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National Mincemeat Day celebrates mincemeat, a mixture of finely chopped dried fruit, distilled spirits, spices, and sometimes suet (hard fat from beef, lamb, or venison). Alcohol and spices preserve the mincemeat, allowing the harvest to be stored and consumed for up to a decade.

During Prohibition, in October 1922, the Old Victory Distillery in Chicago was able to get an exemption to the liquor laws for culinary arts. Mincemeat pies were one of the foods consumed to circumvent the Volstead Act by savvy gourmets, and they helped keep distilleries in business.

Mincemeat originated in Palestine, and the spices used came to Europe during the Crusades. It is a spicy, sweet, and savory filling, customarily baked in a pastry and served for dinner or after the main course. Around the late 1700s, it became associated with the holiday season. In the United States, pumpkin, pecan, and mincemeat pies are associated with either Thanksgiving or Christmas. Today's mincemeat may or may not include suet, created instead from finely chopped dried fruits, nuts, and spirits.

Africa

Oct

Howl at the Moon Night: October 26

06:20 AM | -

Howl at the Moon Night is a nationwide bar and Happy Hour celebration that occurs a few days before Halloween each year. Contact Howl at the Moon to set up a Happy Hour Party in your city.

Africa

Oct

Mule Day, Ntl. (1785): October 26*

06:20 AM | -

Today marks the anniversary of the arrival of the first mules from Spain, called Spanish Jacks, on October 25, 1785. They were a gift to the colonies from King Charles III. Mules are hybrids, half donkey and half horse. The mother is traditionally a horse, and the father is a donkey (also known as a jack).

The first American-bred mules are believed to have originated with General George Washington, America's first president. Because its hooves are smaller and more upright, mules are suited to the rough terrain and conditions. Unlike horses, mules do not require grain, are less prone to injuries overeating, and tend to live longer. Though mules may be of either sex, they cannot reproduce.

Africa

Oct

National Day, (AT)(1955): October 26

06:20 AM | -

National Day in Austria marks the anniversary of October 26, 1955, when Soviet troops withdrew from the country. National Day is a national holiday.

Africa

Oct

Pumpkin Day, Ntl.: October 26

06:20 AM | -

National Pumpkin Day is set aside annually as an unofficial event leading up to Halloween.

The largest pumpkin on record is 2,749 pounds (1,246.9 kilograms)—that's more than most small cars weigh! As a squash, it is one of the family's more tasty and versatile members. Pumpkin seeds roast splendidly. Its scent is adored, particularly by men, and its meat makes a pie that is a staple of the Western holiday season. Of course, there is always pumpkin spice and pumpkin soup, our personal favorite!

Africa

Oct

Read for the Record Day: October 26

06:20 AM | -

Read for the Record Day is organized by Jumpstart as a national campaign addressing educational inequities that leave many children unprepared for kindergarten. Read for the Record Day is a shared reading experience that encourages adults to read to and with their children and seek ways to strengthen the early education system in the United States. Jumpstart sets each year's day as late as the 2nd quarter of the year.

Africa

Oct

Audio/Video Heritage Day, World: October 27

06:20 AM | -

Audiovisual documents, such as films, radio, and television programs, are our shared heritage and contain the primary records of the 20th and 21st centuries. However, countless documentary treasures have disappeared, been destroyed, or lost since the invention of image and sound technologies. World Day for Audiovisual Heritage and the Memory of the World Program honors the work of preservation professionals safeguarding our heritage. In 2005, the United Nations General Conference approved World Day for Audiovisual Heritage as a mechanism to raise general awareness of the need for urgent measures to be taken and to acknowledge the importance of audiovisual documents as an integral part of national identity.

Africa

Oct

Bandana Day (AU): October 27

06:20 AM | -

National Bandana Day in Australia raises funds for childhood cancer survivors and celebrates the scarf as a symbol for people living with cancer. Promoted annually by CanTeen, an organization that fights against teen cancer, National Bandana Day raises awareness, inspires people to help cancer survivors, and donates to cancer facilities and research. People show their support by sporting a bandana for the day.

