Spain to French rule.

The beginning of the uprising

The spark that provoked the rebellion was the move by the French Marshal in command of Madrid, Joaquim Murat, to send the daughter of Charles IV and the Infante Francisco de Paula to the French city of Bayonne. Murat was the brother-in-law of Napoleon, and would later become king of Naples. Initially the governing council of the city refused the request from Murat, but eventually gave way after receiving a message from Ferdinand VII who was also in Bayonne at this time.

On 2 May a crowd began to gather in front of the Royal Palace in Madrid. Those gathered entered the palace grounds in an attempt to prevent the removal of Francisco de Paula. Marshal Murat sent a battalion of grenadiers from the Imperial Guard to the palace along with artillery detachments. The latter opened fire on the assembled crowd, and the rebellion began to spread to other parts of the city.

What followed was street fighting in different areas of Madrid as the poorly armed population confronted the French troops. Murat had quickly moved the majority of his troops into the city and there was heavy fighting around the Puerta del Sol and the Puerta de Toledo. Marshal Murat imposed martial law in the city and assumed full control of the administration. Little by little the French regained control of the city, and many hundreds of people died in the fighting. The painting by the Spanish artistGoya, The Charge of the Mamelukes, portrays the street fighting that took place.

There were Spanish troops stationed in the city, but they remained confined to barracks. The only Spanish troops to disobey orders were from the artillery units at the barracks of Monteleón, who joined the uprising. Two officers of these troops,Luis Daoíz de Torres and Pedro Velarde y Santillán are still commemorated as heroes of the rebellion. Both died during the French assault of the barracks, as the rebels were reduced by vastly superior numbers.

The aftermath

The repression following the crushing of the initial rebellion was harsh. Murat created a military commission on the evening of 2 May to be presided over by General Grouchy. This commission issued death sentences to all of those captured who were bearing weapons of any kind. In a statement issued that day Murat said: "The population of Madrid, led astray, has given itself to revolt and murder. French blood has flowed. It demands vengeance. All those arrested in the uprising, arms in hand, will be shot." All public meetings were prohibited and an order was issued requiring all weapons to be handed in to the authorities. Hundreds of prisoners were executed the following day, a scene that has also been captured in a famous painting by Goya, The Third of May 1808.

On the same 2 May, in the nearby town of Móstoles, the arrival of the news of the repression prompted Juan Pérez Villamil, who was secretary of the Admiralty and prosecutor of the Supreme War Council, to encourage the mayors of the town, Andrés Torrejón and Simón Hernández, to sign a declaration of war calling all the Spaniards against the invaders.

The name of this declaration was "Bando de los alcaldes de Móstoles" or "bando de la Independencia".

The impact of the uprising

While the French occupiers hoped that their rapid suppression of the uprising would demonstrate their control of Spain, the rebellion actually gave considerable impetus to the resistance. In the weeks that followed there were further rebellions in different parts of the country.

Commemoration

2 May was chosen as a public holiday in the region of Madrid. The place where the artillery barracks of Monteleón was located is now a square called the Plaza 2 de mayo, and the district surrounding the square is known as Malasaña in memory of one of the heroines of the revolt, the teenagerManuela Malasaña, who was executed by French troops in the aftermath of the revolt.

Several memorials to the heroes are located over the city, including the Monumento a los Caidos por España.

King's Birthday Lesotho - May 02

Moshoeshoe II (May 2, 1938 – January 15, 1996), previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the paramount chief of Lesotho, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966.

He was king of Lesotho from 1966 until his exile in 1990, and from 1995 until his death in 1996.

Early Life

The young Seeiso was educated at the Roma College in Lesotho, then (apparently fleeing rumours that his stepfather planned to poison him) was sent to England, first to Ampleforth College and later to Corpus Christi College, Oxford. While there, he took to the life of an English country gentleman, including hunting, shooting, and fishing.

Death

The King died at the age of fifty-seven in a road accident, when his car plunged off a mountain road during the early hours of 15 January 1996. The accident also killed the car's driver. According to a government statement, Moshoeshoe had set out at 1 AM to visit his cattle at Matsieng, and was returning to Maseru through the Maluti Mountains when his car left the road.

National Flag Day Poland - May 02

The flag of Poland consists of two horizontal stripes of equal width, the upper one white and the lower one red. The two colors are defined in the Polish constitution as the national colors. A variant of the flag with the national coat of arms in the middle of the white stripe is legally reserved for official use abroad and at sea. A similar flag with the addition of a swallow-tail is used as the naval ensign of Poland.

White and red were officially adopted as national colors in 1831.

They are of heraldic origin and derive from the tinctures (colors) of the coats of arms of the two constituent nations of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, i.e. the White Eagle of Poland and the Pursuer (Lithuanian:Vytis, Polish: Pogoń) of Lithuania, a white knight riding a white horse, both on a red shield.

Prior to that, Polish soldiers wore cockades of various color combinations. The national flag was officially adopted in 1919. Since 2004, Polish Flag Day is celebrated on May 2.

The flag is flown continuously on the buildings of the highest national authorities, such as the parliament and the presidential palace. Other institutions and many Polish people fly the national flag on national holidays and other special occasions of national significance. Current Polish law does not restrict the use of the national flag without the coat of arms as long as the flag is not disrespected.

Horizontal bicolor of white and red being a relatively widespread design, there are several flags that are similar but unrelated to the Polish one, most notably those of Bohemia in the Czech Republic and Tyrol in Austria, and two national flags with the red stripe above the white one: those of Indonesia and Monaco. In Poland, many flags based on the national design also feature the national colors.