April 3
Mahavir Jayanti
: Jain. Jainism is a religious
system practiced by approximately 2 million people in India. It arose
in the 6th century B.C.E. as a protest against some aspects of Hinduism.
This festival is dedicated to the birthday of Jain, the religion's twenty-fourth
Guru. It is celebrated with prayer and visits to shrines. (m)
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April 4
National Day
: Senegal. This day commemorates
Senegal's gaining full independence from France in 1960.
Respect for Ancestors
Day (Ch'ing-ming) : China. This
is also called Cold Food Day. It is the only traditional Chinese holiday
celebrated according to the solar calendar. This is a day for paying homage
to one's ancestors by visiting graves and leaving flowers and food.
Palm Sunday :
Christian. On the Sunday before
Easter, Christians remember Jesus' last entry into Jerusalem, when his
way was strewn with palms by those gathered to see him. Churches, therefore,
are decorated with palm. In England and Russia, where palm is unobtainable,
pussy willow is used instead. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the most important
week of the Christian year. In Spain and Mexico many communities have
penitential processions often lit by candles and people sometime flagellate
themselves to reenact Jesus' suffering. Some communities perform traditional
passion plays. The Lenten fast is strictest on Good Friday, the day Jesus
was crucified. Holy Week or Semana Santa in Spanish, is Mexico's
biggest holiday period with many cities holding candlelight processions.
(m)
Palm Sunday :
Eastern Orthodox Christian. Palm
Sunday is observed on this day by several Eastern Orthodox Churches that
use the Julian calendar. (m)
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April 5
Booker T. Washington
(1856–1915) : African American. Educator.
Organizer and first director of the Normal and Industrial Institute for
Negroes at Tuskegee, Alabama (later Tuskegee Institute), Washington became
the nation's foremost advocate of education for African Americans. His
cautious and conciliatory approach to race relations was criticized by
W. E. B. Du Bois and other leaders who urged more active efforts to achieve
civil and political rights for Black Americans.
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April 6
Chakri Day :
Thailand. This holiday commemorates
the founding of the present dynasty by King Rama I (1782–1809).
Tartan Day :
United States. Tartan Day was
established by an act of Congress in 1998 to recognize the role Scottish
Americans played in the founding of the nation and to acknowledge the
many contributions that have been made by people of Scottish ancestry.
Some notable Americans of Scottish descent include John Witherspoon, who
served in the Continental Congress, signed the Declaration of Independence,
and was president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University);
Alexander Hamilton, the nation’s first secretary of the treasury and leader
of the Federalist Party; Andrew Carnegie, the great industrialist and
philanthropist; Woodrow Wilson, the twenty-eighth president of the United
States; and Sir Alexander Fleming, the bacteriologist who discovered penicillin.
Tartan Day also commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath,
the Scottish Declaration of Independence, on April 6, 1320. (See entry
for Robert Burns on January
25.)
Passover : Jewish
(First day of 8-day observance). This
holiday, which is observed for eight days, celebrates the liberation of
the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Moses, an Israelite born into slavery,
raised in the Pharoah's household, and later banished as a young man for
defending his people, returned to Egypt and confronted the Pharaoh in
the name of God, demanding freedom for his people. The Pharaoh capitulated
only after God sent ten plagues, the last of which killed the first son
of every Egyptian family, including that of the Pharaoh. The Israelites
marked their doors to identify their homes for the angel of death, who
passed over and spared them. Moses then led the Israelites through the
desert for 40 years until they reached Palestine. The celebration of Passover,
a spring festival commemorating freedom and new life, begins the previous
evening with a Seder, a meal during which the story of Passover is read
from the Haggadah. The menu includes a number of traditional foods such
as matzoh, or unleavened bread, which recalls the unleavened bread eaten
by the Israelites in the desert. (m)
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April 7
François Dominique
Toussaint-Louverture (c. 1743–1803) : Haitian. Military
and political leader. Born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue, a
French colony (later called Haiti), Toussaint-Louverture became the leader
of his country's independence movement. As a guerrilla leader of insurgent
slaves, Toussaint-Louverture sided with the French Republic in 1793 when
other rebel leaders supported Spain's war against France. Appointed lieutenant
governor of the colony, he succeeded in driving out the Spanish and the
British. In 1801, defying Napoleon's orders, he freed the slaves on the
island and established an independent government with himself at its head.
After an invasion by French troops, he was removed from office, then arrested
and imprisoned in Switzerland, where he died in captivity on this date
in 1803.
