Video Broadcast : #148

Introduction

Some believe that “Holiday” derived from “Holy day”.

Holidays may

• have fixed date
  e.g. January 4 (Myanmar Independence)
• have relative dates
  e.g. in the USA, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November
• celebrate a religious event
  e.g. Waso, Deepavali, Christmas
• be designated as Public holidays
• be a regional event
  e.g. State holiday
  

January

• Jan 1 : New Year’s Day
  Celebrates the beginning of a year (in the Gregorian Calendar)
  In the early days, the Union of Burma celebrated Jan 1 as Peasants’ Day.
  
• Jan 4 : Independence Day in Myanmar
  Myanmar gained Independence on Jan 4, 1948
  
• Martin Luther King’s Day in the US
  Third Monday in January (e.g. Jan 20, 2020)
  Public holiday
  
• Occasionally : Lunar New Year
  The Lunar New Year occurs on the first day of the first month of the month in a lunar or luni-solar calendar.
  The Chinese New Year falls in late January or early February.

February

• Feb 12 : Union Day in Myanmar
  Celebrates the signing of Pinlon Agreement on Feb 12, 1947
  
• Feb 13 : Children’s Day in Myanmar
  Honors Bogyoke Aung San (whose birthday is Feb 13, 1915)
  
• Feb 14 : Valentine’s Day
  Not a public holiday
  
• Presidents’ Day in the US
  Third Monday of February
  Earlier, there were birthday celebrations in February for George Washington (on Feb 22) and Abraham Lincoln (on Feb 12).
  
• Occasionally : Lunar New Year
  
• Occasionally : Full Moon Day of Tabodwe — Htamane Pwe & [Buddha’s] Exhortation Day

March

• Mar 2 :
  Peasant’s Day was moved from Jan 1 in order to celebrate the Coup D’eat on Mar 2, 1962
  
• Mar 13 :
  Phone Maw Day
  Burma’s Human Rights Day (celebrated by Berkeley)
  
• Mar 27 :
  Resistance Day was renamed as Armed Forces Day
  Celebrates the start of the Resistance movement on Mar 27, 1945
  
• First Day of Spring :
  Persian New Year
  Falls around Mar 20 – Mar 22

• Occasionally : Easter
  Services for Good Friday and Easter Sunday

April

• Thingyan :
  Starts on April 13
  Lasts for three or four days
  Also known as the Water Festival
  
• Myanmar New Year
  Usually falls on Apr 16 (for the three-day Thingyan
  Sometimes on Apr 17 (for the four-day Thingyan)
  
• Occasionally : Easter
  Services for Good Friday and Easter Sunday

May

• May 1 :
  May Day in some countries
  
• May 5 :
  Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for Fifth of May)
  Celebration by Mexicans for the military victory over French forces in 1862
  
• Mother’s Day in the US
  Second Sunday in May
  Not a Federal holiday
  Other counties may observe on a different date

June

• Jun 6 :
  D Day
  Landing of Allied Forces in Normandy on Jun 6, 1944
  
• Jun 6 :
  Ah Loke Thamar Ah Yay Ah Khinn
  One of several dark moments in Burma / Myanmar
  
• Father’s Day in the US
  Third Sunday in June
  Not a Federal holiday

July

• Jul 4 :
  Independence Day in the US
  13 Colonies claimed Independence on Jul 4, 1776
  
• Jul 7 :
  Students’ protest that was brutally crushed on Jul 7, 1962
  One of several dark moments in Burma / Myanmar
  
• Jul 8 :
  Demolition of the Rangoon University Student’s Union on Jul 8, 1962
  One of several dark moments in Burma / Myanmar
  
• Jul 19 :
  Arzani Nay / Martyr’s Day
  Bogyoke Aung San, six ministers, one secretary and one bodyguard were gunned down on Jul 19, 1947
  Eight perished on the spot or on the same day.
  Mong Pawn Sawbwa was hospitalized, and passed away on Jul 20, 1947.
  
• Apollo 11 landed in Tranquility Bay on the Moon in July 1969
  The eight day mission saw “Men on the Moon” on July 20, 1969.
  Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander) and Buzz Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot) set foot in Tranquility Bay on the far side of the moon.
  
• My poem “Men on the Moon” was sent to NASA via USIS.
  It was published in the Guardian.

August

• 8-8-88 :
  start of a long struggle to restore Democracy in Myanmar
  
• Several birthdays in my extended family

September

• Crushing the hopes of Multi-party Democracy
  on September 18, 1988
  
• Occasionally :
  End of Burmese Buddhist Lent

October

• Occasionally :
  End of Burmese Buddhist Lent (Thadinkyut)
  
• “Deepavali” or “Diwali” celebrations are also celebrated around October. It is known as the “Festival of Lights”.
  
• “Halloween” occurs every year on October 31 with “Trick or Treat” by the children and [optional] “Halloween Costume Party” by young and old adults.

November

• Elections in the US (Local races & Resolutions every year, House of Representatives every two years, One third of Senators every two years, President every four years)
  
• Nov 22 :
  JFK assassinated in Dallas, Texas on Nov 22, 1962
  Conspiracy Theory survives
  
• Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the US
  Starts with fourth Thursday in November

December

• U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khinn : dark day in the history of Burma
  
• Apollo 8 orbited the Moon in December 1968
  
• Dec 25 : Christmas
  
• Dec 31 : New Year’s Eve

Miscellaneous

Some holy days are preceded by “fun events”.

• Halloween (October 31) precedes “All Saints Day” (November 1).
  
• “Mardi Gras” (“Fat Tuesday”) falls on the day before “Ash Wednesday” signifying the start of the Lent.