Did you know that Halloween has cultural significance to different groups of people, or that Columbus Day is more than what meets the eye? Well, the month of October is home to many unique holidays and festivals that originated around the world, but are also celebrated in the United States!
The first holiday that is celebrated is Columbus Day (Also known as indigenous peoples’ Day), which is celebrated on October 13th. Many people think that Columbus Day is when “In fourteen hundred ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, which is a quote from Jean Marzollo, who first wrote it to help kids memorize the year that Columbus discovered America. Although this might be true, Columbus Day has so much more meaning, depth, and is a huge part of society today! When Columbus made it to America, he did not exactly help the native Americans. He did trade with them, but he introduced different illnesses to the environment that the tribes were not used to. Illnesses like smallpox, measles, influenza, and whooping cough spread throughout the New World, and decreased the Native American population by almost 95%! This was a terrible event; however, it changed the unwavering course that the New World was following. This is because Columbus was able to set up western colonization, which led to huge European population increases in the New World. This then directly led to the major events that we all learn about in school! All in all, Columbus Day celebrates the colonization of the West, not the decimation of the Native American tribes. We can celebrate Columbus Day in many ways, like going to a Columbus Day parade near you, like the one on the second Monday in October in New York, or a much smaller event that your town may hold! We can also remember the Native Americans who were affected at the same time by taking the time to learn about the impact they had on the New World.
Although Columbus Day is interesting, a much bigger October holiday is Yom Kippur, which is celebrated from sunset on October 1st until nightfall on October 2nd. This holiday is a day of repentance for the Jewish religion and recognition of God’s forgiveness. This may seem unusual to some because in many other religions, like Roman Catholicism, you can repent for your sins whenever you want. On the contrary, the Jewish religion only has twenty-four hours to repent for all of their sins. An interesting fact is that it is important to fast on this day. All Jews who celebrate fast for 24 hours are not even allowed to drink water! They also give up technology and pray at their temple the entire day! After it is time to break their fast, they go home and celebrate with others over an amazing meal! Therefore, Yom Kippur is an interesting holiday that many people still celebrate today!
As seen above, October has many holidays that are celebrated around the world, but one that is celebrated predominantly in Europe is Oktoberfest. Combining an old traditional beer festival with a fair, Oktoberfest is a holiday that people of all ages can enjoy. Oktoberfest is celebrated with many traditions, including wearing traditional Bavarian clothing, enjoying Bavarian food and beer (for adults), listening to Bavarian music, and participating in multiple competitions, including a stein-holding contest. In 2025, the main Oktoberfest festival in Munich had 6.5 million attendees, further cementing its legacy as one of the biggest festivals in the world. Interestingly, this festival also has quite a lot of history behind it, first celebrating the wedding of King Ludwig I of Bavaria and Princess Therese in 1810. In 1835, to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary, a costume and rifle parade was added to the festival, a tradition that is still maintained today. Fun fact, the chicken dance was originally invented as an Oktoberfest tradition, so whenever people do the chicken dance, it was actually started because of this German festival. Thus, Oktoberfest is a very interesting festival that is celebrated through many traditions, even outside of its original country of Germany. From listening to Bavarian music to taking part in a stein-holding contest, Oktoberfest is a diverse and unique festival for all to enjoy.
Overall, there are many diverse festivals and holidays in October, but they all deserve to be recognized, celebrated, and enjoyed.
