NOVEMBER NOSTALGIA

A month to remember

So you’ve made it to the month of November. You’ve accomplished the impossible and survived the most dangerous year our world has encountered in modern history. It’s been a series of dreadful months since we heralded 2020 – and we live in hope that things will only get better. Like many of the months before it this year, November is packed with days we ought to remember. For instance, several countries including the US will be celebrating Thanksgiving during the course of the month but did you know that the Canadians celebrated it in October?

Thanksgiving is a time for those warm family dinners that involve the signature roast turkey and giving thanks for blessings received during the year. The day finishes in front of the TV, watching football – and the enjoyment includes lots of yelling and groaning too.

In the UK, the festive spirit is a tad different with bonfires, masked children and adults, firework displays and of course, parading the streets with the infamous ‘Guy.’ Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on 5 November to mark the botched Gunpowder Plot of 1605 and a failed attempt at bombing the British Houses of Parliament.

Remembrance Day on 11 November is commemorated when Commonwealth nations honour members of their armed forces who died during the First World War. In many countries, veterans’ associations sell wreaths or single poppies in public spaces. The poppy symbolises remembrance and support for the armed services, and hope for a peaceful future.

Deepavali or Diwali, which is the Hindu festival of lights, is celebrated in Sri Lanka and India. Hindu homes here in Sri Lanka are decorated with beautiful Kolam. And at night, pretty candles and lamps are lit to symbolise the victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.

The Colombo Motor Show is scheduled to take place from 13 to 15 November. So drop by at the BMICH and be part of the largest motoring event in Sri Lanka.

November is certainly packed with many exciting days to remember but the best of them are the memories you create. So gather your friends and family whenever possible, and be sure to make this a month to remember!