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April 8
Ramón Emeterio
Betances (1827–1898) : Puerto Rican. Physician,
writer, and revolutionary leader. Betances studied medicine in Paris and
lived there most of his life, working from exile for the cause of Puerto
Rican independence and the abolition of slavery while writing fiction,
journalism, and translations from Latin. His "Ten Commandments of Free
Men," issued on November 4, 1867, while he was living on the island of
St. Thomas, sets forth the ideals of political and social justice to which
he dedicated his life. (See entry for September
23.)
Dennis Chávez
(1888–1962) : Mexican American. Legislator.
A Democrat from New Mexico, Chávez served in the U.S. House of Representatives
from 1931 to 1935, when he was appointed to a vacant seat in the U.S.
Senate. Elected in his own right in 1936, he won reelection four times,
serving until his death. During his career he championed bills to benefit
American Indians and Puerto Ricans, and as a founder and later member
of the federal Fair Employment Practices Commission, worked to outlaw
racial and religious discrimination in the workplace.
Buddha's Birth
(c. 563–483 B.C.E.) : Buddhist. Siddhartha
Gautama, who became known as Buddha, or "enlightened one," was an Indian
prince who left his family at the age of 29 to seek the truth of life.
After years of wandering, meditation, and self-denial, he attained the
enlightenment he sought at a place now called Buddha Gaya or Bodh Gaya.
The religion he founded spread throughout central and Southeast Asia,
China, Japan, and Korea, and has also attracted followers in the West.
It is celebrated on this day in the Mahãyãna Buddhist tradition based
on the Japanese Buddhist calendar.
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April 9
Chandler Hovey,
Jr. (?–1998) : American. Lawyer
and sailor. A lawyer until his retirement from a New York investment banking
firm, Hovey and his family had a long association with sailboat competition,
particularly the America's Cup. This involvement continued even after
Hovey began to suffer from multiple sclerosis in 1947. He used crutches
during sailing trials competition, and in 1995 the Independence Cup, the
national trophy for the disabled, was named in his honor. This is the
date of his death.
Paul Robeson
(1898–1976) : African American. Singer
and actor. A bass-baritone, Robeson won international acclaim for concert
performances of classical works, spirituals, and folk songs, and for stage
performances, particularly in the title role of Shakespeare's Othello.
Martyrs' Day
: Tunisia. Public holiday.
Valor Day :
Philippines. This marks the
anniversary of the forced march to a prison camp of 70,000 Americans and
Filipinos captured on Bataan in 1942 by the Japanese. Only 54,000 prisoners
survived the march; 7,000–10,000 died and the rest escaped into the
jungle.
Good Friday :
Christian. This is the day Christians
commemorate Jesus' crucifixion. (m)
Good Friday :
Eastern Orthodox Christian. This
is the day Eastern Orthodox Christians commemorate Jesus' crucifixion.
(m)
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April 11
Anniversary of
the Battle of Rivas : Costa Rica. Public
holiday.
Easter : Christian.
This is the holiest day for Christians. It
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after he was crucified and died in
Jerusalem. It is Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, often referred
to as the "passion," followed by his resurrection that is central to Christian
faith. Easter culminates the penitential period that starts with Ash Wednesday.
Palm Sunday, which marks the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, occurs
one week before Easter. Easter is a joyous holiday, since it marks for
Christians the fulfillment of the Biblical prophecy of the coming of the
Messiah. In addition to its religious significance, Easter is also celebrated
as a spring holiday with themes of rebirth, gathering together with family
and friends, and sharing special foods. (m)
Easter : Eastern
Orthodox Christian. Easter is
celebrated on this day by several Eastern Orthodox Christian denominations.
(m)
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April 12
Easter Monday
: Christian. The days from Good
Friday through the Monday after Easter are public holidays in many countries.
Governmental services and banks are closed, and most people have time
off from work. Countries for which this is the case include England, Northern
Ireland, Wales, Canada, Australia, Austria, France, and Germany. When
making plans, please check to see whether or not this holiday is observed.
(m)
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April 13
Samuel Beckett
(1906–1989) : Irish. Playwright
and novelist. The winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize for literature, Beckett
is best known for his novels and plays in which characters are confronted
with mysterious situations in bizarre, timeless settings.
Founding of
the University of Mexico (1551) : Mexico. The
University of Mexico was the first university to be founded in the Western
Hemisphere.
New Year : Cambodia,
Laos. This is one of the most
important holidays. In the morning food is brought to Buddhist temples,
and in the evening more secular celebrations with food and music are held.
The holiday continues through April 15.
Vaisakhi (vye-sak-hee)
(New Year) : Hindu. This celebrates
the new year based on the Hindu calendar. (m)
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April 14
Pan American
Day : Latin America. Pan American
Day has been observed each year since 1931 on April 14 by the twenty-one
American republics. The holiday honors the bonds of friendship between
the United States and the nations of Latin America.
