July, August, September
July
July 1 Canada Day.
July 1 Liberation Day. Surinam. Marked by sporting events, fireworks, parades.
July 4 Fourth of July. United States.
July 4 Holiday from San Perdro. Peru.
July 7 Tanabata. Japan. Also called the Star Festival. This holiday is based on a love story involving two stars that are said to be separated at all other times of year by the Milky Way. It is a tradition for people to write wishes on small colorful strips of people, and hang them from bamboo branches. Paper decorations are also hung in bamboo trees outside of people's homes. It is also customary to float lanterns or bamboo leaves on rivers. Visit http://gojapan.about.com/travel/gojapan/library/weekly/aa062200.htm for more information.
July 14 Bastille Day. France.
July 17 Constitution Memorial Day. South Korea.
July 18 Constitution Day. Uruguay.
July 24 Birthday of Simon Bolivar. Venezuela. Celebration of birthday of country's liberator.
July 28 National Day. Peru.
July 31 Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. Spain, Catholics in various countries.
August 6 Hiroshima Day. Various countries. Peace vigils are held to remember the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.
August 7 Independence Day. Columbia. Patriotic holiday.
August 9 Independence Day. Singapore. Patriotic holiday.
2nd Sunday Father's Day.
August 13-16 Obon. Japan. Important Buddhist holiday where people pray for ancestors' souls. People believe their ancestors souls return home during this three day time period. It is customary to have special outdoor dances. At the end of the three days, little lanterns are placed in a river to guide the souls back on their journey until they return the following year. For more information about Obon, visit http://gojapan.about.com/travel/gojapan/library/weekly/aa080699a.htm
August 14 Independence Day. Pakistan.
August 16 Liberation Day. Dominican Republic.
August Raksha Bandhan. India, and Hindus in various countries. Hindu summer festival that celebrates the love and special bond between brothers and sisters. Brothers are considered responsible for guarding their sisters. Family holiday.
August. Birthday of Prophet Mohamed. Muslim holiday. Mosques are decorated with lights. Children eat candy, such as turkish delight or peanut brittle. Special prayers are said.
Floating date Janmastimi. Hindu. Holiday celebrating the birthday of Lord Krishna. In India, feasts
in August and prayers are celebrated.
August 15 Assumption of Mary. Catholics in many countries worldwide.
August 15 Liberation Day. South Korea celebrates independence from Japan. Patriotic holiday.
August 15 The 15th of August. Italy. Summer holiday.
August 15 Aajadi Diwas. Independence Day. India.
August 25 Independence Day. Uruguay.
August 30 Santa Rosa de Lima. Peru. Annual pilgrimage is made to house of Peruvian Saint.
August 31 National Day. Malaysia.
September
mid-September Harvest Moon or Mid-Autumn Festival. China. The full moon is considered to be a sign of good fortune. It is traditional to eat moon cakes.
First Monday Labor Day. United States. Established by organized labor to honor American workers.
September 16 International Day of Peace. Opening of United Nations.
September 16 Mexican Independence Day. Visit http://www.inside-mexico.com/featureindep.htm to learn more.
September 22 Autumn Equinox
Onam. Rice Harvest Festival in southern India.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Jewish high holy days. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It begins at sunset before the first day of Tishri, the first month in the Hebrew calendar. Jews wordwide attend religious services. It is traditional to wear new clothing, and to eat apples and honey and other sweet/round foods symbolizing wishes for a sweet and full New Year. The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe. Jews spend the ten day period contemplating their relationship with God and their hopes to improve upon their actions in the year before. The holiday culminates in Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. It is customary for adults to fast, and spend the day in worship. It is believed that this ten day period is a time for God to sit in judgment, and Jews hope to be inscribed for the New Year in God's "good books."