See You in September 2023
Themes and events in September 2023
September marks the end of summer (or winter) and the beginning of autumn (or Spring). Businesses get back to business, and children return to school, with events focusing on these two migrations dominating September's themes. September is also Hispanic Heritage Month, Be Kind to Editors & Writers Month, Yoga Awareness Month, Mushroom Month, Scroll-Free September in the United Kingdom, and individually Classical and Gospel Music Month.
Of note, the Primetime Emmy Awards scheduled for mid-September have been postponed due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA labor strikes by writers and actors. The new date is January 15, 2024.
Independence Days occur in:
Armenia (September 21, 1991)
Belize (September 21, 1981)
Botswana (September 30, 1966)
Brazil (September 7, 1822)
Chile (September 18, 1810)
Costa Rica (September 15, 1821)
El Salvador (September 15, 1821)
Guatemala (September 15, 1821)
Guinea-Bissau (September 24, 1973)
Honduras (September 15, 1821)
Macedonia (September 8, 1991)
Mali (September 22, 1960)
Malta (September 21, 1964)
Mexico (September 16, 1810)
Nicaragua (September 15, 1821)
Papua New Guinea (September 16, 1975)
Qatar (September 3, 1971)
St. Kitts and Nevis (September 19, 1983)
Swaziland (September 6, 1968)
Tajikistan (September 9, 1991)
Uzbekistan (September 1, 1991)
Viet Nam (September 2, 1945)
National Days for September include:
Catalonia, Spain (September 11, 1714)
North Korea (September 9, 1948)
Saudi Arabia (September 23, 1932)
San Marino (September 3, not an anniversary)
Hurricanes in the northern hemisphere are a central focus, and the beginning of Spring in the southern hemisphere has everyone in a good mood down under. Fall harvest celebrations feature prominently, including Germany's Oktoberfest, and for sports enthusiasts, American football season begins.
Let's start with a cuisine celebration you may not be familiar with, Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight (whisky included).
SCOTTISH FOOD & DRINK FORTNIGHT
Dates: September 2-16, 2023
Location: Scotland, United Kingdom
Champion: Scotland Food & Drink
Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight (a fortnight = two weeks) is hosted by ScotlandFood and Drink and promoted by the Scottish Government. This nationwide event features locally grown Scottish products and those who grow, make, cook, and sell them.
Here are five dishes that are native to Scotland:
Haggis is a savory pudding containing sheep's pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, traditionally encased in the animal's stomach and boiled before being uncased and served.
Scotch Pie is a double-crusted hot water pastry pie filled with mutton or other meat that is particularly popular at football matches.
Cullen Skink, named after the town of Cullen in Moray, on the northeast coast of Scotland, is a thick and creamy soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onions.
Cranachan is a layered dessert made with whipped cream, whisky, honey, fresh raspberries, and toasted oatmeal.
Stovies is a potato dish with onions and meat, usually roast or corned beef. It is a favorite use for leftovers.
Traditional Scottish cuisine centers on locally available ingredients and is hearty and filling.
CROMWELL DAY
Date: September 3, [1658] 2023
Location: United Kingdom
Champion: Historical Anniversary. See the Cromwell Museum on the topic.
September 3, 1658, is the anniversary of the death of Oliver Cromwell, one of the most controversial and infamous politicians in British history. He is one of two famous Cromwells. The first, Sir Thomas Cromwell, his great uncle, served under King Henry VIII until his execution in 1540.
Oliver Cromwell was a military and political leader and Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
By the 1630s, Cromwell became the equivalent of a "Born Again Christian." In his day, the reference was "Congregation of the firstborn," a derivative of Puritanism. His starkly conservative religiosity informed his decisions from this point forward, believing that the whole of England had fallen into sin and the Crown should eradicate the Catholic faith from the country.
On December 16, 1653, Cromwell was sworn in as Lord Protector of Britain, four years after the execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649, which he authorized. Under his rule, with the assistance of parliament, Cromwell sought to reunite the nation, currently at odds due to civil war and uncertainty, and enforce a moral doctrine upon the people. Many believed he usurped monarchical power, and this brutal imposition of Puritanism would stain his record posthumously. He died of disease on September 3, 1658, at the age of 59.
