October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and the sixth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old calendar of Romulus, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the Romans. In Ancient Rome, one of three Mundus patet would take place on October 5, Meditrinalia October 11, Augustalia on October 12, October Horse on October 15, and Armilustrium on October 19. These dates do not correspond to the modern Gregorian calendar. Among the Anglo-Saxons, it was known as Ƿinterfylleþ, because at this full moon winter was supposed to begin.
October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere and with spring in the Southern hemisphere.
October symbols
- armband. Opal is the birthstone for October.October's birthstones are the tourmaline and opal.
- Its birth flower is the calendula.
- The zodiac signs for this month are Libra and Scorpio.
October observances
Non-Gregorian observances: 2020 dates
- List of observances set by the Bahá'í calendar
- List of observances set by the Chinese calendar
- List of observances set by the Hebrew calendar
- List of observances set by the Islamic calendar
- List of observances set by the Solar Hijri calendar
Month-long observances
- In Catholic Church tradition, October is the Month of the Holy Rosary.
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Health Literacy Month
- International Walk to School Month
- Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month
- Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
- World Blindness Awareness Month
- World Menopause Month
- Vegetarian Awareness Month
United States
- American Archives Month
- National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
- National Arts & Humanities Month
- National Bullying Prevention Month
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month
- National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- Filipino American History Month
- Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month
- Polish American Heritage Month
- National Work and Family Month
United States, Health-related
- American Pharmacist Month
- Dwarfism/Little People Awareness Month
- Eczema Awareness Month
- National Dental Hygiene Month
- National Healthy Lung Month
- National Infertility Awareness Month
- Liver Awareness Month
- National Lupus Erythematosus Awareness Month
- National Physical Therapy Month
- National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
United States, Culinary
- National Pizza Month
- National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
- National Pork Month
- National Seafood Month
Movable observances, 2020 dates
- Oktoberfest celebrations
- World College Radio Day: October 2
- Astronomy Day: October 5
- World Cerebral Palsy Day: October 6
- Earth Science Week: October 11–17
- See also Movable Western Christian observances
- See also Movable Eastern Christian observances
First Thursday: October 1
- National Poetry Day
First Friday: October 2
- Children's Day
- Lee National Denim Day
- World Smile Day
First Sunday: October 4
- Daylight saving time begins
- Father's Day
- Grandparents Day
- Teachers' Day
First Full Week: October 4–10
- Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta
- Mental Illness Awareness Week
Week of October 9: October 4–10
- Fire Prevention Week
- *Fire Service Recognition Day, last day of Fire Prevention Week: October 10
Week of October 10: October 4–10
- Fiji Week
First Monday: October 5
- Child Health Day
- Children's Day
- Labour Day
- Peat Cutting Monday
- Thanksgiving
- World Architecture Day
- World Habitat Day
First Tuesday: October 6
- National Night Out
First Wednesday: October 7
- Children's Day
Second Thursday: October 8
- World Sight Day
Second Friday: October 9
- Arbor Day
- World Egg Day
Second Saturday: October 10
- International Migratory Bird Day
- Home Movie Day
- National Tree Planting Day
Second Sunday: October 11
- National Grandparents Day
Second Monday: October 12
- Columbus Day
- *Indigenous Peoples' Day
- *Native American Day
- Fraternal Day
- Health and Sports Day
- Mother's Day
- Norfolk Island Agricultural Show Day
- Thanksgiving
- National Day
Second Tuesday: October 13
- Ada Lovelace Day
Second Wednesday: October 14
- Policy Statement of Belgian Parliament
Wednesday of second full week in October: October 14
- National Fossil Day
Third Thursday: October 15
- International Credit Union Day
Third Saturday: October 17
- Sweetest Day
Third Sunday: October 18
- Teacher's Day
- Mother's Day
Third Monday: October 19
- Heroes' Day
- Mother's Day
- Nanomonestotse
- Boss's Day
Fourth Saturday: October 24
- Children's Day
- Make a Difference Day
Last Sunday: October 25
- European Summer Time ends
- Grandparents Day
Week of Fourth Wednesday: October 25–31
- Children's Week
Fourth Monday: October 26
- Labour Day
Last Monday: October 26
- October Holiday
Fourth Wednesday: October 28
- Children's Day
Last Friday: October 30
- National Bandanna Day
- Nevada Day
- Teacher's Day
Fixed observances
- October 1
- *Armed Forces Day
- *Children's Day
- *Day of Prosecutors
- *Continuance of German-American Heritage Months, which runs from September 15 – October 15
- *Continuance of National Hispanic Heritage Month which runs from September 15 – October 15,
- *Ground Forces Day
- *Independence Day
- *Independence Day
- *Independence Day
- *Independence Day
- *International Coffee Day
- *International Day of Older Persons
- *International Music Day
- *Lincolnshire Day
- *National Day of the People's Republic of China
- *Pancasila Sanctity Day
- *Teacher's Day
- *Unification Day
- *World Vegetarian Day
- October 2
- *Batik Day
- *Feast of the Guardian Angels
- **National Grandparents Day
- *Gandhi's birthday-related observances:
- **Gandhi Jayanti
- **International Day of Non-Violence
- **World Day for Farmed Animals
- *Independence Day
