MET Column | My Eyes Tokyo

Happy Bastille Day!

2018-07-14

Storming of the Bastille, by Jean-Pierre-Louis-Laurent Houel. *Photo from Wikipedia July 14 is Bastille Day. It commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution as well as the Fête de la Fédération (lit “Festival of the Federation”) which celebrated the unity of the French people on July 14, 1790. The medieval fortress, armory, and political prison in Paris known as the Bastille represented royal authority in the center of Paris. The prison contained just seven inmates at the time of its storming but was a symbol of abuses by the monarchy;

Happy Statehood Day of Montenegro!

2018-07-13

Podgorica, the capital and largest city of Montenegro. *Photo from Wikipedia July 13 is Montenegro’s Statehood Day. It is a holiday that occurs every year on July 13 in Montenegro to commemorate the day in 1878 on which the Berlin Congress recognized Montenegro as the 27th independent state in the world, and that in 1941 the Montenegrins staged an uprising against the Nazi occupiers and sided with the partisan communist movement. The Congress of Berlin (or Berlin Congress; June 13 – July 13, 1878) was a meeting of the representatives of the Great Powers of the time (Russia, Great Britain,

Happy Birthday to São Tomé and Príncipe!

2018-07-12

São Tomé, the capital and largest city of São Tomé and Príncipe. *Photo from Wikipedia July 12 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of São Tomé and Príncipe from Portugal in 1975. The islands were uninhabited until their discovery by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century. Gradually colonized and settled by Portugal throughout the 16th century, they collectively served as a vital commercial and trade center for the Atlantic slave trade. The rich volcanic soil and close proximity to the equator made São Tomé and Príncipe ideal for sugar cultivation, followed later by cash crops such as coffee and cocoa;

Happy Birthday to Kiribati!

2018-07-12

Tarawa Atoll. Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati. *Photo from Wikipedia July 12 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Kiribati from the United Kingdom in 1979. The initial Micronesian population, which remains the overwhelming majority today, was visited by Polynesian and Melanesian invaders before the first European sailors visited the islands in the 17th century. For much of the subsequent period, the main island chain, the Gilbert Islands, was ruled as part of the British Empire. The country gained its independence in 1979 and has since been known as Kiribati. Kiribati, officially the

Happy National Day of Mongolia!

2018-07-11

Naadam ceremony in Ulaanbaatar. Nadaam is a traditional festival in Mongolia, which is held during the National Holiday from July 11 to 13. *Photo from Wikipedia July 11 is the day Russia’s Red Army captures Mongolia from the White Army and established the Mongolian People’s Republic. Genghis Khan was able to unite and conquer the Mongols, forging them into a fighting force which went on to create the largest contiguous empire in world history, the Mongol Empire. After the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty in 1368, the Mongols returned to their earlier patterns of internal strife. Buddhism in Mongolia

Happy Birthday to the Bahamas!

2018-07-10

Junkanoo celebration in Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. Junkanoo is a street parade with music, dance, and costumes across the Bahamas every Boxing Day (December 26) and New Year’s Day (January 1). *Photo from Wikipedia July 10 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Bahamas from the United Kingdom in 1973. The Bahamas became a British Crown colony in 1718, when the British clamped down on piracy. After the American War of Independence, the Crown resettled thousands of American Loyalists in the Bahamas; they brought their slaves with them and established plantations on land grants. Africans constituted the

Happy Birthday to Argentina!

2018-07-09

Tango dancers during the World tango dance tournament held in Buenos Aires, the capital and most populous city of Argentina. *Photo from Wikipedia July 9 is Argentina’s Independence Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the United Provinces of South America by the Congress of Tucumán in 1816. Written history began with the arrival of Spanish chroniclers in the expedition of Juan Díaz de Solís in 1516 to the Río de la Plata, which marks the beginning of Spanish domination in this region. In 1776 the Spanish Crown established the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, an umbrella of

Happy Birthday to Solomon Islands!

2018-07-07

Solomon Islander boys. Rugby is played in Solomon Islands. *Photo from Wikipedia July 7 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Solomon Islands from the United Kingdom in 1978. The islands have been inhabited for thousands of years. In 1568, the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to visit them, naming them the Islas Salomón. Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomon Islands archipelago in June 1893, when Captain Gibson R.N., of HMS Curacoa (corvette of the Royal Navy, United Kingdom’s principal naval warfare force), declared the southern Solomon Islands as a British Protectorate with

Happy Birthday to Comoros!

2018-07-06

Comorians. They share African-Arab origins. *Photo from Wikipedia July 6 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of the Comoros from France in 1975. The first human inhabitants of the Comoro Islands are thought to have been Arab, African and Austronesian settlers who traveled to the islands by boat. Portuguese explorers first visited the archipelago in 1503. The islands provided provisions to the Portuguese fort at Mozambique throughout the 16th century. France first established colonial rule in the Comoros in 1841. The Comoros served as a way station for merchants sailing to the Far East and India until the opening of

Happy Statehood Day of Lithuania!

2018-07-06

Lithuanians dancing at a festival in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania and its largest city. *Photo from Wikipedia July 6 is Lithuania’s Statehood Day, commemorates the coronation in 1253 of Mindaugas as the first and only King of Lithuania. For centuries, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s, the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, the King of Lithuania, and the first unified Lithuanian state, the Kingdom of Lithuania, was created on July 6, 1253. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe; present-day

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