But his story doesn't end with his death. King Charles II, restored to the throne in 1659, so hated Cromwell for killing his father that his remains were dug up on January 30, 1661, and he was posthumously executed. It sounds like an oxymoron, but the King killed a dead man. Then his remains were hung in public, with his head stuck on a pike.
Years later, his reputation would be restored. Some, such as the writer John Milton, saw him as a "Hero of Liberty." Others, including Winston Churchill, viewed him as a regicidal dictator and genocidal. Due to their strong affinity to Catholicism, the Irish and Scottish have issues with him to this day. In 2002, the British parliament voted Oliver Cromwell one of the Ten Greatest Britons of All Time. Acceptance of this label depends upon where one sits on the religious scale.
Whatever your opinion of Oliver Cromwell, there is one thing all can agree on: his life left a profound legacy and helped the United Kingdom become what it is today.
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CHARITY
Date: September 5, [1997] 2023
Location: Worldwide
Champion: United Nations, Historical Anniversary
Annually on the anniversary of the death of Mother Theresa (September 5, 1997), the United Nation's International Day of Charity focuses on giving back to the community via time, money, or expertise. Charity is one of the foundational principles of every primary faith and is considered a bedrock of humanity.
Mother Teresa, born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. The poverty she saw in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, moved her to serve the poorest of the poor. In 1950, she founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation dedicated to serving those in great need. The organization established hospices, orphanages, leper houses, and schools worldwide.
Mother Teresa received numerous awards throughout her life, including the Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize in 1962 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. However, she also faced criticism for her views on contraception and abortion and the living conditions in the establishments she founded.
She died in 1997 and was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis in 2016. The United Kingdom observes "Remember a Charity in Your Will Week" each year during the week of September 5.
INVICTUS GAMES
Dates: September 9-16, 2023
Location: Germany
Champion: Invictus Games Foundation
Invictus Games are participated by wounded and veteran armed services athletes from 18 nations competing in 11 adaptive sports. This event changes cities/countries each year. The word 'Invictus' is Latin for 'Unconquered.'
HRH Prince Harry of Britain creates the Invictus Games. He modeled them after the Warrior Games each year in the United States for wounded soldiers and veterans. The Invictus Games began in 2014.
SAINT GEORGES CAYE DAY
Date: September 10 [1798], 2023
Location: Belize
Champion: National Holiday, Historical Anniversary
The Battle of St. George's Caye (September 3-10, 1798) marked a significant conflict in the wider Anglo-Spanish War. The Spanish had previously attempted to expel the British Baymen from the area in the 18th century, but those attempts had largely failed. By 1798, the Spanish had gathered a fleet to remove the British from the area.
Aware of the impending attack, the Baymen held a public meeting to decide whether to defend their settlements or evacuate. Historical accounts note that the evenly split decision came down to a single vote, that of Thomas Barrow, who voted in favor of fighting. The Baymen requested assistance from Jamaica, which sent a force to assist them.
The deciding battle for the Baymen occurred on September 10, when the Baymen, bolstered by British naval support, engaged the Spanish fleet, ultimately forcing Spain to retreat.
This victory solidified the British presence in the region, and it was a significant step towards the eventual establishment of British Honduras, which became the modern nation of Belize. In Belize, the Battle of St. George's Caye is commemorated annually on September 10 as a national holiday.
ENKUTATASH
Date: September 12, 2023
Location: Ethiopia
Champion: Ethiopian Tradition founded in Christianity.
New Year's Day, or Enkutatash, is observed in Ethiopia.
Enkutatash is a public holiday in Ethiopia that marks the beginning of the New Year in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's calendar. "Enkutatash" means "gift of jewels" in the Amharic language.
