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Today is Ramdev Jayanti and Teja Dashmi, a regional public holiday in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It occurs on the tenth day of the month of Bhadrapad in the Hindu calendar. This means it falls in either August or September in the Gregorian calendar.

Baba Ramdev is a Hindu folk deity from Rajasthan, India. He was a fourteenth-century ruler, said to have miraculous powers, who devoted his life to the upliftment of the downtrodden and poor people of society. He is regarded as an incarnation of Krishna.

On Ramdev Jayanti, the birth date of Ramdev, a fair is held at the Ramdevra temple, the resting place of Ramdev, attended by hundreds of thousands of devotees, both Hindu and Muslim.

Veer Teja or Tejaji is an even older Rajasthani folk deity. He is considered one of the major eleven incarnations of Shiva and worshipped as a deity in rural Rajasthan. Veer Teja was born in the mid-13th century in Khadnal, Rajasthan. Teja was the son of King Baksaji.

Legend has it that Teja died in 1304 from wounds inflicted while trying to rescue a herd of cows from a group of raiders. The story says that while he lay dying, he allowed a snake to bite his tongue, which was the only part of his body undamaged in the fight. In return, the snake promised that no person or animal would die from a snakebite if they sought the blessings of Teja.

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the struggle is real…

Did you watch the debate???

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Happy Friday! Here’s a fun video for the weekend. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khpL08_O1WE

Somhlolo Day is a public holiday in eSwatini (Swaziland) observed on September 6th. If Somhlolo Day falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the following Monday becomes a holiday. Also known as Independence Day or Sobhuza Day, this is the National Day of eSwatini and commemorates the day that Swaziland gained independence from Britain in 1968.

eSwatini is the smallest landlocked country in the Southern Hemisphere and the second smallest country in continental Africa. In the middle of the nineteenth century under the leadership of King Sobhuza I (Ngwane IV), Swaziland was twice the size it is today.

Caught between the British and the Boers, the Pretoria Convention of 1881 guaranteed Swaziland’s ‘independence’ but this freedom came at a price as the convention also defined its borders, with Swaziland losing large parts of its territory. After the Boer administration collapsed at the end of the Anglo-Boer War in 1903, the British took control of Swaziland as a protectorate.

On September 6th 1968, Swaziland was granted formal independence within the Commonwealth. This national holiday is named after King Sobhuza I (Ngwane IV), who was king between 1805 and 1839, and who was nicknamed ‘Somhlolo’ (The Wonder) and is considered the founder of Swaziland.

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SIGNZ

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Today is the birthday, in 1948, of Claydes Smith, Kool & The Gang, who had the 1981 US No.1 & UK No.7 single ‘Celebration’, 1984 UK No.2 single ‘Joanna’, plus over 15 other Top 40 hits. He died in Maplewood, New Jersey, on June 20, 2006, aged 57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

Today is Qaumee Dhuvas (meaning ‘National Day’ in Dhivehi, the local language) in the Maldives, a public holiday and the National Day of the Maldives. This day celebrates the victory of Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al Auzam over the Portuguese occupation in 1573.

In 1558, the Portuguese established a garrison which they administered from Goa. They killed the Sultan Ali VI of the Maldives and effectively instigated colonial rule. In 1573, Muhammad Thakurufaanu Al Auzam along with his two brothers and companions led a local revolt when the Portuguese attempted to impose Christianity on the Muslim population. The attacks drove the Portuguese out of Maldives and ended fifteen years of colonial rule.

Muhammad Thakurufaanu ruled as Sultan until his death from natural causes on 26 August 1585. He is revered as the national hero of the Maldives and 1st of Rabee ul Awwal each Islamic year is marked as the National Day of the Maldives.

The Maldives is the smallest country in Asia. Including the sea, the territory spans roughly 90,000 square kilometres (35,000 sq mi), with a land area of 298 square kilometres (115 sq mi). The Maldives is also the lowest country in the world, More than 80 per cent of the country’s land is composed of coral islands which rise less than one meter above sea level.

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Good advice…

It’s time to rise up and protest!

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…and the cat ladies are pissed!

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Today is the birthday, in 1981, of Beyoncé, American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. With Destiny’s Child she had the 2000 US No.1 single with ‘Say My Name’ and the 2001 US & UK No.1 single and album ‘Survivor’. Beyonce scored the 2003 US & UK No.1 single ‘Crazy In Love’ from the world-wide No.1 album Dangerously In Love. Throughout her career, she has sold an estimated 100 million records as a solo artist and a further 60 million records with the group Destiny’s Child. She has won 22 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award’s history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQgd6MccwZc

Today is Victory Day (Zafer Bayramı), a national holiday in Turkey. Victory Day commemorates the victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar which was the decisive battle in the Turkish War of Independence in 1922.

Türkiye was occupied by Allied forces after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the First World War (1914-1918). This led to the start of the Turkish War of Independence in 1919, with the Turkish forces led by General Mustafa Kemal.

By 1922, through adroit diplomatic maneuvering, the Allies were split with French and Italian sympathies lying with the Turks rather than the Greeks who were the occupying army at the time.

Greek forces were routed during the battle and the remains of the Greek army fled being pursued by the Turks. The Greeks suffered more than 100,000 casualties out of an army of about 250,000. By September 18, the last Greek soldiers were forced out of Anatolia and, on October 11 an armistice was signed by Turkey, Italy, France and Britain which Greece was forced to accede to.

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Enjoy the Labor Day weekend! Here’s some fun music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuapCENFM2U

Today is Staatsfeiertag (National Day), a public holiday in Liechtenstein and is always celebrated on August 15th. It commemorates the birthday of Prince Franz Josef II.

The date had a double meaning in Liechtenstein as August 15th was already a public holiday to mark the Feast of the Assumption, but also served to celebrate the birthday of Prince Franz Josef II, who was born on August 16th 1906.

This holiday is unusual in that it began during a war. Just days before, Adolf Hitler had said in a speech that “Small states have no right to exist.”, so the establishment of this National Day by this smallest of states can be seen as much as an act of defiance as patriotism.

The small principality is the fourth-smallest state in Europe and is one of the few nations in the world that adheres to a no defence policy, meaning that the country doesn’t have armed forces. Their safety is only guaranteed by a small Police force, which in 2011 counted 91 agents, 34 civilians and 38 paramilitaries. 

Their lack of armed forces means that their celebrations of National holidays exclusively revolves around the role played by civilian authorities in the Principality’s life. 

In the afternoon the centre of Vaduz is full of visitors of all ages enjoying traditional celebrations and a funfair. The National Day is brought to a spectacular close with a 30-minute firework display next to Vaduz Castle.

Of course, the history of the world’s sixth-smallest country goes back much further than 1906. It was on January 23rd 1719 when the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI elevated the principality of Liechtenstein to the status of an imperial principality.

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Filet Minion

Fast!

Opposite of ‘Extra Virgin’

Fun before the Internet!

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SIGNZ

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Today is the birthday, in 1950, of Tommy Aldridge, drums, Whitesnake, (1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single ‘Here I Go Again’). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg