31st  October

Thought of 

the week

Ever tried. 

Ever failed. No matter. 

Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. 

                                   Samuel Beckett

This last day of October celebrates Halloween.

Do you want to know some curious facts?

"October 31st is Halloween and is now celebrated in many countries 

around the world. (...) 

The origins of Halloween

If you think of Halloween, you probably think 

of scary carved pumpkins, all kinds of fancy 

dress and children asking for sweets. 

And if you think of a country that celebrates

Halloween, you probably think of the 

United States first. 

Americans and Canadians 

have adopted Halloween in a big way, 

but Halloween traditions actually come 

from 16th-century Ireland, Scotland and England.

The tradition of Halloween on 31st October 

comes from the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. 

Samhain was the Celtic New Year and they 

celebrated it on 1st November because that 

was the end of summer and harvest time (life) 

and the beginning of winter (death). 

It was also the time for ghosts to return 

to earth for a day. People lit a big fire, 

wore special clothes made of animal skin 

and hoped to be safe from the ghosts 

and the winter. 

In AD 609, the Catholic Church put the Christian 

celebration of All Saints Day on 1st November. 

In AD 1000, the church added All Souls Day 

on 2nd November, and All Hallows Eve – 

or Halloween –  moved to the night of the 31st. (...) 

Trick or treat

This is another tradition that began in Europe, 

this time in England. When the church introduced 

All Souls Day, rich people gave poor people 

‘soul cakes’, a small cake made with 

spices and raisins. It replaced the Celtic 

tradition of leaving food outside houses 

for the ghosts. 

‘Going a-souling’ was popular in 

England for hundreds of years 

until about the 1930s. 

The Americans kept the tradition, 

but today children knock on people’s doors 

and ask for sweets. Going trick or treating is 

so popular that a quarter of the sweets 

for the year in the United States are sold 

for this one day.

The rest of the world

Halloween has become the United States’ 

second-biggest commercial festival after 

Christmas. Halloween is also celebrated in 

other countries, but it’s not as big as 

in the United States, even in the countries where 

the traditions began. 

Mexico celebrates the Day of the Dead from 

31st October to 2nd November and some 

of its traditions, like giving gifts of sugar skulls, 

are starting to mix with Halloween. 

In this way, the celebration of Halloween continues 

to change as new traditions join the oldest 

of the Celtic ones."

in https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/magazine-zone/halloween

Click  HERE  and have a spooky time watching this trailer. 👻   🎃  💀  🎃

24th October

Thought of 

the week

“Don’t be afraid to give up 

the good to go for the great.” 

John D. Rockefeller

Do you know …

that the United Nations Day is celebrated on 24th October?

"Building Back Together for Peace and Prosperity

A symbol of hope for global unity

United Nations Day, on 24 October, marks the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter. With the ratification of this founding document by the majority of its signatories, including the five permanent members of the Security Council, the United Nations officially came into being.

There is no other global organization with the legitimacy, convening power and normative impact of the United Nations. No other global organization gives hope to so many people for a better world and can deliver the future we want. Today, the urgency for all countries to come together, to fulfil the promise of the nations united, has rarely been greater.

UN Day, celebrated every year, offers the opportunity to amplify our common agenda and reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter that have guided us for the past 77 years.

Secretary General's message 2022

The United Nations is the product of hope.

The hope — and resolve — following the Second World War to move beyond global conflict to global cooperation.

Today, our organization is being tested like never before.

But the United Nations was made for moments like this.

Now, more than ever, we need to bring to life the values and principles of the UN Charter in every corner of the world.

By giving peace a chance and ending conflicts that jeopardize lives, futures and global progress.

By working to end extreme poverty, reduce inequalities, and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals.

By safeguarding our planet, including by breaking our addiction to fossil fuels and kickstarting the renewable energy revolution.

And by finally balancing the scales of opportunity and freedom for women and girls and ensure human rights for all.

As we mark UN Day, let us renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity.