Vaisakhi (New
Year) : Sikh. This is the beginning
of the new year for the Sikhs, one of the largest religious groups in
India. It commemorates Guru Gobind Singh's founding of Khalsa, the ritual
of bringing all those who become Sikhs into a community of equals. This
is the date based on the both the Bikarami calendar (See entry for January
9) and the Nanakshahi calendar. (See entry for January
5).
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April 15
A(sa) Philip
Randolph (1889–1982) : African American.
Labor leader and civil rights activist. Randolph organized the first
major union of African American workers, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters, in 1925 and became its first president. Throughout his long life
he was a leader in the movement to improve job opportunities and working
conditions for African Americans. He was one of the chief organizers of
the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
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April 16
José de Diego
(1866–1918) : Puerto Rico. Attorney,
poet, and patriot. A public holiday honoring this eloquent orator and
accomplished poet José de Diego wrote and spoke in support of the independence
of his homeland. He served as Secretary of Justice in the short-lived
government of 1897, after Spain had granted autonomy to the island and
before the United States re-imposed its governance. He later became first
president of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives. As a prominent
political figure, he opposed the Jones Act establishing Puerto Rico as
a commonwealth of the United States. (See entry for March
2.)
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April 18
Independence
Day : Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe, formerly
called Rhodesia, gained independence from Great Britain on this day in
1980.
Yom Hashoah (Holocaust
Memorial Day) : Jewish. This
day has been designated by Israel's Knesset, or Parliament, as a memorial
to the 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis in their program of mass extermination
of all Jews in Germany and the countries under German occupation. This
program, building on long-standing anti-Semitism, began with arrests and
imprisonment of Jews in the early 1930's and extended in the 1940's to
forcing Jews into slave labor camps and extermination in death camps such
as Treblinka, Sobibor, and Auschwitz. (m)
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April 19
Glenn Seaborg
(19121999) : Scandinavian American. Scientist
and governmental advisor. Although a chemist by training, Dr. Seaborg
did much of his work in nuclear physics, leading the research that created
nine artificial elements, including plutonium. In 1951, he shared the
Nobel Prize for Chemistry for these achievements. Dr. Seaborg became the
director of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and remained emeritus director
after he retired. He was a scientific advisor to a number of presidents,
serving as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission for 10 years. He also
served as chancellor of the University of California.
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April 20
Tito Puente (1923–2000):
Puerto Rican. Musician and bandleader.
A pioneer in bringing Latin music to the United States, he brought percussion
to the center of his orchestral presentations with the Tio Puente Orchestra.
He became known as the “Mambo King”. He also was a leader in fusing Latin
rhythms with jazz and other forms of music. He recorded over 120 albums
including Cuban Carnival, Mamborama, The Legend, and Tito Puente
Live at Birdland Dancemania '99.
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April 21
Tiradentes Day
: Brazil. This commemorates
the execution on this day in 1792 of Jose da Silva Xavier, a leader of
the revolt against Portugal.
Festival of
Ridvan : Baha'i. On the first,
ninth, and twelfth day of the Baha'i month of Ridvan (April 21, 29, and
May 2), Baha'is commemorate the declaration of Baha'u'llah in 1863 of
his mission as the last messenger of God to the world. Although Baha'is
observe all twelve days, these three days are ones on which they refrain
from work. The word "Ridvan" means paradise, and refers to the garden
in Baghdad where Baha'u'llah proclaimed his mission as the prophet of
God.
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April 22
J. Robert Oppenheimer
(1904–1967) : Jewish American. Physicist.
A pioneer in the field of atomic energy, Oppenheimer was director of the
Los Alamos laboratory where the first atomic bomb was developed during
World War II. Troubled by the use of science to produce weapons of mass
destruction, Oppenheimer joined other scientists in refusing to work on
developing the even more powerful hydrogen bomb.
Gathering of Nations
Powwow : American Indian. This three-day
event, held annually at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, is
the largest powwow in North America. More than five hundred tribes from
Canada and the United States come every year to participate in this celebration
of Native American culture, which features drum groups and ceremonial
singing, chanting, and dancing in traditional dress. There are exhibitions
of Native American artifacts and authentic Indian crafts for sale. The
Gathering of Nations organization seeks to promote the traditions and
culture of the American Indian people in the most positive manner possible
and to dispel stereotypes created about the Indian people. The powwow
provides educators with an opportunity to develop instructional materials
on Indian history and culture for elementary and secondary schools. (m)
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April 23
Respect for Ancestors
Day (Thanh Minh) : Vietnam. This is
similar to the holiday in all other Asian cultures for paying respects
to one’s ancestors by visiting and decorating their graves. (m)
Sovereignty Day
: Turkey. Public holiday.
