Can you help? What holidays do you celebrate?

Question

Hello WikiTreers!

We are trying to expand our reach to become a more global genealogy site as we gain more members from diverse backgrounds. We started off as an American based site, and we still are, but we'd like that to change!

To help, if you could share the holidays and/or important days that you recognize or celebrate in your country with us so we can post about them in our social media posts and potentially reach more audience and attract more globally diverse members who can contribute we would appreciate it.  

Please share below!

Comments

The way to attract more non-Americans is to fix the name entry and display methods to fit non-American data. Until that happens, most serious genealogists will just try and then abandon the site as totally unsuited to their needs -- and they will not be wrong.

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Australia - Australia Day, Anzac Day, Christmas and Easter.

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Australia: Anzac day, Christmas, New Year (1st January version), Easter.  (I no longer celebrate "Australia Day" as it has become too contentious, and I tend to agree with my indigenous friends that the date should change.)  Used to celebrate Melbourne Cup Day, Queen's Birthday holiday, Labour Day, Queensland Day.

I should "celebrate" the standard USA holidays (being that I currently live there), but the only one I remember is 4th July. 

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Funny, my indigenous friends celebrate Australia Day, but don’t observe ‘sorry day’ they believe, as do I, one sincere appropriate apology is sufficient. Luckily we live in a country where we can have different opinions and still be friends.

Answer 1

Caribana, Chinese New Year, Kwanzaa, Beltaine or May Day, Burns Night, Rosh Hashanah, Ramadan, for a start.

Great idea.

cheers, Alison

Comments

Thank you for your input Alison!

Answer 2

New Zealand - Waitangi Day, ANZAC Day, Queen’s Birthday, Labour Day (October).

Answer 3

When I was living in the Cayman Islands,we celebrated New Year's Day,, Ash Wednesday,, Easter Monday, Discovery Day, Cayman Constitution Day,,the Queen's Birthday, Harvest Festival, Christmas,and Boxing Day.  And of course,in October there was Pirates' Week and Halloween.

Answer 4

For Germany I only include the nationwide holidays, there are several more that are celebrated in some regions but not in others.

1 Jan: New Year's Day

Big Friday and Easter together with the Catholics and Protestant ones. (The orthodox Easter [for example Russian] is mostly on different days)

1 May: Worker's day

Ascencion day and Pentecaust Monday together with Catholics and Protestants.

3 Oct Unification day

25/26 Dec Christmas

Answer 5

In Serbia there are

1 and 2 Jan: New Year's days

7 Jan Orthodox Christmas

15 and 16 Feb National Day

Orthodox Easter (together with Russians)

1 and 2 May Worker's Day

11 Nov Day of ceasefire in WW I.

On the other hand I agree with J, the internationalization of the interface is paramount to get more people from not English native countries here. That also means finding a font which doesn't have to switch to a different font because there appears (suddenly) in a non-English name an "unusual" diacryte.

Answer 6

For Canada, nationwide statutory holidays are:

• New Year's Day
• Good Friday
• Canada Day (July 1) - previously known as Dominion Day
• Labour Day (first Monday in September)
• Christmas Day

Most people also get:

• Family Day (third Monday in February) - also called Louis Riel Day (Manitoba), Islander Day (Prince Edward Island), Heritage Day (Nova Scotia)
• Victoria Day (Monday before May 25) - also called Journée nationale des patriotes in Québec
• Civic Holiday (first Monday in August) - also called British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, Saskatchewan Day, Heritage Day (Alberta), Terry Fox Day (Manitoba), Natal Day (Nova Scotia), Colonel By Day, John Galt Day, Simcoe Day (parts of Ontario)
• Thanksgiving (second Monday in October)
• Remembrance Day (November 11)
• Boxing Day (December 26)

Newfoundland and Labrador also has holidays on:

• St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
• St. George's Day (April 23)
• Memorial Day (July 1)

The Northwest Territories and Yukon celebrate:

• National Aboriginal Day (June 21)
• Discovery Day (June 24)

Québec observes:

• Saint-Jean-Baptiste aka Fête nationale du Québec (June 24)

I personally have been saying for years that Moon Landing Day (July 20) should be a statutory holiday worldwide.

P.S. You might want to add global_outreach as a tag for this thread.