                                                                                         António Guterres"

https://www.un.org/en/observances/un-day

The United Nations emblem in the General Assembly Hall.

        PHOTO:UN/Cia Pak

 17th October

Thought of 

the week

“Magic is believing in yourself. If you can make that happen, you can make anything happen.” 

  Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

                                                     Do you know …

the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty is celebrated on 17th October?

 PHOTO:©Sadek Ahmed

"2022 Theme: 

Dignity For All in Practice

The commitments we make together for social justice, peace, and the planet.

Dignity for all in practice is the umbrella theme of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty for 2022-2023. 

The dignity of the human being is not only a fundamental right in itself but constitutes the basis of all other fundamental rights. Therefore, “Dignity” is not an abstract concept: it belongs to each and every one. Today, many people living in persistent poverty experience their dignity being denied and disrespected.

With the commitment to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure all people everywhere enjoy peace and prosperity, the 2030 Agenda again gestured toward the same promise established under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, the current reality shows that 1.3 billion people still live in multidimensional poverty with almost half of them children and youth. 

Inequalities of opportunities and income are sharply on the rise and, each year, the gap between the rich and poor gets even wider. 

In the past year, as millions struggle through the erosion of workers’ rights and job quality to make it to another day, corporate power and the wealth of the billionaire class have recorded an unprecedented rise.

Poverty and inequality are not inevitable. They are the result of deliberate decisions or inaction that disempower the poorest and marginalized in our societies and violate their fundamental rights. 

The silent and sustained violence of poverty – social exclusion, structural discrimination and disempowerment – makes it harder for people trapped in extreme poverty to escape and denies their humanity. (…)"

https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-for-eradicating-poverty

Children play outside a metal polishing work-shop in the Shivnagar Mohalla slum in Moradabad district in Uttar Pradesh, India.
To end poverty in all its forms everywhere is Goal 1 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Overall, action to meet the SDGs is not yet advancing at the speed or scale required by 2030.
Photo: UNICEF/Niklas Halle'n

 16th October

World Food Day

Leave NO ONE behind!

"Although we have made progress towards building a 

better world, too many people 

have been left behind. People who are unable 

to benefit from human development, 

innovation or economic growth.

In fact, millions of people around the world cannot 

afford a healthy diet, putting them at high 

risk of food insecurity and malnutrition. 

But ending hunger isn’t only about supply. 

Enough food is produced today to feed 

everyone on the planet.

The problem is access and availability of nutritious food, 

which is increasingly impeded by multiple 

challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, 

conflicts, climate change, inequality, rising prices 

and international tensions. People around 

the world are suffering the domino effects 

of challenges that know no borders.(…)"

in https://www.fao.org/world-food-day/about/en

"World Food Day 2022 comes at a challenging moment 

for global food security. 

The number of people affected by hunger has more 

than doubled in the past three years. Almost a million 

people are living in famine conditions, with starvation and 

death a daily reality. A staggering 3 billion people cannot 

afford a healthy diet. 

The most vulnerable communities are being battered 

by the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, 

environmental degradation, conflict, and 

deepening inequalities. 

The war in Ukraine has accelerated the rise in food 

and fertilizer and energy prices. 

But we can reverse all these trends, if we act together. 

There is enough food for everyone in our world this year. 

But farmers need to urgently access fertilizers at 

reasonable cost to ensure enough food next year. 

The theme of this year’s World Food Day is 

to “Leave no one behind. Better production, 

better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.” 

Governments, scientists, the private sector and civil 

society need to work together to make nutritious 

diets available and affordable for all. Financial institutions 

need to increase their support to developing countries, 

so they can help their people and invest in food systems. 

Together, we must move from despair to hope and action. 

On World Food Day and every day, 

I call on you to be part of the change."

United Nations Chief, António Guterres

https://youtu.be/i8r_N_LbV8g

Improving our health is also very important and matters. 

On WFD it is also asked to mind our way of eating and doing our choices on what implies food.

This is a small collection of ideas my students researched and presented in order to

have healthy meals or in order to think on list of foods that harm our health or even to find out the positive aspects of healthy foods. 

