In North America, October acts as a turning point, a month of transition from the end of summer to the early creep of winter. The trees and foliage shed their greens for oranges, yellows, and browns. The ground’s call for the leaves above to join it below grows more enticing, and the presence of pumpkins steadily increases. Even when November begins to creep into view, October is just reaching its proverbial peak: Oct. 31.
Yet, even though it’s almost synonymous with Halloween, October is filled with a surprising amount of other, non-spooky holidays and celebrations. So, in honor of the 10th month of the year, whose root (octo) means eight, keep reading on to learn more about three holidays October has to offer that don’t require dressing up like a ghost for the third year in a row.
But first, an explanation of October’s name: October was originally the eighth month on the ancient Roman calendar, which only had 10 months. It was pushed to the 10th position on the Gregorian calendar after January and February were added.
International Observe the Moon Night
Graphic Courtesy Pexels
International Observe the Moon Night wasn’t in October this year but will be next year. That’s because the annual event occurs when the Moon is around the first quarter — perfect for nighttime viewing. NASA gives potential participants a fair bit of warning ahead of time once the specific date is set, such as the next two years — Oct. 4, 2025, and Oct. 17, 2026.
Sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, anyone around the world is free to register for the event.
All users can then submit their photos of the moon taken from all over the world on that same night, which are then added to a Flickr group for sharing. 2023 International Observe the Moon Night saw more than 4,800 registered events and observers from more than 120 countries!
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Graphic Courtesy Will Gatchel
Falling on the second Monday of October every year, Indigenous Peoples’ Day has a long and complicated history. A big part of that complicated history has to do with another day that falls on the second Monday of October every year — Columbus Day. For decades, there have been growing demands to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples’ Day, an idea first proposed during a 1977 United Nations conference on discrimination against Indigenous peoples.
Many Native Americans (and others) argued that the celebration of Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer largely credited with the European discovery of the Americas, was offensive due to his violent actions toward the people already living on the lands. Some Italian Americans have pushed back against these claims, and the transition has not been quick, but the tide has shifted toward Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
“This day is about reclaiming histories,” Kyle Mays, an associate professor of American Indian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the Associated Press. “It’s acknowledging the history of dispossession and violence against Indigenous people.”
The second Monday of October is still listed as a federal holiday under “Columbus Day”; however, the current administration has acknowledged it as Indigenous Peoples’ Day for three consecutive years.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2023, more than 15 U.S. states now have holidays that honor Native Americans.
So, how should you celebrate or commemorate the day? There are no set rules, so you can use it to reflect, recognize, celebrate, or educate, just to name a few.
World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day falls annually on Oct. 10. Founded in 1948, the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), an international membership organization, established the first ever World Mental Health Day on the day it occurs in 1992.
The observance was made to raise awareness around important mental health agendas and create change worldwide.
The movement has grown significantly in scale since its first annual celebration, but it is still maintained and hosted by the WFMH.
Photo Courtesy WFMH
The organization’s members, stakeholders, and other supporters all vote on a yearly theme highlighting a key part of mental health awareness. 2024’s theme, “It is Time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace,” was determined by more than 2,000 voters from 116 countries.
“World Mental Health Day 2024 will highlight various aspects of mental health at work, from workplace conditions and stress management to the importance of social inclusion and empowerment,” Tsuyoshi Akiyama, WFMH president, said in a press release announcing this year’s theme. “The goal is clear: to champion mental health in the workplace and build best practices that create cultures where workers have the potential to contribute productively and thrive.”
So in addition to Halloween — which is a fantastic holiday to celebrate — October offers several other holidays worth celebrating. Here’s to a month of festivities!
