November is a month of harvest festivals, some of the oldest holidays, that date back to when ancient farming communities gathered to give thanks for a good harvest, essential in surviving the imminent harsh winter.
In addition to American Thanksgiving, this year November also hosts the birthday of the founder of one of the world’s great religions; Sikhism.
Month info: The ninth month in the old Roman calendar. In Latin novem means “nine”. In Old English, November was known as Blotmonad – blood-month, as November was when the Anglo-Saxons slaughtered their livestock, so they had a source of food during winter.
Featured Holiday in November
November 28: Thanksgiving
The American tradition of Thanksgiving dates back to 1621, when the pilgrims gave thanks for their first bountiful harvest in Plymouth Rock. The settlers had arrived in November 1620, founding the first permanent English settlement in the New England region.
This first Thanksgiving was celebrated for three days, with the settlers feasting with the natives on dried fruits, boiled pumpkin, turkey, venison and much more.
The celebration, however, was not repeated until many years later, when in 1789 George Washington proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday on Thursday 26 November that year – setting the precedent of the last Thursday in November. Despite this, the holiday was celebrated on different days from state to state and Thomas Jefferson later did away with the holiday. Thanksgiving didn’t become a nationwide holiday until President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. Every year following, the President proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving.
Did you know?
Sarah Josepha Hale, writer of ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, led a 17 year campaign to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday. Many letters she sent in that time were ignored, but a letter to Abraham Lincoln finally convinced him to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday in 1863.
Did you know?
The Plymouth settlers did not refer to themselves as ‘Pilgrims’. The majority of the settlers were dissidents who had broken away from the Church of England. They would have called themselves ‘separatists’ or ‘puritans’. It wasn’t until about 100 years later that the term ‘Pilgrims’ started to be commonly used to refer to the settlers.
Other Notable Holidays
Nov 1: All Saints’ Day
The first recorded All Saints’ Day occurred on 13 May 609 CE when Pope Boniface IV dedicated the day as a holiday to honor the Blessed Virgin and all the martyrs.
In 835 CE, during the reign of Pope Gregory III, the festival was moved to 1 November and was expanded to include the honoring of all saints.
It is likely that 1 Nov was intentionally chosen to replace the pagan feast of Samhain. The night before Samhain was a time when evil spirits roamed the land looking for humans. To confuse the spirits, people would dress up as creatures. This tradition carried on after 1 Nov became a Christian festival, hence the name of Halloween – which is a shortened version of All Hallows’ Eve.
Nov 11: Remembrance Day/Veterans Day
On November 11th 1918, the armistice (peace agreement) was signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France, ending the First World War.
The armistice took effect at eleven o’clock in the morning – the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.”
However, while this date is used to reflect the end of the whole war, it technically relates to the cease fire on the Western Front; fighting continued after 11th November in parts of the Ottoman Empire.
Nov 14: Cambodian Water Festival
The festival marks a reversal of the flow between the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Due to the amount of water deposited during the rainy season, the Tonle Sap river becomes so swollen with water that it reverses the direction of its flow and flows upstream to Tonle Sap lake.
The festival marks the switching of the flow back to its normal direction, signifying the end of the rainy season. Essentially, the festival is a time to give thanks to the rivers as they provide the region with fertile farming land and plenty of fish.
The festival is focused on boat races and concerts. The roots of the boat races can be traced back to the times of the Angkorian kings who would train and evaluate the fighting skills of their water based warriors by holding competitions on the river.
Nov 15: Guru Nanak’s Birthday
This holiday is one of the most significant festivals of the Sikh community and commemorates Guru Nanak Sahib who was the founder of Sikhism and the first Sikh Guru.
Guru Nanak was born on April 15th 1469 at Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present district of Shekhupura (Pakistan), now Nanakana Sahib.
Little is known about the life of Nanak, but it is accepted that Nanak was born approx. 40 miles from Lahore in modern-day Pakistan) in 1469.
