Happy Birthday to Kiribati!

Tajik young women during Navrūz (Persian New Year). They are holding sprouting plants which symbolize rebirth. *Photo from Wikipedia September 9 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Tajikistan from USSR in 1991. The area has been ruled by numerous empires and dynasties, including the Achaemenid Empire, Sasanian Empire, Hephthalite Empire, Samanid Empire, Mongol Empire and Timurid dynasty. The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s. The Basmachi revolt, an uprising against Russian Imperial and Soviet rule by the Muslim peoples of Central Asia, broke out in the wake of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and was quelled

Mausoleum of Tangun, the legendary founder of Gojoseon (古朝鮮), the first ever Korean kingdom. *Photo from Wikipedia October 3 is Gaecheonjeol（開天節）or National Foundation Day. It is a public holiday in South Korea on October 3. This holiday celebrates the formation of the first Korean state of Gojoseon (古朝鮮) in 2333 BC. This date has traditionally been regarded as the date for the founding of the Korean nation. Gaecheonjeol is also recognized in North Korea, although not as a public holiday, with an annual ceremony at the Mausoleum of Tangun (檀君), the founder of Gojoseon. In commemoration of the day, let

Koror City, the largest city in Palau. It was formerly the capital until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia October 1 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Palau from the UN Trust Territory status in 1994. The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from the Philippines. The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century, and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574. Following Spain’s defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898, the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty, where they were administered