Autumn Equinox Day (Japan)
The Autumnal Equinox is celebrated as a national holiday in Japan. It marks the day that the sun crosses over the equator from the Northern to the Southern hemisphere. The sun rises exactly on the east and sets exactly in the west on this day, making day and night equal in length. From this day forward, the days will begin to become shorter than nights in the Northern hemisphere. Established as a national holiday in 1945, the Japanese use Autumnal Equinox Day to pay respects to deceased family members, visit family graves and hold family reunions in honour of those who have passed.
International Day of Peace
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. It's a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples
Respect for the Aged day (Japan)
The third Monday of September is Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday in Japan. The Japanese call national holidays “red days” because they appear in red print on the calendar. Japanese people traditionally wear red on their 60th birthday because 60 years is one cycle on the Chinese calendar and after 60, it is believed that you become a baby again. Babies in Japan are called “aka-chan” or “red one.” On this special day, neighborhoods will have volunteers distribute free “obento” boxed lunches to elderly people in the neighborhood and smaller villages will hold keirokai shows where the younger people and school children prepare dances and songs for a special keirokai ceremony. The elderly attendees are also treated to lunch, tea, and sweets after the performance.
Mukden Incident (China)
The Mukden Incident, or Manchurian Incident, was a staged event engineered by rogue Japanese military personnel as a pretext for the Japanese invasion in 1931 of northeastern China, known as Manchuria.
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest (beer festival and travelling funfair). Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, it is a 16-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than 6 million people from around the world attending the event every year. The festival is also growing popularity in Asia, such as Hong Kong and Singapore.
Malaysia Day (Malaysia)
Different than the National Day, Malaysia Day is held on September 16 every year to commemorate the establishment of the Malaysian federation on the same date in 1963. It marked the joining together of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore to form Malaysia. In other words, Malaysia Day is the birthday of Malaysia.
Singapore Grand Prix (Singapore)
The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race on the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The event takes place in Singapore on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race and the first street circuit in Asia. Spaniard Fernando Alonso won the first Formula One edition of the Grand Prix, driving for the Renault team. The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar through at least 2017, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the eve of the 2012 event. Every running of the race since 2008 has featured at least one safety car.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Taiwan and Hong Kong)
The Mid-Autumn festival starts on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. In Hong Kong, people enjoy gathering up under the moonlight with their family members, enjoying watching the dragon dance, eating moon cakes, and displaying lanterns. Moon cakes are pastries filled with gooey sesame, red bean, and walnut meats. Sept 16 will be a holiday in Hong Kong as an observance. In Taiwan, due in part to the creeping westernization of Taiwanese society, there is a modern trend of spending Mid-Autumn Festival with a barbecue and a few beers under the light of the full moon. It is usually a small family affair but some towns and villages do organize large scale versions where the whole community gets together under twinkling lanterns to eat mountains of sizzling meat and moon cakes.
Harvest Festival (Korea) Sept 27-29
The Harvest Moon Festival, or Chusok, is one of Korea’s most cherished holidays. People mark the day by paying homage to their ancestors and celebrating with their relatives. The festival is usually a three day public holiday. If the dates fall over a weekend, an extra day may be taken on the following Monday. The Harvest Moon Festival is the busiest travel day in Korea with over half the Korean population traveling. Most people visit family to prepare food, honor their ancestors, and cherish relatives both living and deceased. One of the main Harvest Moon Festival traditions is the food preparation, especially of song pyun; a traditional Korean rice cake made with pine needles. The family members use the song pyun as an offering to their ancestors. During The Harvest Moon Festival, there is an offering ceremony to the family ancestors and visiting of family graves. The Harvest Moon Festival is a reminder that families are connected and bonded in the same fortune.
Hari Raya Haji (Singapore)
Known as Eid al-Adha, Id-ul-Azha, Id-ul-Zuha, Hari Raya Haji or Bakr-id; the Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It is a Muslim Holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God. Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the Islamic calendar. This day come approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in open area (not in a mosque). Muslims who can afford to do so would sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The sacrificed animals known as "al-qurbani" have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, they must be at least a year old. Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period.