The festival of Enkutatash began over 3,000 years with the Queen of Sheba, a figure from the Hebrew Bible celebrated in Ethiopian history and mythology. According to legend, when the Queen returned to Ethiopia after visiting King Solomon in Jerusalem, her chiefs welcomed her by replenishing her treasury with jewels.
Enkutatash celebrations include church services, family gatherings, singing, and gifts. It also marks the end of the rainy season and the start of the Ethiopian Spring, with blooming yellow daisies (Meskel flowers) covering the landscapes. The daisies, traditionally gifted by children on this day, symbolize the New Year, much like holly at Christmas.
Enkutatash is a time for renewal, reflection, and hopes for a prosperous year. Despite its religious origins, the holiday is celebrated by people of all faiths in Ethiopia and its diaspora communities worldwide.
Note: The Ethiopian calendar is thirteen months in length. For Orthodox Christians, it is seven years earlier than the Gregorian Calendar (e.g., 2023 is 2016 in the religious calendar). For Coptic Christians (Egypt), it is 284 years behind, coinciding with the date of the Roman Church calendar amendment in 525 AD.
LABOR DAY
Date: September 4, 2023
Location: United States
Champion: United States Government
Labor Day honors the American labor movement and the workers' contributions to the country's economy.
Labor Day traces back to the 19th century when laborers sought to improve harsh conditions. The holiday's first observance is disputed; some credit Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, while others claim Matthew Maguire, a machinist's union secretary, first proposed it in 1882. Both events occurred in New York. Oregon became the first state to make Labor Day a public holiday in 1887. Amid widespread labor unrest, including the Pullman Strike, Congress established Labor Day as a federal holiday in 1894.
The holiday signals the end of the summer. It is one of seven national holidays American workers traditionally get off, including the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, Juneteenth, and New Year's Day.
Those who do not get this day off are paid holiday pay, usually 150% of their hourly salary.
Parades are held throughout the United States, but the most common way to spend Labor Day is with friends and a picnic or backyard bar-b-ques.
SKYSCRAPER DAY
Date: September 3, [1856] 2023
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Historical Anniversary
Skyscraper Day commemorates the birthday of Louis H. Sullivan on September 3, 1856.
A mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, Sullivan is considered the father of the American skyscraper. His most famous buildings include the Guaranty Building in Buffalo, New York; Wainwright Building in St. Louis, Missouri; Schiller Building and Theater in Chicago, Illinois; and the Auditorium Building in Chicago, Illinois.
To be considered a skyscraper today, a building must have a minimum height of 150 meters (about 492 feet) and a minimum of ten floors per the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH).
The first structure to be referred to as a skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, completed in 1885. This 10-story building, standing approximately 138 feet tall, is often credited as the first to use a skeleton frame with a steel infrastructure, allowing for greater height and stability. In a skeleton frame, the walls do not bear the weight of the building; the frame does. This was a huge advancement in structural engineering at the time.
The world's tallest building is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It was completed in 2010 and stands at a staggering height of 828 meters (2,717 feet) with more than 160 stories. If the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is finished at 1,000 meters (3,281 feet), it will surpass the Burj Khalifa. As of July 2023, it is 1/3 completed.
AMAZON RAIN FOREST DAY
Date: September 5, [1850] 2023
Location: Worldwide
Champion: Historical Anniversary
On September 5, 1850, the province of Amazonas emerged. Known today as the State of Amazon in Brazil, the forest it hosts (with Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and French Guyana) covers 6.7 million square kilometers and approximately 33 million people. It's known as the world's lungs and is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, minerals, and natural resources.
However, logging, mining, clear-cutting, construction, and other human activities threaten this biological miracle. Amazon Rain Forest Day reminds us of the Amazon's importance and raises awareness to promote action to protect it.
DANGER RUN
Dates: September 29 - October 31, 2023 (est)
Location: United States (Louisville, Kentucky)
Champion: Danger Run
Want to make your Halloween more exciting? Then head to Louisville, Kentucky, spook your car out, and see if you can beat Danger Run. This event runs on the weekends in October.
