WOW: What’s On Where In November
Dia De Los Muertos, October 31 – November 2
The Day of The Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and amongst the Mexican diasporas around the world. The holiday is a multi-day event celebrating family members and friends who have passed away and aiding their spirits on their journeys. Dia De Los Muertos is treated as a celebration as opposed to a day of sadness as Mexican culture understands death as a natural part of the life cycle, and believes that the spirits of the dead awaken to celebrate alongside the living. Historians trace the event back to an Aztec celebration of the Goddess Mictecacihuatl, though the modern holiday is celebrated alongside the Catholic celebration of All Saint’s Day.
Watch: Empire Builder – Mexico
Watch: Global LA – Haunted
National Candy Day, 4 November
Candy has undergone a significant transformation in the last 100 years. Though humanity’s sweet tooth goes back much further, candy as we know it today became popular during and WW1, when the US government commissioned chocolate to be made and distributed to soldiers to keep energy and morale flowing. From there, our love of confectionery has taken many forms and has become a multi billion dollar industry globally. We think the timing is rather appropriate, too – somebody has to finish up all of those trick-or-treat delights!
Download: The Story of Sugar
Watch: Tough Trains – Cuba’s Sugar Trains
Watch: 5 Minutes In… Fiji’s Sugar Railroads
Read: A Short History of Slavery and Sugar Cane in Jamaica
Pushkar Camel Fair, India, 4 – 12 November
Held each November at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon, Pushkar Camel Fair is one of India’s most highly-rated travel experiences attracting thousands of Rajasthan traders with camels, horses and cattle and visited by over 400,000 people over the period for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the colour, spectacle and carnival of one of the last great traditional fairs.
Guy Fawkes Night, 5 November
Primarily celebrated in the United Kingdom, Guy Fawkes night (or Bonfire Night) is celebrated by the lighting of bonfires and setting of fireworks to commemorate the night of November 5th 1605 where Guy Fawkes was captured and his plot to blow up the houses of parliament with gunpowder foiled. The event includes an effigy of Guy Fawkes being burned at the stake, but despite this tradition and popular belief, him and his co-conspirators were actually hanged at the Tower of London for the crime of treason.
Read: Guy Fawkes Night: Tar Barrel Rolling
Pirates Week, Cayman Islands, 1 -17 November
Each of the Cayman Islands are invaded annually by all things pirate! An important part of Cayman heritage, the festival brings lighthearted pirate fun, seafood dishes, costumes and ships.
Read: The Politics and Pleasures of Treasure
Read: Great Explorers: The Americas
34 Years Since The Fall of The Berlin Wall, 9 November
This year, November 9 will mark the 34th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which separated the East and West of the city for 28 years. The wall stood as a symbol of a divided city and country, of terror and the Cold War. Overnight, it changed an entire nation. Now, this date is remembered as a day of reunification in a country known for its freedom, opportunity and individuality.
Read: Berlin Wall Memorabilia
Watch: Bazaar – Berlin
Veterans & Armistice Day, 11 November
Every November 11th at 11am, the world pauses for two solemn minutes to remember those who lost their lives fighting for freedom during WWI & II. The date and time are of importance as this was the date in 1918 when the armistice was signed, agreeing the cessation of hostilities and fighting in WWI, and today symbolising the date that WWI ended.
Watch: 5 Minutes In… Veterans Day in San Diego
JFK Assasination, 22 November
At 12:30pm on November 22nd 1963, John F Kennedy, his wife Jackie, Texan Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie pulled into Dealey Plaza as a part of a presidential motorcade around Dallas, only to be fatally shot by former US Marine and Marxist Lee Harvey Oswald. The assassination of the president shocked the world. The events took place during the cold ward and many believed that the USSR had played a part in it, though Oswald was later found to have acted alone. Oswald himself was fatally shot whilst in police custody. The assassination has had a lasting impression on the world and is still widely regarded as on of the world’s greatest tragedies, alongside 9/11 and Pearl Harbour.
Read: The Assassination of JFK
Watch: Historic Walks – Washington DC
Thanksgiving Day, 23 November
Every third Thursday of November, America enjoys its biggest annual celebration! Thanksgiving is a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest season and of the year passed. Though it has its roots in religious tradition, it has long been accepted as a secular holiday. The celebrations are usually centred around a feast for the entire family.
This year is also special in that 2019 marks 75 years since the first ever Macy’s thanksgiving day parade which has become an iconic part of thanksgiving celebration
Black Friday, 29 November
The friday after Thanksgiving has become known as ‘Black Friday’ and has become the biggest shopping day in most of the west. Black Friday sees retailers slash prices dramatically to arouse consumers and create excitement, buzz and many sales.
Download: Bazaar – Los Angeles
Watch: Bazaar – Miami
Small Business Saturday, 30 November
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots campaign designed to highlight the successes of small businesses and the benefits of shopping ‘small’ locally. It follows the sentiment that small businesses make up the backbone of the economy. We concur! Why not celebrate shopping small this year by visiting us at the Pilot Guides Store! We are a small independent company making travel adventure films that we hope you love watching as much as we do making them. Every time you buy a video from us you are supporting the filmmakers who created all the films on this site. Your support keeps us going, and we couldn’t do it without you.
Read: The History of Pilot Productions
Shop: The Pilot Guides Store
St Andrews Day, 30 November
St Andrews Day is the ‘feast day’ of Saint Andrew, the patron Saint of Scotland, among other places. It is Scotland’s national day and is taken as a ‘bank holiday’ (public holiday). There is also a town in Scotland which is named after the Saint which is said to be the birthplace and home of the game of golf, and one of the most prestigious and exclusive courses in the world.
Download: Adventure Golf – Scotland
Watch: Great Railway Journeys of Europe – Glasgow to Mallaig
