Seasonal religious and secular topics:

Events during July,
August, & September, 2008

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Religious celebrations and remembrances:

• JUL-09: Remembrance by the Baha'is of the Martyrdom of the Bab.
• JUL-11: Roman Catholics observer St. Benedict Day.
• JUL-13: Japanese Buddhists celebrate the first day of the four day Obon (Ulambana) Festival to honor their ancestors.
• JUL-25: Christians observe St. James Day, the martyrdom of the Apostle James the Great in 44 CE.
  
  
• AUG-01: Lammas, loaf-mass day, is the pre-Christian festival associated with the first wheat harvest of the year. It is still observed by some Christians. Among Wiccans and some other Neopagans in the Northern Hemisphere, it is known as Lughnasadh, a feast to commemorate the funeral games (Tailtean Games) of Tailtiu, foster-mother of Lugh, the Irish sun-god.
• AUG-10: Jews observe Tisha B'Av a day of fasting on the ninth day of Av in the lunar calendar. It recalls the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE by the Babylonians, and in 60 CE by the Romans.
• AUG-16: Hindus celebrate the festival of Raksha Bandhan, which honors love between brothers and sisters in a family.
• AUG-18: Muslims observe Lailat al Bara'ah - a Night of Forgiveness. Muslims pray to Allah during the night seeking forgiveness of the dead. It is a preparation for Ramadan.
• AUG-24: Hindus celebrate Krishna Janmashtami, the birth day of Krishna.
• AUG-29: Christians observe the anniversary of the beheading of John the Baptist.
  
  
• SEP-02: Ramadan, a time of fasting in the Muslim religion, begins. It lasts for entire ninth lunar month.
• SEP-03: Hindus celebrate Ganesa Chaturthi, honoring Ganesa the god of prosperity, prudence and success.
• SEP-22 @ 09:51 Universal Time: The Autumn Equinox:  This is the first day of Autumn, and one of the two days in the year when daytime and nighttime are approximately equal. It is also known as: Alban Elfed, Autumn Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Harvest Home, Harvest Tide, Mabon, Night of the Hunter, Second Harvest Festival, Wine Harvest, Witch's Thanksgiving, etc.
• SEP-30: Rosh HaShanah, the two-day Jewish New Year starts. It is also known as the Day of Judgment, when God is believed to decide whether to add each Jews' name to "The Book of Life" for the coming year.

Non-religious days:

"National" refers to the U.S.:

The birth flower for July is the Larkspur; the birth stone is the ruby

July 01: Canada Day in Canada
July 04: Independence Day in the U.S.
July 11: World Population Day
July 16: World Snake Day
July 20: Moon Day
July 23: National Hot Dog Day
July 26: National Day of the Cowboy
July 27: Cross Atlantic Communication Day
July 30: Father-in-Law Day

The birth flower for August is the Gladiolus; he birth stone is the Onyx.

August 04: Coast Guard Day
August 04: This is Civic Holiday in Canada, except for Quebec -- the one holiday for which few Canadians know the reason.
August 05: Sister's Day
August 12: International Youth Day
August 12: Vinyl Record Day: the 130th anniversary of Edison's invention of the phonograph
August 13: International Lefthanders Day. Slogan: "Celebrate your right to be left-handed."
August 19: National Aviation Day
August 19: Polygamy Day, sponsored by American pro-polygamists since 2001
August 16: National Homeless Animals Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of August
August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave trade and its abolition
August 26: Women's Equality Day is held on the day the 19th Amendment was passed, giving them the right to vote

The birth flower for September is the Aster. The birth stone for September is the Sapphire.
September 03: Labor Day falls on the first Monday of September. Remember, it is not fashionable to war white after Labor Day.
September 08: International Literacy Day
September 07: Grandparents' Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day.
September 11: Patriot Day commemorates the attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
September 16: Mayflower Day recalls the departure of the ship Mayflower from Plymouth, England in 1620.
September 16: Stepfamily Day
September 16: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
September 17: Citizenship Day
September 21: World Gratitude Day is a day to show gratitude and appreciate to individuals and groups who have made life better.
September 22: First day of Autumn
September 22: American Business Women's Day
September 26: Native American Day

Note:

These dates are approximate. If you need to know the precise date for planning purposes, we suggest that you confirm the date with other information sources. In particular, Jewish and Muslim observances begin at sundown on the evening prior to the date cited. The Islamic calendar is based on unaided human observation of the crescent moon following the new moon. Thus, the above dates may vary by one or two days.

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. "Corpus Christi (feast), Wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Christi
2. "When-is" at: http://www.when-is.com/
3. "Long list of holidays and special days,"  About.com, at: http://familycrafts.about.com/

Originally written: 2007-JUN-01
Latest update: 2008-AUG-10
Author: B.A. Robinson

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