The celebration of the guru’s birth anniversary begins two days prior to the actual date. On the first day of the celebrations, Sikhs read the Sikh holy book – the Guru Granth Sahib – from beginning to end.
National Days in November
22 countries have their national days in November. How many people in the company do you know from each country? Remember to wish them a happy national day!
| Date | Country | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 01 | Algeria | Revolution Day: Marks the start of the War of Independence in 1954 |
| Nov 01 | Antigua & Barbuda | Independence Day: Independence from the United Kingdom in 1981 |
| Nov 03 | Dominica | Independence Day: Independence from the United Kingdom in 1978 |
| Nov 03 | Micronesia | FSM Independence Day: Independence from the US-administered UN Trusteeship 1979 |
| Nov 03 | Panama | Separation Day: Declaration of independence from Colombia 1903 |
| Nov 04 | Tonga | Constitution Day: In 1875, King George Tupou I consented to the constitution of the new nation of Tonga |
| Nov 09 | Cambodia | Independence Day: Independence from France in 1953 |
| Nov 11 | Angola | Independence Day: Independence from Portugal in 1975 |
| Nov 11 | Poland | Independence Day: Commemorates the anniversary of Poland’s assumption of independent statehood in 1918. |
| Nov 15 | Northern Cyprus | Republic Day: Declaration of independence from the Cyprus in 1983 |
| Nov 15 | Palestine | Palestine Independence Day: Independent state of Palestine was proclaimed in 1988 |
| Nov 18 | Latvia | Latvian National day: Declaration of independence from Russia in 1918. |
| Nov 18 | Morocco | Independence Day: Independence from France in 1956 |
| Nov 18 | Oman | National Day: Two day holiday. Independence from Portugal in 1650. |
| Nov 19 | Monaco | National Day: The investiture of Prince Albert II in 2005 |
| Nov 22 | Lebanon | Independence Day: Independence from France in 1943 |
| Nov 25 | Bosnia & Herz. | Bosnian Republic Day: 1st session of the Council of National Liberation in 1943 |
| Nov 25 | Suriname | Independence Day: Independence from the Netherlands in 1975 |
| Nov28 | Albania | Independence Day: Declaration of independence from Ottoman rule in 1912 |
| Nov 28 | Mauritania | Independence Day: Independence from France in 1960 |
| Nov 30 | Barbados | Independence Day: Independence from the United Kingdom in 1966 |
| Nov 30 | Scotland | St. Andrews Day: Patron saint of Scotland, now a bank holiday in Scotland |
November
Test your colleague’s knowledge by using our diversity backgrounds during video conference calls. Will they know which country or festival you are celebrating?
November Diversity Backgrounds
Diversity Cookbook
Food is an integral part of so many festivals and holidays. As making and sharing food is a great and tasty way of increasing understanding of these celebrations, every month we will feature a recipe that can be made to help celebrate a key holiday.
Basundi
Bhai Bij is a Hindu holiday celebrating siblings’ duties and blessings for each other. Traditionally brothers will give their sisters gifts and blessings and in return sisters will invite their brothers for a meal or make them sweets. Among those foods is Basundi, a sweetened milk based dessert that can be served hot or cold.Make it now!
There is a Day for That!
Throughout the month, there are days set aside to observe all sorts of events, some serious and some not so serious. These days can provide interesting ways to engage employees in diversity issues. The table below shows a selection of these days with some ideas how you could use them within your organization.
| Day | Observance | Suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| 4th | National Candy Day | Action: Bring your favorite candy to the office. |
| 11th | Veteran’s Day | Quiz: Test your knowledge about this American federal holiday. |
| 19th | International Men’s Day | Reading: Unlike Women’s Day, no country observes this a public holiday. |
| 20th | Universal Children’s Day | Discussion: What did you want to be when you grew up? |
| 21st | World Television Day | Discussion: What is your favorite TV series ever? And why? |
| 28th | Thanksgiving | Quiz: Test your knowledge about this American federal holiday. |
| 30th | Computer Security Day | Task: Change your passwords! |
For all global observances in November 2024, visit thereisadayforthat.com