Hari Raya Haji
Known as Eid al-Adha, Id-ul-Azha, Id-ul-Zuha, Hari Raya Haji or Bakr-id; the Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It is a Muslim Holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God. Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the Islamic calendar. This day come approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in open area (not in a mosque). Muslims who can afford to do so would sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The sacrificed animals known as "al-qurbani" have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, they must be at least a year old. Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period. The holiday is widely celebrated in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Idul Adha (Indonesia)
Known as Eid al-Adha, Id-ul-Azha, Id-ul-Zuha, Hari Raya Haji or Bakr-id; the Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar. It is a Muslim Holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to God. Eid al-Adha annually falls on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja of the Islamic calendar. This day come approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. Men, women, and children are expected to dress in their finest clothing to perform Eid prayer in a large congregation in open area (not in a mosque). Muslims who can afford to do would sacrifice their best domestic animals (usually sheep, but also camels and goats) as a symbol of Ibrahim's sacrifice. The sacrificed animals known as "al-qurbani" have to meet certain age and quality standards or else the animal is considered an unacceptable sacrifice. Generally, they must be at least a year old. Distributing meat among people is considered an essential part of the festival during this period.
World Trade Center Memorial
World Trade Center Memorial is a day to honour more than 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks of September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center site and the Pentagon.
China's Victory Over Japan Day (China)
This day marks China's victory over Japan's defeat in World War II. In 2015, the Chinese government declared a new national holiday on September 3th (a one-off holiday), commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War, that merged into WWII when China joined the Allies in 1941. This war, that is also called the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japan, ended in September 1945.
National Day (Vietnam)
National Day of Vietnam is celebrated on September 2. This is one of the most popular national holidays in Vietnam. On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh had solemnly read the Declaration of Independence in Vietnam at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi. This event marked the beginning of a new era for the Vietnamese nation. Since then workers get the day off work on this day and there are different social activities are held. The grand meeting takes place with the participation of the leaders of Vietnam in the morning. In recent years, the Vietnamese authority has organized firework displays in different places and always attracts a lot of people to go.
National Day (Malaysia)
National Day, also Hari Merdeka, is celebrated every year in Malaysia on the 31st of August to commemorate the momentous occasion when the Federation of Malaya achieved independence from British rule in 1957. On the 30th of August, Malaysia’s then Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman took to the Royal Selangor Club Padang, now known as the Merdeka square at 11.58 pm and observed two minutes of darkness. At the stroke of midnight, the Union Jack was lowered and raised with the Flag of Malaya. The morning after, Tunku Abdul Rahman read aloud the Proclamation of Independence, followed by seven chants of Merdeka, with the crown at the square joining following each chant. The moment is considered to be one of Malaysia’s most memorable and significant points in history.
National Heroes Day (Philippines)
National Heroes Day in the Philippines is a national public holiday to honour and remember the country’s National heroes. These heroes are the men and women in Philippine history whose acts of courage enabled the Philippines to grow as a nation.Whilst National Heroes Day celebrates both known and unknown heroes, a National Heroes Committee was set up in 1995 to recommend those who should be counted as ‘National Heroes’. National Heroes Day in the Philippines is held every last Monday of August. This date was chosen as it marked the beginning of the Cry of Pugad Lawin in 1896, the start of the Philippine revolution against the Spanish colonisers. Filipinos celebrate National Heroes Day by attending local commemorations (e.g. parades, wreath laying at shrines, etc.). As it is a day off for most workers, people often spend the rest of the day with family and friends at parks, shopping malls and other public areas. Small firework displays may also be held during the evenings in some local areas.
Ninoy Aquino Day (Philippines)
This national non-working holiday is celebrated annually on 21 August. In Filipino, it is known as 'Araw ng Kabayanihan ni Ninoy Aquino'. The holiday commemorates the assassination of former Senator Benigno 'Ninoy' Aquino, Jr. on 21 August 1983. His wife was Corazon Aquino, who later became President of the Philippines, and as a couple they are seen as two heroes of democracy in the Philippines.
Singapore Night Festival (Singapore)
The Singapore Night Festival is an iconic alternative night-time extravaganza of arts, culture and revelry held annually and offers free performances, light installations and a multitude of activities for all to enjoy.
Ghost Festival (Taiwan)
In Chinese culture, the fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is called Ghost Day and the seventh month in general is regarded as the Ghost Month, in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm. Distinct from both the Qingming Festival (in spring) and Double Ninth Festival (in autumn) in which living descendants pay homage to their deceased ancestors, during Ghost Festival, the deceased are believed to visit the living.