Indian Arrival Day is as complicated as any holiday can be. It celebrates a part of Caribbean history that is based on indentured servants. More than 140,000 Indian immigrants came to the islands, most notably Trinidad and Tobago, between 1845 and 1917. Indian Arrival Day marks May 30, 1845 when the ship Fath-al-Razack arrived carrying the first group of workers from India. They came to work on the sugar estates, replacements for the newly-emancipated African slaves.

While it is a major holiday, Indian Arrival Day is celebrated mainly by the descendants of these immigrants, with singing, dancing, drumming, even a re-enactment of the landing of the Fath-al-Razack.

It’s a simple sentence, “We’re sorry,” but it’s the beginning of a healing process. That’s the idea behind National Sorry Day in Australia, where the government acknowledged in 1998 the tragedy that was the removal of Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander children from their families. The practice of taking the Indigenous children from their families and placing them in white communities where they would be assimilated into mainstream Australian life. But this practice was overwhelming harmful to those involved - it forcefully broke up families, contributed to the loss of native language and culture and has caused enormous distress of many of its victims. Those that thought they were “helping” the natives to live a more fruitful life have found that instead they were tearing the children away from their mothers and fathers, often placing them in orphanages where they were mistreated.

This practice went on for more than 150 years, finally ending in the late 1960s. It took another 30 years for the Australian government to look into the matter, which was highlighted in the report “Bringing Them Home”. This report recommended a National Sorry Day be held a day so Australians can express their sorrow for the tragic episode and celebrate the beginning of a new understanding. While not a national holiday, event are held throughout Australia the UK.

All Hail the Snail! National Escargot Day is May 24, though I could not find out why. We all know that escargot refers to edible snails and are commonly known as a French dish, but snail shells were found also in caveman dwellings, indicating that early man found a way to consume these slow movers. Today the French are the primary consumers of snails, eating more than 40,000 tons of them each year, mainly on holidays and special occasions. They can be found in sea food markets in their shells or in the canned in the tuna section of the supermarket,

For a taste of France, try Artichoke and Escargot Over Linguini.

INGREDIENTS:
1 (8 ounce) package linguine pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1 (10 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 (7 ounce) can escargot, drained
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 pinch dried oregano
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the linguine, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
Melt half of the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and artichokes; cook and stir for a few minutes. When the mushrooms start to brown, stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant and lightly browned.
Stir in the escargot, and season with sage and oregano. Cook for just a few minutes, as the escargot cooks really fast like shrimp. Add about half of the Parmesan cheese, and remove from the heat. Serve over linguine with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Día de la Afrocolombianidad is an annual commemoration on May 21st, of the date slavery was abolished in Colombia in 1851. Like many places in the Western Hemisphere, Colombia imported African slaves to help build the developing country. Groups of slaves tried to rebel against their owners in Colombia but it was not until the beginning of the 19th century that the abolition of slavery was seriously debated. In 1814, the ‘Vientres’ law was applied in the Colombian province of Antioquia. It gave freedom to the children of slaves, but this did not last long. In 1816, Antioquia was again occupied by the Spanish army and slavery continued. It was not until May 21, 1851 that by President José Hilaría Lopez signed a law that declared freedom for all slaves.

The International Council of Museums has deemed that International Museum Day be held around May 18 to highlight the importance of their institutions. Each year they pick a theme to center the celebration on . For 2008 the theme is:Museums: agents of social change and development.

Alissandra Cummins, President of ICOM states: “While traditionally museums are known for their collections, more and more museums are taking an active key role in exploring social issues with communities to contribute to their development. The educational and ethical function of the museum is to engage culturally diverse contemporary communities through exhibitions and workshops and their design. International Museum Day shows that it is possible to gather together in a new way to interpret the past in light of the present to shape a better future.”

