Seasonal Sayings

Monday, October 2nd: Yom Kippur
(Beginning at sunset the previous evening, Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement, climaxing the 10 days of penitence beginning on Rosh Hashanah. The day is devoted to fasting, prayer and repentance of past sins.)

Monday, October 9th: Columbus Day
“At the end of the year 1492, most men in Western Europe felt exceedingly gloomy about the future. Christian civilization appeared to be shrinking in area and dividing into hostile units ... For over a century there had been no important advance in natural science, and registration in the universities dwindled as the instruction they offered became increasingly jejune and lifeless."

Monday, October 9th: Canadian Thanksgiving Day
The following Q-and-A’s about Canada were taken from an international tourism Web site and cited by humorist Dan Danbom in the speech featured in this issue’s Speech Analysis section.

Tuesday, October 31st: Halloween
According to The Wordsworth Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions, Halloween, on the evening of Oct. 31 originated as a Christian and pagan festival “... when spirits of the dead are supposed to return to their former homes, and witches and demons are thought to be abroad at night. This was the last day of the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon year, and many Halloween customs have their origin in pagan ceremonies.”