July Celebrations: Blueberry time, Nation Founding, Saving Snakes, and More
“Chippewa” blueberries, from the Minnesota Nursery Research Corporation
This month was originally named Quintilis (“fifth”) in the old Roman calendar, which had March as the first month of the year. It was renamed to honor Julius Caesar, who reformed the calendar in 46 BCE to add leap years and move the start of the year to January. Later called the Julian calendar, it was used in Europe until the calendar reforms of Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.
To the various indigenous peoples of North America, as to people around the world before the spread of the Roman calendar, months were defined by moon phases. According to Ojibwe.net, a site dedicated to preserving Ojibwe traditions and language (also called Chippewa), names are given to the full moon and pertain to phenology or seasonal activities. Hence, the full moon on July 10 is the Blueberry Moon.
Tue., July 1. Canada Day marks the date when the English Parliament passed the first British North America Act in 1867, establishing Canada as a self-governing dominion. This did not initially include all of today’s provinces, but it set the ball in motion for the gradual formation of modern Canada.
Fri., 4. US Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress in 1776. You can watch a reading of the document, introduced by Morgan Freeman, here.
Sat., 5. International Day of Cooperatives is observed by the United Nations on the first Saturday in July; the date was chosen to coincide with the existing International Cooperative Day which has been celebrated by the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) since 1923. This year has also been declared by the UN as the International Year of Cooperatives.
Today the Tour de France bicycle race begins in Lille-Nord de France (in northern France).
Thu., 10. Dharma Day celebrates the first teachings of the Buddha and thus the beginnings of Buddhism. Also called Asalha Puja, it is observed during the full moon in July.
Fri., 12. Battle of the Boyne/Orangemen’s Day, also called Glorious 12th in reference to the Glorious Revolution, is celebrated by Irish Protestants to commemorate the victory of William of Orange over the recently deposed King James II (attempting a comeback) in 1690 at the Boyne River, Ireland, affirming William as king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, who ruled jointly with his wife, Queen Mary II. William and Mary ushered in a parliamentary monarchy, replacing the absolute monarchy of their predecessor. Subsequently, Parliament declared that no future monarch could be a Catholic or married to a Catholic. In Ireland, that was the beginning of 300 years of Protestant dominance over the Catholic majority. It’s still a sore point today.
Mon., 14. Known as Bastille Day in the US, la Fête Nationale française commemorates both the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, a turning point in the French Revolution, and la Fête de la Fédération in 1790, when Parisians along with Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette celebrated the conclusion of a peaceful revolution and the principle of a constitutional monarchy, or so they thought at the time. The king and queen were executed three years later, on Oct. 16, 1793.
The Bastille was not only a notorious prison (although with only seven prisoners at the time it was attacked), it was also an armory, with a large cache of weapons and gunpowder. Breaching it allowed the revolutionaries to arm the citizens. In the subsequent weeks, the newly formed Constituent Assembly abolished feudalism and adopted the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man. The day is marked with a massive military parade, followed by local festivities throughout France, and fireworks at night. In many other countries, including the United States, the day is a celebration of French culture and heritage.
Tue., 15. St. Swithun was a 9th century bishop at Winchester, England, who died on July 2 and was buried outdoors, as he had requested. About 100 years later, his body was transferred to Winchester Cathedral on July 15, which became his feast day. Several miracles surrounded this event, some having to do with rain, possibly because the saint was displeased by the move. It became lore that rain on St. Swithun’s Day means 40 more days of rain. He is also the saint to pray to for ending a drought.
‘St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ‘twill rain nae mair.’
The red-bellied watersnake is native to the southeastern US; it is nonvenomous and will hide on land if threatened.
Wed., 16. World Snake Day is a project of the Advocates for Snake Preservation (ASP, founded in 2014) to promote positive stories and understanding about snakes, which are in need of protection as much as other animals. See also Nag Panchami on July 29 below.
Fri., 18. Nelson Mandela Day is an international observance to mark the birthday of the late civil rights leader and first democratically elected president of South Africa. In 2009, the United Nations formally declared Nelson Mandela International Day as a call for individuals to take action on the issues he championed: to fight poverty and injustice, and to promote peace and reconciliation.
Mon., 21. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg swore allegiance to the Belgian constitution on July 21, 1831, becoming Leopold I, first king of the Belgians. Prior to 1830, Belgium was part of the Netherlands. The event is remembered as Belgian National Day.
Tue., 29. Nag Panchami is a Hindu holiday of snake worship that has traditionally featured practices such as snake charming, which have been outlawed in India since 1972 because of animal cruelty and conservation concerns. Although it appears (to this calendar maker) that in some parts of India, at least, people continue these harmful customs, the festival is evolving to feature images and models of snakes instead of live snakes. In Nepal, a group of wildlife conservationists holds the Nepal Snake Festival on Nag Panchami to educate the public about snake conservation and safe coexistence.