If someone says Happy Syttende Mai to you, assume they have some Viking blood. Syttende Mai means 17 May and refers to the day in 1814 when the Norwegian Constitution was signed in the town of Eidsvoll. The Constitution set up independence for Norwegians from Sweden. Unfortunately the Swedes want to grant them independence and a war to broke out between the two countries. It seems the Swedes were sore because they had been promised the territory of Norway as a reward for aiding the victors of the Napoleonic wars. The power of the Norwegians was too much for the Swedish army however, so instead of gaining Norway as a territory they agreed to enter a personal union with Sweden. Under this arrangement, Norway kept its liberal constitution and independent institutions (including its own military forces).
The formation of the Constitution may have taken military power, but the typical May 17 celebration makes little note of this. Instead the day is focused on children, with parades of school kids making their way through their hometown with flags and marching bands. The capital of Oslo has the largest parade, with 100,00 participants. Men, women, and children wear traditional outfits called bunad. The children shout “Hurra!”, singing, blowing whistles and shaking rattles.

It is said that about half the Norwegians who immigrated to America came in order to escape the hated lutefisk, and the other half came to spread the gospel of lutefisk’s wonderfulness.
- Norwegian-American saying

Traditional foods include the beloved Norwegian lutefisk, a dried cod that has been soaked in lye for several days. It is then boiled or baked and served with butter, salt, and pepper. The finished lutefisk usually is the consistency of Jello.

Pride of place has led to many a holiday celebration, and Middlesex Day in England is a perfect example. The date was chosen to honor those who on May 16, 1811 worked the battle against Napoleon’s French army as they tried to gain Portugal. This would have been a disaster for the British who could have been trapped near the sea. The Middlesex men fought to keep at bay the overwhelming forces of Napoleon’s army which allowed time for the British and Wellington armies to retrench.

The commanding officer of the young Middlesaxon fighters yelled at the height of battle “Die hard my men, die hard”. After this history-turning event the Middlesex Regiment became known as the Diehards and on their Regimental badge are inscribed the words “Albuhera”.

Coat of arms of Middlesex County Council

Middlesex is one of the 39 counties of England and the second smallest by area. It once was home to London, but a regrouping of the counties in England in 1889 led to London becoming part of London County. The name means territory of the middle Saxons, a nod to the ethnic origin of its inhabitants.

Peace Officers Memorial Day is set aside to honor the men and women in law enforcement who have lost their lives. It was created on October 1, 1961 when Congress asked the president to designate May 15 to honor those that have fallen. John F. Kennedy signed the bill into law one year later, October 1, 1962. But it was not until May 15, 1982, that the first National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service was held. In Washington, DC, activities during National Police Week now include the annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Day Service. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial wall in Washington features the names of the more than 17,000 law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty. Locally, you should see a nod to the holiday, because in 1994 President Bill Clinton signed Public Law 103-322 which directs that flags on all government buildings be displayed at half-staff.

Who hasn’t spent time in rush hour traffic dreaming of leaving their real life and moving to the island of Fiji? If you haven’t packed your bags yet, set aside May 13 as a day to celebrate like a native Fijian. Rotuma Day is an annual celebration on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. The holiday celebrates the anniversary of the island’s cession to the United Kingdom in 1881.

The first known European sighting of Rotuma was in 1791, when Captain Edward Edwards and the crew of the HMS Pandora landed in search of sailors who had disappeared following the Mutiny on the Bounty. Conflicts between two sets of missionary groups in the mid 1800s led to the island native asking for their annexation from Britain, which was granted on May 13, 1881, seven years after Fiji became an English colony.

The island group of Rotuma is home to a small but unique indigenous group. But since many of the natives have moved to the main islands of Fiji, Rotuma Day is celebrated all over.

It took almost 20 years for it to become official, but nurses finally got their day when in 1975 the International Council of Nurses (INC) marked May 12 as International Nurses Day. The date was chosen to commemorate the birthday of the ultimate nurse, Florence Nightingale. Nightingale’s came to fame in 1854 during the Crimean War when she and a staff of 38 women volunteer nurses where sent to Turkey to help with the wounded.

But not everyone is happy with the Nightingale image. Some say that she represents an old image of nurses as white, wealthy women, and does show the true diversity that nursing encompasses today. A union in Europe has asked the ICN to move International Nurses Day to another day. It has been suggested that they instead celebrate Elizabeth Fry who founded the Institution of Nursing Sisters several years before Nightingale set up her own nursing team.

Each year the Council chooses a theme and send out packets of information. This year’s theme is 2008 - Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Primary Health Care.