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April 24
Genocide Memorial
Day : Armenia. This day, also
known as Armenian Martyrs Day, commemorates the massacre of Armenians
by the Ottoman Turks in 1915–1916. Most Armenians living in the United
States are the children or grandchildren of survivors of the genocide.
This day has been chosen to commemorate this tragic event since on this
day in 1915, many of Armenia's leading politicians, writers, and professionals
in Constantinople were deported
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April 25
Ella Fitzgerald
(1917–1996) : African American. Singer.
Ella Fitzgerald, who was to win more Grammy Awards than any other jazz
musician, began as a singer with Chick Webb and his band. She later sang
with Dizzy Gillespie and became known for her improvisations and "scat"
singing, playing with words and musical notes. She demonstrated expert
taste in material. Her recorded songbooks of music by the Gershwins, Duke
Ellington, Cole Porter, and others remain definitive. Lyricists loved
to have her record their works; her razor sharpness guaranteed that every
word would be meaningful. Composers loved her dedication to melody, and
jazz musicians loved her improvisation. Along with Billie Holiday, she
is generally considered to be one of the greatest female jazz singers
of her generation.
Anzac Day :
Australia and New Zealand. This
is Australia's most important national occasion of commemoration, marking
the anniversary of the first major military action by Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) during World War I. Religious services are
held at dawn across the nation. Later in the day, former servicemen and
women meet and join in special marches, rekindling memories of their experiences.
Commemorative ceremonies are held at war memorials around the country,
including observing one or two minutes of silence.
Liberation Day
: Italy. This commemorates the
day in 1945 that Italy was liberated from German occupation during World
War II.
Liberation Day
: Portugal. This commemorates
the bloodless revolution in 1974 that overthrew the dictatorial regime
of Antonío Salazar and the reestablishment of democracy.
Sinai Liberation
Day : Egypt. This day commemorates
the signing of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in 1982.
Soldiers Memorial
Day : Israel. Originally designated
to commemorate the fallen soldiers in the Israeli Defense Forces, Yom
Hazikaron, observed on the day before Independence Day, now commemorates
all those Israelis who have given their lives in the struggle for their
country’s independence. This is a solemn day of remembrance, when families
visit loved ones’ graves bringing flowers and poems. In the evening and
again the next morning, air raid sirens sound, whereupon all Israelis
stand and observe two minutes of silence. The date of observance varies
according to the lunar calendar. (m)
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April 26
Independence
Day (Yom Ha'atzma'ut) : Israel. This
holiday marks the establishment of the independent state of Israel and
its provisional government on May 14, 1948. The date varies according
to the lunar calendar. (m)
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April 27
Freedom Day :
South Africa. This commemorates
the day in 1994 when for the first time all South Africans had the right
to vote.
Independence
Day : Sierra Leone. This day
commemorates Sierra Leone's gaining independence from Great Britain in
1961.
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April 28
Ann Petry (1908–1997)
: African American. Writer.
Born in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Ann Petry later married and moved to
Harlem where she held a variety of jobs, including editor of the women's
pages of The People's Voice, a weekly paper started by Adam Clayton
Powell Jr. She published a story—"On Saturday, the Sirens at Noon"—in
The Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP, that was later expanded
into a novel and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1946 as The Street.
This novel was the first major literary work to focus on everyday life
in Harlem. It achieved critical and popular acclaim, selling 1.5 million
copies. This is the day of her death.
Founder's Day
: Vietnam. This holiday commemorates
the founding of the Vietnamese nation by King Hung Vuong around 1000 B.C.E.
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April 29
Edward Kennedy
(Duke) Ellington (1899–1974) : African American. Composer,
pianist, and jazz orchestra leader. A prolific composer and arranger and
brilliant leader whose orchestra included some of the finest jazz soloists
of his time, Ellington was one of the preeminent figures in jazz from
the 1920s until his death. His compositions include such classic songs
as "Mood Indigo" and "Satin Doll," and concert works on jazz themes—some
of them with religious texts.
Golden Week
(April 29–May 5) : Japan. This
is a holiday period that incorporates Greenery Day on April 29, Constitution
Day on May 3, Holiday for a Nation on May 3, and Children's Day on May
5. This is a period when children have vacation from school and many workers
have time off.
Greenery Day
(Midori No Hi) : Japan. This
was originally the day to celebrate the birthday of the Showa Emperor,
but it is now also celebrated as a day for fostering the planting of trees
and other vegetation.
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April 30
Feast of Valborg
: Sweden. Public holiday.
Queen's Day
: Netherlands.* Public holiday.
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