Great work!

(EBHC, 8A-8B-9B-9C)

Click HERE

 10th October

World Mental 

Health Day

"World Mental Health Day is 

marked every year on October 10 

to raise awareness about mental health 

around the world and to mobilize 

efforts to support those experiencing 

mental health issues. 

Every year since 2013, the World Health 

Organization (WHO) has organized a global 

campaign for World Mental Health Day. 

The World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) 

announced the theme for World Mental Health 

Day 2022, which is ‘Make mental health 

for all a global priority”.

At the United Nations, events and activities 

are organized each year during the month 

of October to promote the importance of 

mental health and well-being for 

our personnel."

in https://www.un.org/en/healthy-workforce/world-mental-health-day

Thought of the week

“My dark days made me strong or maybe 

I already was strong and they made me prove it”. 

                                                                Emery Lord

 5th October

Do  you  know  that ...?

Implantation of the 

Republic in Portugal

"The 5th October 1910 

revolution was the overthrow of the 

centuries-old Portuguese monarchy 

and its replacement by the First 

Portuguese Republic. 

It was the result of a coup d'état organized 

by the Portuguese Republic Party. (...)"

in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_October_1910_revolution

World  Teachers'  day

"The theme for 

World Teachers' Day 2022 

is The transformation of education 

begins with teachers. (...)”.

in https://www.ukfiet.org/2022/world-teachers-day-2022/

"UNESCO proclaimed 5 October to be 

World Teachers’ Day in 1994, celebrating the great 

step made for teachers on 5 October 1966, when 

a special intergovernmental conference convened 

by UNESCO in Paris adopted the UNESCO/ILO 

Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, 

in cooperation with the ILO.

This recommendation sets forth the rights and 

responsibilities of teachers as well as 

international standards for their initial 

preparation and further education, recruitment, 

employment, teaching and learning conditions. 

Since its adoption, the Recommendation 

has been considered an important set of 

guidelines to promote teachers’ status in 

the interest of quality education. (...)"

in https://en.unesco.org/events/world-teachers-day-0

 3rd October

Thought 

of the week

“Don’t wait around for other 

people to be happy for you. 

Any happiness you get you’ve got 

to make yourself.”  Alice Walker 

1st October

International  

Music  Day

Do  you  know  that …?

"In 1974, the International Music Council declared that 

International Music Day would be celebrated on October 1 

every year. 

Celebrate this day even if you don’t play music by actively 

appreciating and enjoying the power of music in bringing 

people together.

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DAY

Since its inception in 1949, the International Music Council, 

an associate organization of UNESCO, strongly felt that music 

had the power to unite communities and foster world peace. 

The Council, especially its President in 1975, Lord Yehudi 

Menuhin, firmly believed that music can strengthen 

relationships and bridge cultural gaps among communities.  

Realizing this, the Council decided to devote one day in 

a year to music. 

The aim was to harness the power of music to unite 

communities and cultures and inspire them to 

coexist harmoniously.

Lord Yehudi Menuhin, arguably America’s most prolific 

violinist and music conductor at that time, as the 

President of the International Music Council, wrote 

a letter to the IMC members proclaiming October 1 as 

the International Music Day. 

In the letter, he clearly spelled out the reasons for 

marking the day. 

The International Music Day was intended to:

-Encourage promoting musical art among all the 

sections of society.

-Motivate the application of UNESCO’s ideals of peace 

and friendship among people.

-Create space for the evolution of cultures through 

the exchange of experiences.

-Encourage mutual appreciation of cultures, 

especially their aesthetic values.

Since the first International Music Day on October 1, 1975, 

over 150 countries across the globe have celebrated the 

power of music to unite societies, communities, and people. 

The day offers people an occasion to celebrate music and 

contribute towards a more peaceful, joyful, and harmonious 

society. Events on this day include concerts, 

exhibitions, seminars on creating music, lectures, 

music conferences, and so forth."   

(in https://nationaltoday.com/international-music-day/)