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Thursday, October 22, 2026
No federal or major public holiday observed today across tracked regions.
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Library at a glance
259 briefs · 43 iconic · 5 categories · 54 countries
Library by month
259 briefs across the calendar - click a month to filter
Showing 33 briefs in Nov.
Clear filtersFederal holiday(6)
US Thanksgiving - origins, date, and how the fourth Thursday became federal law
US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. Federal law traces to a 1789 Washington proclamation; the modern date rule was fixed by FDR in 1939/1941. The Pilgrim origin is a 19th-century framing.
Election Day (US) - the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, and the federal voting calendar
Election Day in the United States falls on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Set by federal statute in 1845 and 1875. In 2026 the federal general-election date is Tuesday, November 3. Not a federal holiday; voter turnout, polling-place staffing, and state-by-state early-voting rules shape the day.
Iqbal Day in Pakistan - November 9, the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal
Iqbal Day (Yum-e-Iqbal) on November 9 is a federal public holiday in Pakistan marking the 1877 birth of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the philosopher-poet whose 1930 Allahabad Address articulated the vision of a separate Muslim state. The day is observed with literary events, school ceremonies, and official observances at Iqbal's mausoleum in Lahore.
Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan (Kinro Kansha no Hi) - November 23, the modern successor to the Niinamesai harvest rite
Japan’s Labor Thanksgiving Day (勤労感謝の日, Kinrō Kansha no Hi) on November 23 is a national public holiday observing the work of the Japanese people and the bounty of the harvest. The day is the modern successor to the ancient Niinamesai harvest rite and was renamed in 1948 under the postwar Holidays Act.
Mexican Revolution Day - third Monday of November, the 1910 uprising and 2006 reform
Mexican Revolution Day (Dia de la Revolucion) on the third Monday of November commemorates Francisco I. Madero's 1910 Plan de San Luis Potosi, the call to arms that ended the Porfirio Diaz regime and began a six-year revolution culminating in the 1917 Constitution. Moved from fixed November 20 by 2006 decree to create a long weekend.
Proclamação da República - November 15, the 1889 proclamation that ended the Brazilian Empire
Brazil's Proclamação da República on November 15, 1889 ended the Empire of Brazil. Marechal Deodoro da Fonseca led the coup that deposed Emperor Pedro II and proclaimed the Republic of the United States of Brazil. A federal public holiday.
Civic memorial(3)
Bonifacio Day - November 30, the Philippines national hero Andress Bonifacio, and the road to 1898
Bonifacio Day on November 30 is a Philippine public holiday commemorating the birthday of Andres Bonifacio (1863-1897), founder of the Katipunan and the Supremo of the Philippine Revolution. A regular holiday in the Philippines (Republic Act No. 9492, 2007) - banks and government offices close.
Indonesian Heroes Day - Hari Pahlawan, November 10
Indonesian Heroes Day (Hari Pahlawan) is observed every November 10 to commemorate the 1945 Battle of Surabaya, where Indonesian republican forces fought British and Dutch troops in the early days of the Indonesian National Revolution. National public holiday under Keputusan Presiden 24/2016.
Veterans Day - November 11, federal status, and how it differs from Memorial Day
Veterans Day on November 11 is a US federal holiday honoring all who served in the US armed forces, living or deceased. Originally Armistice Day (1919, 1938), renamed Veterans Day in 1954. One of 11 federal holidays under 5 U.S.C. 6103.
Cultural celebration(9)
Bon Om Touk - the Cambodian water festival, when racing boats and candle offerings fill the Tonle Sap
Bon Om Touk, the Cambodian Water Festival, marks the reversal of the Mekong flood in the twelfth lunar month. Hundreds of thousands gather in Phnom Penh to race long low-slung racing boats and float candle offerings on the Tonle Sap.
Dashain - the fifteen-day Nepalese autumn festival that ends with red tika on Vijayadashami
Dashain is the greatest festival in the Nepalese calendar, running fifteen days in the lunar month of Kartika and culminating on Vijayadashami. It opens with Ghatasthapana fire rituals to Shiva and closes with tika, shubha labh and jamara.
Chongyang Festival - the Chinese Double Ninth Festival, the festival of high places, and the celebration of the long-lived
The Chongyang Festival (Double Ninth Festival) is a traditional Chinese holiday observed on the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese lunar calendar, marking the convergence of the auspicious yang number 9 and the autumn season.
Culture Day (Bunka no Hi) - November 3, Japan's 1946 Constitution anniversary
Japan's Culture Day (Bunka no Hi) on November 3 commemorates the 1946 promulgation of the postwar Constitution on Emperor Meiji's birthday and was established as a national holiday in 1948. The day features the Order of Culture awards at the Imperial Palace and the rotating Bunka no Saiten national culture festival.
Day of the Dead - November 1-2, Mesoamerican origins, and how Mexico observes it
Day of the Dead (Dia de Muertos) on November 1-2 is a Mexican cultural holiday honoring deceased loved ones. Not a US federal holiday. Rooted in Mesoamerican and Catholic traditions. UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2008).
Guy Fawkes Night - the Gunpowder Plot, Bonfire Night tradition, and UK observance on November 5
Guy Fawkes Night (Bonfire Night) is observed on November 5 in the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth, marking the failed 1605 Gunpowder Plot to blow up the House of Lords. Celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and the burning of "guys" (effigies).
