Skip to main content
HolidayList
📅 holiday

Meeting of Two Worlds

Monday, October 12, 2026

— days to go

Some Latin American nations have dropped the celebration of Day of the Race, but Chile has not. Here, the day is called “Dia de la Raza”, (Day of the Race) as it has been known in many other countries with a Spanish colonial heritage. In 2026, Meeting of Two Worlds falls on Monday 12 October. The holiday will be on Monday 11 October in 2027. However, there is growing resistance to Day of the Race in Chile today. In Santiago, the capital and largest city, there’s an annual parade celebrating indigenous culture and protesting the “ongoing exploitation” of native people groups. Day of the Race comes on the second Monday in October, around the time that Columbus first discovered the Americas back in 1492. That event brought huge changes, both positive and negative, to North and South America. And it was Columbus’ historic voyage that triggered the long chain of events that eventually formed the modern composition of the Western Hemisphere. There are those who still celebrate the day. But the controversy surrounding the day is also very real in Chile.

History

Day of the Race comes on the second Monday in October, around the time that Columbus first discovered the Americas back in 1492. That event brought huge changes, both positive and negative, to North and South America. And it was Columbus’ historic voyage that triggered the long chain of events that eventually formed the modern composition of the Western Hemisphere

How It's Celebrated

Some Latin American nations have dropped the celebration of Day of the Race, but Chile has not. The holiday will be on Monday 11 October in 2027. In Santiago, the capital and largest city, there’s an annual parade celebrating indigenous culture and protesting the “ongoing exploitation” of native peo

Other Years

2026 Mon
12 Oct
2027 Mon
11 Oct
2028 Mon
9 Oct
2025 Sun
12 Oct
2024 Sat
12 Oct

Countries

🇨🇱 CL

You Might Also Like

View all →
🌍 observance Mar 23

National Chinchilla Day

One man's expedition changes everything. In 1918, an American mining engineer named. Mathias F. Chapmanwas working for Anaconda Copper in Chile when a local worker brought a captured chinchilla to his camp. Chapman recognized the animal's potential and spent three years collecting chinchillas from high-altitude Andean sites. After persistent lobbying, the Chilean government granted him a rare export permit.On February 22, 1923, Chapman arrived in San Pedro, California, with 11 chinchillas: eight males and three females. He had designed special transport cages and gradually acclimated the animals to lower altitudes during the journey. That small founding group would become the ancestors of virtually every domesticated chinchilla alive today

CLUS
🌍 observance Sep 18

Chile Independence

Colonization Begins. Spanish adventurer Pedro de Valdivia starts the colonization of Chile, marking the beginning of over two centuries of Spanish rule

CL
📅 holiday Nov 30

St Andrew's Day

Saint Andrew’s Day is celebrated every 30 November in Scotland. The day celebrates the Feast of Saint Andrew and is also considered Scotland’s National Day. In 2026, Saint Andrew's Day falls on Monday 30 November. The holiday will be on Tuesday 30 November in 2027. *Please refer to this note for Scotland-specific information. This patron saint day was declared a bank holiday in 2006 by the Scottish Parliament although banks are not required to close if they do not wish to. If 30 November occurs on a weekend, the bank holiday is moved to the following Monday. Saint Andrew is notable in that he was one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and was also the brother of Saint Peter. Before following Jesus, Andrew was a fisherman. He was born at Bethsaida on the Sea of Galilee. The main colour you will see in Scotland on Saint Andrew’s Day is the white diagonal cross on blue background of the Scottish flag – the Saltire. This is the Saint Andrew’s cross, and represents the shape of the cross on which Saint Andrew was said to have been crucified. The history of the Scottish link to Saint Andrew goes back as far as 832AD when Óengus II promised God that if the Scots and Picts were victorious in battle against the Angles he would make Saint Andrew the patron saint of Scotland. And they were. Saint Andrew’s Day’s amazing menus include cullen skink (haddock and potato soup), highland venison casseroles, potted hough (shin) with mustard sauce and Scottish tablet (a very sweet treat). Events around Scotland include flag ceremonies, the Shindig in George Square of Glasgow that features live music, and local celebrations in the town of Saint Andrews in the Kingdom of Fife. There is also free entry to many of Scotland’s castles and attractions on the day. Scotland has a free Saint Andrew’s Day app available for iPhone and Android with Scottish and worldwide events, menu ideas and much more.

GB
📅 holiday Dec 26

Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti

The birth anniversary of freedom fighter Udham Singh, called “Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti”, is a public holiday in the Indian state of Haryana. In 2026, Shaheed Udham Singh Jayanti falls on Saturday 26 December. The holiday will be on Sunday 26 December in 2027. From the British perspective, Shaheed Udham Singh was an assassin who killed their lieutenant governor of Punjab province on 13 March 1940. He shot Michael O’Dwyer to death at a meeting in London. He did not try to escape and was immediately arrested. In jail, he went on a hunger strike for over 40 days but was force fed to keep him alive until his execution on 31 July, 1940. In India, he is sometimes called “Shaheed i Azam”, which means “The Great Martyr”. The reason is that Michael O’Dwyer had supported a massacre of over 1,000 people over 20 years before he was assassinated. In 1919, riots broke out against British rule in Punjab, which were ultimately put down by firing on civilians, including women and children. There had been riots a few days before that had killed four Europeans and burned down some British banks, but the crowd fired upon is considered to have been a group of peaceful protesters. Mahatma Gandhi condemned the assassination, but many others, especially in his native province of Punjab, approved of it. There is a national memorial in the garden of Jallianwala Bagh in the Punjabi city of Amritsar, where the 1919 massacre took place, which mentions him honourably.

IN