Top Most Popular Holiday in November from Around the World

List of festivals and holidays in November 2021. Photo: Expatica

No matter what Country around the World, or City that you live in, there are usually some type of special events that your area is known for. Many of these types of events are held on an annual basis.

Full Calendar for Most Popular Holidays

List of most popular festivals in November 2021:

Day of the Dead, Mexico (Tuesday, November 2)

With paper mache skeletons and candy skulls, Mexico’s carnivalesque Day of the Dead is one of the world’s most familiar festivals. Día de Los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is not a Mexican version of Halloween. Participants devote a day to cleaning their family graves, decorating them with candles and flowers, having picnics and dancing to mariachi bands. It’s an odd combination of remembrance and festivity. It’s a festival that celebrates life and respect for deceased family members. It’s beautiful, festive, and fun, according to Nomadic Matt.

Diwali, India (Thursday, November 4)

Photo: The New York Times

Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is celebrated across India with great enthusiasm. The festival symbolizes the victory of good over bad or evil. Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Lord Ram rescued Sita from Ravana and defeated him. The celebration marks the return of Lord Ram to Ayodha after 14 years of exile.

Diwali generally falls on the no-moon night between the month of October and November. Traditionally it used to go on for five long days. The darkest night centers the Diwali night, the new moon night- the end of the month of Ashvin and the start of the month of Kartika.

BhaiDooj, India (Saturday, November 6)

The last day and the fifth day of the big festival of Diwali is called Bhai dooj. It celebrates the loving relationship between brothers and sisters. It is quite similar to Raksha Bandhan but has different traditions. Siblings pray for the well-being and long-life of each other on this special day.

This popular festival of India, Bhai Dooj falls on the month of November, on the 6th November.

Guru Nanak Jayanti, India (Friday, November 19)

Photo: The Financial Express

Guru Nanak Jayanti, otherwise called Gurpurab, is the main celebration for the devotees of the religion of Sikhism. It is commended to celebrate the birth anniversary of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak Dev. The celebration is celebrated on the arrival of Kartik Poornima, which is the fifteenth lunar day in the long stretch of Kartik as depicted by the Hindu schedule, and typically falls in the period of November by the Gregorian schedule, told Chimes Radio.

Festivities start in Gurudwaras two days before the day of Guru Nanak Jayanti. A 48-hour constant recitation of the Guru Granth Sahib, called Akhand Path, is held. A day prior to Guru Nanak’s birthday, a parade called Nagarkirtan is coordinated. The parade is driven by five men, alluded to as the Panj Pyare, holding the Sikh three-sided flag, Nishan Sahib.

This is one of the popular festivals in India mainly for the Sikhs. In 2021, Guru Nanak Jayanti falls on 19th November, Friday.

Black Necked Crane Festival, Bhutan (Thursday, November 11)

We must admit: a festival dedicated to an endangered bird is right up our alley. The fact it's in rural Bhutan makes it even more appealing. The black-necked crane is a vulnerable Asian bird, a species incredibly important to the Bhutanese people. Particularly in winter.

So, locals gather at Gangtey Goenpa in Phobjikha Valley to celebrate the bird's arrival each November, having waited for its return since March. They sing folk songs, perform cultural dances, and enjoy a number of performances, themed around the environment and protection of the crane.

All Saints Day Kite Festival, Guatemala (Wednesday, November 1)

Photo: Pinterest

A version of Día de los Muertos (often given a slightly different name), or the Day of All Souls, is celebrated throughout Central America. If not, the Day of All Saints (usually 1 or 2 November) acts as an opportunity for communities to gather in cemeteries, decorate their altars, and remember their lost loved ones.

In Guatemala’s Sacatepéquez cemetery, Day of the Dead is marked with the All Saints Day Kite Festival, also known as Barriletes Gigantes. Locals and visitors alike design and create large kites out of natural materials – and when we say large, we’ve seen some 20m wide.

Burning Barrels at Ottery St Mary, Devon, UK (5 November)

The village of Ottery St Mary in Devon is known for its Tar Barrels, but no one really knows where the tradition of burning them on a November night came from. The festival's official website reckons it began shortly after Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot was foiled.

So, on 5 November, residents grab the large Tar Barrels and carry them, fully aflame, through the streets. Certainly, carrying the barrels (as opposed to rolling them) makes this a particularly unique UK experience.

Govardhan Puja, India (Friday, November 5)

Govardhan Puja (IAST: Govardhana-pūjā), also known as Annakut or Annakoot (meaning a “mountain of food”), is a Hindu festival in which devotees worship Govardhan Hill and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Krishna as a mark of gratitude. For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the Bhagavata Purana when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. The incident is seen to represent how God will protect all devotees who take singular refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God. The festival is observed by most Hindu denominations all over India and abroad.

For Vaishnavas, particularly the Pushtimarg of Vallabha, the Gaudiya Sampradaya of Chaitanya and the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, it is one of the important festivals. The Annakut festival occurs on the first lunar day of the Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the month of Kartik, which is the day after Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Remembrance Day (Thursday, November 11)

Photo: Gazette Live

Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of the remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states. Remembrance Day has been observed since the end of the First World War to remember armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. Following a tradition inaugurated by King George V in 1919, the day is also marked by war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month", in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. ("At the 11th hour" refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.) The First World War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.

The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day. The initial Armistice Day was observed at Buckingham Palace, commencing with King George V hosting a "Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic" during the evening hours of 10 November 1919. The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning. During the Second World War, many countries changed the name of the holiday. Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the US chose Veterans Day.

World Prematurity Day (Wednesday, November 17)

World Prematurity Day is observed on 17 November each year to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide. Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm each year, accounting for about one in 10 of all babies born worldwide. Premature birth is the leading cause of death in children under the age of five worldwide.