Its November 1st and the Holidays are fast approaching. So fast in fact the malls and stores have been showing signs of the Holiday Season! And we only celebrated Halloween yesterday!

November begins with Los Dias De Los Muertos, or Days of the Dead (Nov. 01-02). This import from Mexico and South America celebrates family and friends who have passed. Unlike the sorrow and sadness of the US culture of death, Los Dias De Los Muertos is a happy and jubilant time to remember and honor your loved ones. And there’s lots of smiling skeletons too!

Of course the biggest holiday in November is Thanksgiving (US). Celebrated on the 26th , there’s really only 4 weeks to get everything ready! In need of Turkey and stuffing recipes anyone?

And who can forget Black Friday and the beginning of the Christmas season? So start saving up those pennies because it feels like its going to be a quick month!

Here’s some fun facts about November…

Month of year: 11th
Days: 30
Birthstone: Topaz
Flower: Chrysanthemum
Season: Fall
Horoscope: Scorpio, Sagittarius
History:
Originally the ninth month of the Roman calendar, November was named for novem – the number nine
Important Observances:
US General Election Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday*

*source: Daily Holidays on the Net

Thanksgiving (Canada)
And a very special holiday greeting to our friends up in Canada…

Happy Thanksgiving!
Aye!

More information: Thanksgiving in Canada
photo credit: via flickr

Did You Know?
Facts, Figures & Folklore
About the Month of October
Sept 30 : 01 day to October

Did you know that Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween are both celebrated in October?

These fall holidays are rich in symbols of the season, including the pumpkin — a gourd harvested throughout the autumn months.

Join us as we present a new “Did You Know?” fact each day as we countdown to the month of October! So stop by again tomorrow.

Sources: Daily Holidays on the Net, Holidaypedia: October

Signup for our Did You Know? Holiday Countdown emails or follow us on Twitter – twitter.com/holidaysnet (@holidaysnet)

Mayflower Day
On this day in 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England. On November 21, 1620, the ship finally set down anchor in Provincetown, MA. The passengers who survived that perilous 2-month journey became the earliest permanent European settlers in New England.

Black Friday
Twas the day after Thanksgiving,
and all through the mall,
lots of crazies were stirring,
the big and the small.
The decorations were hung
throughout the mall with some care,
but weren’t these snowflakes
up before Halloween?

Well aside from the bad poetry, today is the official start of the Christmas shopping season. It was the day that, traditionally, retailers accounting books went from “red” to “black.” And while that’s not really true anymore its still a big day for retailers. And bargain hunters.

So good luck and great “sale-ing.”

photo credit: via flickr