OCTOBER 2010 International holidays and observances

              October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name (from the Latin "octo" meaning "eight") after July and August, after Julius and Augustus Caesar respectively, when the calendar was originally created by the Romans.
October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere and spring in the Southern hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to April in the Northern hemisphere and vice versa.
 October Symbols

• October's birthstone is the opal. The opal is thought to have the power to predict illness. This is because the opal responds to heat. Sickness increases body temperature before signs of illness appear. The increased body heat causes the opal to lose its shine, leaving it dull and lacking color. It is also said that the opal will crack if it is worn by someone who was not born in October.
• Its birth flower is the calendula. 

The Zodiac sign for those born in this month is either Libra or Scorpio, depending on which day you were born.

Ocber International  Observance:

• First Monday of October - World Habitat Day, recognized by the UN

• October 1 - International Day of Older Persons, recognized by the UN

• October 1 - World Vegetarian Day

• October 2 - International Day of Non-Violence, recognized by the UN, observed on M.K. Gandhi's birthday 

Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism,
considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity.





• October 4 - World Animal Day

• October 5 - World Teachers' Day

• Second Wednesday of October - International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction, recognized by the UN

• October 6 - World Hospice and Palliative Care Day

• October 8 - World Humanitarian Action Day

• October 9 - World Post Day, recognized by the UN

• October 10 - World Mental Health Day, recognized by the UN

• October 11 - Coming Out Day

• October 14 - World Standards Day

• October 15 - International Day of Rural Women, recognized by the UN

• October 15 - Foundation of the Black Panthers Day

• October 16 - World Food Day, recognized by the UN

• October 17 - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, recognized by the UN

• October 24 - United Nations Day, recognized by the UN

• October 24 - World Development Information Day, recognized by the UN 

October events and holidays

• Children's Book Week (England) – First Week of October
• National Day (China, People's Republic of) – October 1
• Dashain in Nepal
• Independence Day in the Republic Of Cyprus – October 1
• Independence Day in Nigeria – October 1
• International Day of Non-Violence – October 2
• German Unity Day (Germany) – October 3
• Proclamation of Portuguese Republic (Portugal) – October 5
• International World Teachers' day – October 5
• Armed Forces Day in Egypt commemorating the Yom Kippur War – October 6
• Independence day in Croatia – October 8
• Leif Erikson Day - October 9
• Freethought Day – October 12
• National Day of Spain – October 12 (Discovery of America)
• Thanksgiving (Canada) – Second Monday of October
• Health and Sports Day (Japan) – Second Monday of October
• Columbus Day (Most of United States) – Second Monday of October
• World Food Day – October 16
• Alaska Day - October 18
• Constitution Day in Niue – October 19
• Apple Day – October 21
• Remembering the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 – October 23
• United Nations Day – October 24
• Day of the Romanian Army – October 25
• National Day of Austria - October 26
• Independence Day in St. Vincent & the Grenadines – October 27
• Independence Day in Turkmenistan – October 27
• Navy Day (United States) – October 27
• Ochi Day (No Day) in Greece – October 28

• Republic Day in Turkey –   October 29 
• Halloween, Samhain –   October 31 

Month-long observances

• Filipino American History Month (in United States)
• National Arts & Humanities Month (in United States)
• Domestic Violence Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month (LGBT History Month) (in United States)
• National Cyber Security Awareness Month (in United States)
• Fair Trade Month

Cultural celebrations

• German American Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15 in the United States)
• National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15 in the United States)
• Italian American Heritage Month: Italian Heritage and Culture Month 
• Polish American Heritage Month

Health observances

 
• Celiac Sprue Awareness Month
• Health Literacy Month 
• Healthy Lung Month
• National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (in United States and Canada)
• National Dental Hygiene Month (in United States)
• National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (in United States)
• National Infertility Awareness Month (in United States)
• National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (in United States)
• National Lupus Erythematosus Awareness Month (in United States)
• National Physical Therapy Month (in United States)
• National Spina Bifida Awareness Month (in United States)
• Rett Syndrome Awareness Month (in United States)
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness Month (in United States)
• World Blindness Awareness Month
• American Pharmacist Month