Saint Andrew's Day - November 30, Scotland's national day, and the patron saint who fishermen invoked before they were Christian
Saint Andrew's Day on November 30 is Scotland's national day, commemorating the apostle Andrew who is said to have brought Christianity to the Slavs and Scots. It is a bank holiday in Scotland only and is observed with haggis suppers, ceilidhs, and the Saltire flag.
Singles' Day - November 11, the world's largest shopping holiday and its origins in Chinese university culture
Singles' Day (Shuangshi, Guanggun Jie) on November 11 is a Chinese cultural and shopping holiday that began as an anti-Valentine's celebration among university students in the 1990s and has grown into the world's largest annual online retail event. Observed by Alibaba, JD.com, and increasingly by Western retailers; recognised in 60+ countries.
Samhain - the Gaelic beginning of winter, the festival of the dead, and the source of Halloween
Samhain is the Gaelic beginning of winter, observed on October 31-November 1 in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. The festival marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, and is the traditional time when the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead is thinnest.
Religious observance(8)
Diwali - the 5-day Hindu festival of lights, lunar date, and how it is observed across India
Diwali (Deepavali) is the 5-day Hindu festival of lights, observed on the new moon (Amavasya) of the Hindu month of Kartik. One of the largest holidays in India and a major celebration across the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain diasporas. Date moves between mid-October and mid-November.
Galungan - the Balinese day of dharma's return, and the 210-day pawukon cycle
Galungan is the Balinese Hindu festival marking the return of dharma after Bhatara Guru's descent into the underworld. It always falls on a Wednesday and recurs on a 210-day pawukon cycle, so Bali sees it roughly twice a Gregorian year.
Hanukkah - the 8-day Jewish festival of lights on 25 Kislev, and how it is observed
Hanukkah is the 8-day Jewish festival of lights on 25 Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 164 BCE and the miracle of the oil. Public holiday in Israel; widely observed across US Jewish communities.
All Saints Day - November 1, the Christian feast of all saints, and the start of Allhallowtide
All Saints Day on November 1 is a Christian feast day honoring all saints, known and unknown. A Holy Day of Obligation in the Roman Catholic Church, a festival in the Lutheran and Anglican traditions, and a public holiday in several Catholic-majority countries.
Kathina - the robe offering that closes the rains retreat in Theravada Buddhism
Kathina is the Theravada robe-offering festival that marks the end of the Vassa rains retreat, falling in the lunar month after Vassa. Each monastery chooses its own day within that month, so unlike most Buddhist holidays it has no single fixed date.
Loy Krathong - the Thai festival of lights on the full moon of November
Loy Krathong is a Thai festival held on the full moon of the 12th lunar month, falling in November. Participants float decorated krathong (small lotus-shaped vessels) on rivers, canals, and ponds to honor the goddess of water and to symbolically release misfortune.
Tazaungdaing - the Burmese full-moon festival of Tazaungmon, when paper lanterns rise over Bagan
Tazaungdaing is a Burmese Buddhist festival held on the full moon of Tazaungmon in the eighth lunar month. Satipa, the festival of lights, fills the night sky over Bagan and Sagaing with thousands of floating paper lanterns.
Guru Nanak Jayanti - the birth anniversary of Sikhism's founder, observed on the full moon of Kartik
Guru Nanak Jayanti (also Gurpurab) is the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism and the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. Observed on the full moon (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November), it is one of the most important Sikh festivals. Major celebrations at the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar.
International observance(7)
Giving Tuesday - the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving, and how the giving-day movement spread
Giving Tuesday on the Tuesday after US Thanksgiving (Nov 24, 2026) is an international day of charitable giving, founded in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation. Observed in the United States, Canada, the UK, and 60+ countries. Not a federal holiday.
World Kindness Day - November 13, the UN-recognised international observance
World Kindness Day on November 13 is an international observance founded by the World Kindness Movement (1997) and recognised by the UN General Assembly (kindness-related) in recent declarations. Held the same day as NSW Randwick Races and ahead of World Philosophy Day (Nov 18).
World Toilet Day - November 19, the UN day for sanitation and hygiene
World Toilet Day on November 19 is the UN International Day for the recognition of sanitation, hygiene, and access to safe toilets. Established by UNGA Resolution 67/291 in 2013, coordinated by UN-Water. Not a public holiday.
World Diabetes Day - November 14, IDF observance since 1991 marking insulin co-discoverer birthday
World Diabetes Day on November 14 is an International Diabetes Federation observance established in 1991. The date marks the birthday of Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1921. Each year the IDF focuses on a theme - 2024-2026 cycle is “Diabetes and Well-being.” Not a public holiday.
World Hello Day - November 21, the 1973 Peace Challenge greeting across barriers
World Hello Day on November 21 is an annual global observance started in 1973 by Brian and Michael McMahon during the Arab-Israeli war. Anyone to greet ten people on the day, regardless of organizational, political, religious, or other differences. Not a public holiday.
World Philosophy Day - November 15, UNESCO philosophy observance day since 2005
World Philosophy Day on the third Thursday of November is a UNESCO observance established in 2005 that promotes philosophical reflection across cultures. Schools, universities, and academic societies host lectures and panels. Not a public holiday.
World Television Day - November 21, the UN day for television as a global medium
World Television Day on November 21 is the UN International Day recognizing television as a symbol of communication and globalization. Marked annually since 1996 by UNGA Resolution 51/205. Not a public holiday.