- October 3
- *Gaecheonjeol
- *German Unity Day
- *National Day
- *Morazán Day
- October 4
- * Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
- *Cinnamon Roll Day
- *Day of Peace and Reconciliation
- *Independence Day
- *World Animal Day
- *The beginning of World Space Week
- October 5
- *Armed Forces Day
- *Constitution Day
- *Engineer's Day
- *International Day of No Prostitution
- *Republic Day
- *Teachers' Day
- *Teachers' Day
- *World Teachers' Day
- October 6
- *Day of Commemoration and National Mourning
- *Dukla Pass Victims Day
- *German-American Day
- *Memorial Day for the Martyrs of Arad
- *National Noodle Day
- *Teachers' Day
- *Yom Kippur War commemorations:
- **Armed Forces Day
- **Tishreen Liberation Day
- October 7
- *Our Lady of the Rosary
- *International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day
- *Teachers' Day
- October 8
- *Air Force Day
- *Arbor Day
- *National Independence Day
- *Navy Day
- October 9
- *Hangul Day
- *Independence Day
- *Independence of Guayaquil
- *Leif Erikson Day
- *National Day of Commemorating the Holocaust
- *Takayama Autumn Festival
- *World Post Day
- *Valencian Community Day
- October 10
- *Arbor Day
- *Capital Liberation Day
- *Double Ten Day
- *Fiji Day
- *Finnish Literature Day
- *Independence Day
- *Party Foundation Day
- *World Mental Health Day
- October 11
- *General Pulaski Memorial Day
- *International Day of the Girl Child
- *International Newspaper Carrier Day
- *National Coming Out Day
- *Old Michaelmas Day
- *Revolution Day
- October 12
- *Children's Day
- *Discovery of America by Columbus-related observances :
- **Columbus Day
- **Día de la Hispanidad or Fiesta Nacional de España, also Armed Forces Day
- **Día de la Raza
- **Día de la Resistencia Indígena, "Day of Indigenous Resistance"
- **Día de las Américas
- **Día de las Culturas, "Day of the Cultures"
- **Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural, "Day of respect for cultural diversity"
- *Discovery Day
- *Feast for Life of Aleister Crowley, celebrated as "Crowleymas"
- *Fiesta Nacional de España
- *Freethought Day
- *Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Equatorial Guinea from Spain in 1968.
- *UN Spanish Language Day
- October 13
- *Azerbaijani Railway Day
- *Doi taikomatsuri October 13–15
- *International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
- *National Police Day
- *Paramedics' Day
- *Rwagasore Day
- October 14
- *World Standards Day
- October 15
- *Breast Health Day
- *Evacuation Day
- *Global Handwashing Day
- *King Father's Commemoration Day
- *National Latino AIDS Awareness Day
- *Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day
- *Spirit Day
- *Teachers' Day
- *White Cane Safety Day
- October 16
- *World Food Day
- October 17
- *Dessalines Day
- *Digital Society Day
- *International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
- *Loyalty Day
- October 18
- *Alaska Day
- *Independence Day
- *Necktie Day
- *Persons Day
- *World Menopause Day
- October 19
- *Constitution Day
- *Mother Teresa Day
- October 20
- *Arbor Day
- *Heroes' Day
- *Revolution Day
- *Vietnamese Women's Day
- *World Osteoporosis Day
- *World Statistics Day
- October 21
- *Apple Day
- *Armed Forces Day
- *Egyptian Naval Day
- *Indian Police Commemoration Day
- *International Day of the Nacho
- *National Nurses' Day
- *Ndadaye Day
- *Overseas Chinese Day
- *Trafalgar Day
- October 22
- *Fechner Day
- *International Caps Lock Day
- *International Stuttering Awareness Day
- *Jidai Matsuri
- *National Santri Day
- *Wombat Day
- October 23
- *Aviator's Day
- *Chulalongkorn Day
- *Day of the Macedonian Revolutionary Struggle
- *Liberation Day
- *Mole Day
- *National Day
- *Paris Peace Agreement Day
- October 24
- *Azad Kashmir Day
- *Day of Special Forces of the Armed Forces
- *Food Day
- *Independence Day
- *Suez Day
- *United Nations Day
- *World Development Information Day
- *World Polio Day
- October 25
- *Armed Forces Day
- *Constitution Day
- *Customs Officer's Day
- *Day of the Basque Country
- *Retrocession Day
- *Sovereignty Day
- *Thanksgiving Day
- *The Hallowing of Nestorius
- October 26
- *Accession Day
- *Angam Day
- *Armed Forces Day
- *Intersex Awareness Day
- *National Day
- October 27
- *Black Cat Appreciation Day
- *Černová Tragedy Day
- *Flag Day
- *Independence Day
- *Independence Day
- *Navy Day
- *World Day for Audiovisual Heritage
- October 28
- *Day of the Establishment of an Independent Czecho-Slovak State
- *International Animation Day
- *Ohi Day
- *Prefectural Earthquake Disaster Prevention Day
- *Youth Pledge Day
- October 29
- *Coronation Day
- *Cyrus the Great Day
- *National Cat Day
- *Republic Day
- *World Stroke Day
- October 30
- *Anniversary of the Declaration of the Slovak Nation
- *Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions
- *Indonesian Banknote Day
- *International Orthopaedic Nurses Day
- *Mischief Night
- **Beggars Night
- **Devil's Night
- *Thevar Jayanthi
- October 31
- *Start of Allhallowtide October 31 – November 6
- *The first day of the Day of the Dead, celebrated until November 2
- *Día de la Canción Criolla
- *Eve of Winter, the eve of the first day of winter in the Northern hemisphere:
- **Allantide
- **Halloween
- **Hop-tu-Naa
- **Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere, Beltane in the Southern Hemisphere; begins on sunset of October 31
- *Girl Scouts Founders Day
- *King Father's Birthday
- *National Unity Day
- *Reformation Day
- *Saci day
- *World Savings Day
- *Statehood Day Nevada, United States
Miscellaneous
- Eric Whitacre composed a piece based on this month, titled October.
- Neil Gaiman wrote a story personifying the month, titled "October in the Chair", for his 2006 collection Fragile Things.
- Ray Bradbury published a collection of short stories titled The October Country in 1955.