Various 50th anniversaries have come up this year, and now we are impelled into the midst of the Christmas Shopping Season; today is Black Friday, with sales everywhere.
Back in August I noted the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington (8/28), here. Now comes November, with two notable 50th anniversaries, of very different sorts: the JFK assassination on the 22nd and the first broadcast of Dr. Who on the 23rd — one very sad, one wonderfully silly.
Sadly conjoined to the JFK assassination on the 22nd is St. Cecilia’s Day — Cecilia the patron saint of music.
Then running through the month otherwise:
On the 5th, this year as always, Guy Fawkes Day. This year, the 5th was also election day in the U.S.
Then Veterans Day / Armistice Day on the 11th. In the U.S., Veterans Day, like Columbus Day (10/14 this year) is a semi-holiday: a federal holiday (so no mail delivery), but variably celebrated otherwise (Stanford isn’t closed for either of them).
And (U.S.) Thanksgiving Day yesterday (the 28th), which I celebrated with my little family via a Chinese lunch (traditionally including crunchy string beans with minced pork and vermicelli Singapore style, with shrimp, plus some dim sum). This year Thanksgiving, exceptionally, overlaps with Hanukkah (the evening of 11/27 through the evening of 12/5).
More saints to come: St Andrew on 11/30, St. Nicholas on 12/6, St. Lucy on 12/13, and St. Stephen on 12/26.
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