March 2 - Peasants' Day in Myanmar (aka Burma)

     Posted on March 2, 2022

This is an update of my post published on March 2, 2011:

 

The majority of people in the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar (still called "Burma" by some) are farmers, or “peasants.” On this day, public buildings and companies are shut down, and workers can stay home with their families or go out and enjoy parks or trade shows. There are many meetings to discuss the needs of the peasants and to hammer out development programs to meet those needs.

That sounds good, but Myanmar has struggled with poverty and inadequate infrastructure (roads, bridges, water and power companies, schools, hospitals), plus ethnic strife and civil war. The military took over the government in the 1960s and violently suppressed protests and violated human rights. For a while, from 2011 to 2020, things got better - or at least seemed to - for many in Myanmar, and it seemed that elections and government were back on the path to being more democratic. But then there was another military coup - and more suppression and human rights atrocities. With all that going on, a single day supposedly honoring the workers seems a bit hypocritical.

Learn more...

Listen to some kids from Myanmar. I presume they are speaking Burmese, but of course there are a variety of regional languages as well.

In Myanmar, many people wear thanaka - a paste made
by ground-up tree bark - on their faces.

See some great photos of Myanmar. 

I especially like the Zedis along the path and the view from a hot-air balloon over Bagan. And check out the “golden rock.” 

Also on this date:

Anniversary of Massachusetts ratifying the Bill of Rights – 150 years late!

Texas Independence Day

Birthday of activist / reformer Elaine Brown

World Book Day in the U.K. and Ireland

First Ballet in Britain

Pasty Day

Battle of Adwa Day in Ethiopia

National Read Across America

Burial of the Sardine in Spain 

(Ash Wednesday)

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• March holidays
• March birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in March
  
  

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• April holidays
• April birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in April
  
  

August 8 - Farmers' Day in Tanzania

Posted on August 8, 2021

This is an update of my post published on August 8, 2010:

This holiday is called Nane Nane in Swahili (literally, “eight eight,” for August the eighth). Originally meant to honor the farmers and peasants who feed the nation, this holiday was traditionally held on July 7, called Saba Saba, in honor of the day that the Tanzanian African National Union was started. This is the political party that basically rules the country. In 1992, when Tanzania held its first multi-party elections, the opposition parties pointed out that using July 7^th as the date of an important national holiday unfairly favors the ruling party...Hence the change to August 8^th.

However, the change wasn't smooth and easy. 

There was confusion among people, and some people refused to work on July 7^th – some even refused to work on either day!

Check out this short video.

The holiday has apparently gone done drastically in importance since this controversy. Instead of huge gatherings of farmers from all over the country, bringing their products together and exchanging information and ideas, get-togethers and dances and cooking traditional foods—these days there are much smaller gathering with more industrial products than agricultural ones and smaller, more subdued celebrations.

By the way, Tanzania is oh, so beautiful!

Learn about Swahili

Swahili in a Bantu language spoken as the native language by 5 to 10 million people but spoken as a second language by many, many more people in Africa. It is an official language of four nations (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), it is a common language spoken by people who don't share a native language all through Eastern Africa, and it is the only language with African origin among the official languages of the African Union.

Make a Swahili counting book using these ideas.

 

Here is a website with some simple Swahili words—and some Swahili words that have been brought into the English language.

 

And here is a delightful trailer for a book of Swahili Folktales. 

Also on this date:

Independence Day for Bhutan 

Anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone of Uraniborg

Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night

Physicist Ernest Lawrence's birthday

Universal and International Infinity Day

Create / Happiness

Saint Mary MacKillop Day in Australia

Wear Your Mother's Jewelry Day

Father's Day in Taiwan

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• August holidays
• August birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in August

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September

March 2, 2011

 Peasants' Day – Myanmar (Burma)

The majority of people in this Southeast Asian nation are farmers, or “peasants.” On this day, public buildings and companies are shut down, and workers can stay home with their families or go out and enjoy parks or trade shows. There are many meetings to discuss the needs of the peasants and to hammer out development programs to meet those needs.

That sounds good, but apparently the nation has struggled with poverty and inadequate infrastructure (roads, bridges, water and power companies, schools, hospitals), especially since the military took over the government in the 1960s. The military violently suppresses protests against economic mis-management, actively works to prevent democracy, and violates human rights. With all that going on, a single day supposedly honoring the workers seems a bit ridiculous.

Learn more...

Read about some “kids of Burma.”  Note that each of these kids now live in Thailand because their parents do not wish them to live without freedoms and rights.

See some great photos of Burma. 

I especially like the Zedis along the path  and the view from a hot-air balloon over Bagan.  And check out the “golden rock.” 

ALSO ON THIS DAY:

National (U.S.) Read Across America Day – Dr. Seuss's Birthday

See last year's post! 

August 8, 2010

Peasants' Day – Tanzania

This holiday is called Nane Nane in Swahili (literally, “eight eight,” for August the eighth). Originally meant to honor the farmers and peasants who feed the nation, this holiday was traditionally held on July 7, called Saba Saba, in honor of the day that the Tanzanian African National Union was started. This is the political party that basically rules the country. In 1992, when Tanzania held its first multi-party elections, the opposition parties pointed out that using July 7^th as the date of an important national holiday unfairly favors the ruling party...Hence the change to August 8^th.

However, the change wasn't smooth and easy. There was confusion among people, and some people refused to work on July 7^th – some even refused to work on either day!

The holiday has apparently gone done drastically in importance since this controversy. Instead of huge gatherings of farmers from all over the country, bringing their products together and exchanging information and ideas, get-togethers and dances and cooking traditional foods—these days there are much smaller gathering with more industrial products than agricultural ones and smaller, more subdued celebrations.

Learn about Swahili

Swahili in a Bantu language spoken as the native language by 5 to 10 million people but spoken as a second language by many, many more people in Africa. It is an official language of four nations (Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), it is a common language spoken by people who don't share a native language all through Eastern Africa, and it is the only language with African origin among the official languages of the African Union.

• Make a Swahili counting book using these ideas.

• Here is a website with some simple Swahili words—and some Swahili words that have been brought into the English language.

• And here is a Swahili Folktale.

For more on Tanzania, see this earlier post.