Founded in 1994 and inspired by "Ghost Run" events, this road rally scavenger hunt leads to famous haunted houses in the area. Each team must solve a clue to move on to the next part of the mystery. Winners are determined by how well they stay on route measured by their vehicle's odometer. The top 25 participants compete at the end for the grand prize.
MAJOR SPORTING EVENTS SEPTEMBER 2023
September sees the beginning of the regular season of American football and the kick-off of the fall sports season. Here are some of the highlights this month.
Asian Games (Multi-sport): September 23-October 8—China
Berlin Marathon (Running): September 24—Germany
Grand Final (Football): September 30—Australia
Grand Prix of Italy (Auto racing): September 1-3—Italy
Grand Prix of Japan (Auto racing): September 11—Japan
Invictus Games (Multi-sport): September 9-16—Germany
Men's World Cup (Rugby): September 8-October 28—France
Ryder Cup (Golf): September 29-October 1—Italy
Singapore Grand Prix (Auto racing): September 15-17—Singapore
Solheim Cup (Golf): September 22-24—Spain
World Rowing Championships: September 3-10— Serbia
World Weightlifting Championships: September 2-17—Saudi Arabia
FEATURED EVENT
BANNED BOOKS WEEK
Date: September 24-30, 2023
Location: United States
Champion: American Library Association
Banned Books Week focuses on what those in power try to prevent others from learning, thinking, or believing and the importance of supporting the freedom to read. After all, without that freedom, the world would still be flat, evolution would be extinct, and the planet would be just 5,500 years old.
Americans believe we live in a world where books are no longer banned. Unfortunately, that assumption has never been the case. Some group always tries to prevent another group from reading, speaking, or learning something in America. John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Charles Darwin, and even DH Lawrence, along with thousands of other authors, have been on the Banned Books list at some point in time. And it isn't just the right or conservatives. The left and progressives are just as guilty. Banning books is an equal-opportunity political ploy to control the narrative, knowledge, words used, and their meaning.
The current iteration of banning books focuses on "Young Adult Readers," children in junior high and high school. There is a difference between withholding materials inappropriate for a stage of development and banning. Children are banned from alcohol, tobacco, driving, drugs, or giving legal consent because they're not mature enough to use these items or make these decisions. Books and instruction on topics and subjects, particularly those dealing with sexuality, violence, or adult themes, are generally removed from children's libraries for the same reasons; limiting accessibility to inappropriate material for a children's age group is not banning. The material is still easily accessible to those of an appropriate age elsewhere.
The process of banning books seeks to remove a book from society entirely because the book contradicts or challenges dominant religious views, a political ideology, doesn't support a nation's cultivated heritage (its self-propaganda), or touches on topics people in power wish to suppress, like socialism, human rights, alternate lifestyles, emerging fields of study and climate change. Banning books is a story as old as parchment. Lately, the story has taken a twist.
There is increased vigor by several states in the United States to ban books, mentions, or instruction in K-12 schools, colleges, and public libraries relating to non-white lived experiences and controversial emerging fields within gender studies. In some cases, the targeted books contain sexually explicit information that many parents believe is inappropriate for children prior to puberty. In other cases, the targeted books seek to educate at age-appropriate levels a less-than-ideal, though factually accurate portrayal of American history, which some parents find offensive. The argument over what children can and cannot read continues as a clarion call ahead of the 2024 elections.
However, book and idea banning are nothing new. Historically, there are millions of examples. In addition to efforts in the United States, current international examples include:
Israel's systematic removal of Palestinians and their history from its state curriculum and school books.
The banning of non-Islamic religious texts and ideas in several Gulf nations.
China's erasure of anything to do with Taiwan or the Tiananmen Square Massacre from books, instruction, and media.
Book banning is a universal tactic to enforce societal compliance or limit the spread of ideas that may challenge the status quo. The freer the society, the fewer the bans. The more bans, the more authoritarian the society and the tighter its control on its citizens. Ultimately, bans, including book bans, are about knowledge and access—who gets it and who can be controlled by its absence.
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