My Science School

National Day

With a rat-a-tat-tat of drums and a blare of bugles, rows of soldiers march smartly down the street. Overhead, a group of warplanes roars across the sky. Later, fireworks will light up the night sky. It’s National Day in Nigeria.

Nigeria is on the west coast of Africa. Until 1960, Nigeria was part of the British Commonwealth. Then, on October 1, 1960, Great Britain granted Nigeria its independence. Nigeria adopted a green and white flag. The green is for agriculture and the white for unity and peace.

October 1 is a national holiday that Nigerians celebrate with great joy.

The event in 1960 eventually led to the formation of the federal republic of Nigeria, and the journey to independence started with some constitutional developments that saw the country attaining self-rule in some quarters in 1957 and total independence on 1 October 1960.

October 1st has been designated a national holiday to commemorate the day Nigeria laid down its claim to be a free and independent nation from the United Kingdom.

Independence Day (National Day) in Nigeria is celebrated each year by patriotic citizens across all of 36 states, regardless of ethnicity and religion.

On the morning of October 1st, the incumbent President of Nigeria delivers a speech to officially commence the Independence Day celebrations and the country’s green - white – green flag will be unfurled with the singing of the national anthem in the capital city of Abuja.

The military officers will lead in a plethora of parades featuring the armed forces, student bands, and various cultural groups’ while the official celebration will kick off with a tribute to the founding fathers and heroines and freedom fighters of the great nation that is Nigeria.

Picture Credit : Google

The Month of October

October is the 10th month of the year. This month got its name from octo, the Latin word for “eight”. October was once the eighth month.

When the Romans made October the 10th month, rulers tried several times to rename this month in honour of certain emperors or members of their families. But the people continued to call this month October.

In parts of the northern half of the world, the first frost usually occurs in October. Leaves change to brilliant colours. In parts of the southern half of the world, the weather is just beginning to get warm.

History of October

October always had 31 days, and it became the tenth month of the year when the months of January and February were added, pushing October towards the end of the solar year, which is around 365.24 days long.

The Julian was substituted for the Gregorian calendar because it did not reflect the length of a year on Earth accurately enough. Today's Gregorian calendar does a much better job at keeping up with our planet's revolutions around the Sun, but even this calendar is not perfect.

Fall and Spring Month

October is in the fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the month after the autumnal equinox. However, as seasons are opposite on either side of the equator, October is in the spring in the Southern Hemisphere. The seasonal equivalent is April in the opposite hemisphere.

The month of October starts on the same day of the week as January in common years, but during leap years, October does not start on the same day of the week as any other month. It ends on the same day of the week as February every year and January in common years only.

Picture Credit : Google

Mid-Autumn Festival

At midnight, Chinese people in many countries gather in parks to sing, dance, and look at the beautiful full moon while enjoying crisp pastries filled with sweet paste. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival.

At this time of year, many people exchange moon cakes, round pastries filled with lotus seed, sesame, or another sweet paste. Many cakes have an egg yolk in them to make them look like the moon. Koreans also celebrate a Mid-Autumn Festival. During the festival, they may play sports and have picnics, or just rest and enjoy the fruits of the recent harvest.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in many East Asian communities. In China, it's a reunion time for families, just like Thanksgiving, while in Vietnam, it's more like a children's day.

The Mid-Autumn Festival is also called the Moon Festival or the Mooncake Festival. It traditionally falls on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar.

Picture Credit : Google