Africa

Oct

Barbarian Day (1980) : October 27

06:20 AM | -

Today marks the anniversary of the Nobel Prize-winning book "Waiting for the Barbarians" by John M. Coetzee, released on October 27, 1980. This work of fiction is a political thriller set in South Africa during colonial rule. In it, the indigenous population work against the rulers to overthrow them.

Africa

Oct

Cat, Black Cat Day (UK), Ntl.: October 27

06:20 AM | -

National Black Cat Day highlights the beauty of black cats and their contribution to the family. It is a fundraising campaign to encourage pet adoption, specifically of black cats. Over the past decade, the number of black cats abandoned and turned into shelters increased by 70%. The primary reason is superstition, making black cats less adoptable. Today is about celebrating black cats in the United Kingdom and finding homes for these deserving animals.

Africa

Oct

Champagne Day, Global: October 27

06:20 AM | -

Africa

Oct

Cranky Co-workers' Day: October 27

06:20 AM | -

We all have them, that co-worker who always seems to be in a bad mood. Today honors them by calling them out, reflecting on their mood, and banishing the beast. It is brought to you by the king of crazy holidays, Wellcat.

Africa

Oct

Daylight Savings (JO, SY) Ends: October 27

06:20 AM | -

Daylight Savings Day in Jordan and Syria commences on the last Friday in March (Spring Forward) and ends on the last Friday in October (Fall Back).

On this day, we move the clock one hour ahead at 2 AM in March or one hour back in October at 2 AM on Friday.

The saying, “spring forward, fall back,” is an excellent way to remember. The memory tool works in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

American Benjamin Franklin was the first to propose daylight savings time (DST) in 1784. Modern DST began in 1895. Throughout history, several variations were adopted, ranging from 30 minutes to two hours.

Not everyone observes DST, which can make setting appointments very challenging. The primary purpose of DST is to make better use of daylight hours for farming, early morning activities (such as children walking to school in the light instead of dark), and saving energy.

The closer one lives to the North and South Pole, the longer the period of daylight in the summer months.
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Daylight Savings Above the Equator:

United Kingdom, Albania, Adorra, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Guernsey, Holy See, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and Western Sahara: Last Sunday of March: Last Sunday, October

United States, Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, Saint Pierre & Miquelon: 2nd Sunday, March; 1st Sunday of November

Iran: Begins March 21/22; Ends September 20/21

Israel & Palestine: Friday before last Sunday, March; Last Sunday, October

Jordan, Syria: Last Friday, March; Last Friday, October

Mexico: 1st Sunday, April; Last Sunday, October
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Daylight Savings Below the Equator:

Australia: 1st Sunday of October (Spring Forward ); 1st Sunday in April (Fall Back).

Brazil: 3rd Sunday in October; 3rd Sunday in February.

Chile: 2nd Sunday in August and the 2nd Sunday in May.

Fiji & Tonga: 1st Sunday of November; 3rd Sunday of January.

Namibia observes the 1st Sunday of September and; the 1st Sunday of April.

New Zealand: Last Sunday of September; 1st Sunday of April.

Paraguay: 1st Sunday of October; 4th Sunday of March.

Samoa: Last Sunday of September; 1st Sunday of April.

Africa

Oct

Etiquette Day (1872): October 27

06:20 AM | -

National Etiquette Day focuses on civility within society and revisits the customs and traditions that define us. The day honors the first official etiquette maven's birth, Emily Post, on October 27, 1872. Etiquette has become somewhat of a lost art in the US. Often considered a set of rules, etiquette is about the golden rule, "Do unto others as you would have done to you." It is about treating people with respect, observing boundaries, and having a set of protocols to use in unfamiliar situations. It is an opportunity to learn new processes of etiquette and try them out on your family, friends, strangers, and co-workers.

Africa

Oct

Fiddlers' Festival & Sea Witch Halloween (US-DE): October 27-29

06:20 AM | -

Join 175,000 of your closest friends for the Sea Witch Halloween and Fiddlers' Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It's the biggest Halloween hoedown on the East Coast and features everything from people and dog costume contests to a parade, food, drinks, an oil barrel train for the kids, and of course, the Fiddlers' Championship. Great fun for family and adults alike. Annually on the last full weekend of October.

Africa