September 1: Holidays and Celebrations Today

September 1st is a holiday for hummingbirds, draft horses, pink Cadillacs and more. Chess players, aunts, nursing mothers and other celebrants mark September 1st as a special day.

Consider these popular September 1st holidays (arranged alphabetically).

Chess Day

Check it out.

September 1^st is Chess Day, a strategic occasion for playing one of the world's most popular board games. On this highbrow holiday, chess players may meet in parlors and parks to challenge one another to chess matches. Others may simply download online chess games or log into internet gaming sites to try their chess skills at various levels.

Draft Horse Day

Draft Horse Day is also celebrated on September 1^st. Why not hitch up a pair of Belgians, Clydesdales, Shires or Percherons for a horse-drawn cart of wagon ride to mark this occasion?

Harness your energies, and head for a hayride on September 1^st. It's Draft Horse Day, and no naysaying (except for the horses).

Emma M. Nutt / Telephone Operator Day

Telephone operators are the toast of the town on September 1^st. It's Emma M. Nutt Day, in memory of America's first woman telephone operator. Emma M. Nutt reported to a Boston switchboard for her first day on the job on September 1, 1878.

Although most live telephone operators have been replaced by automated answering systems, occasionally a dialer will reach an actual person over the phone lines. Callers who successfully connect to real, live operators may issue greetings and verbal salutes on September 1^st - Telephone Operator Day.

Hummingbird Day

Hummingbird Day is September 1^st, a fleeting occasion for celebrating the frightful flitting birds than may grace our gardens.

On this avian holiday, bird lovers may create, fill and hang up hummingbird feeders in windows and yards to attract the colorful creatures to visit.

How can you make your own hummingbird feeder? Check out these instructions from a variety of AC writers (CTRL-click each title to open that article in a new window.): "DIY Craft; Hummingbird Feeder," by Sage Adderley; "DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles," by Nannette Richford; "How to Build a DIY Hummingbird Feeder," by Pearl Edwards, and "How to Make a Jelly Jar Hummingbird Feeder," by Lisa Riggs.

Happy Hummingbird Day on September 1^st.

Nursing Mothers Day

The first day of September is known to many as Nursing Mothers Day. This holiday honors nurturing moms who breastfeed their babies, as well as moms who feed their infants by bottle.

Although no one seems to be able to get abreast of documented details on the origins of Nursing Mothers Day, this holiday may be derived from ancient Christian tradition. September 1^st is also St. Giles Day, honoring the patron saint of nursing mothers.

Nursing Mothers Day comes just one month before Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which occurs every October. As such, this homey holiday may jog the mammaries (er, memories) of women who may need to schedule their annual mammograms.

Special Saints Days (Various)

The Calendar of the Saints lists the following for September 1st: Abigail the Matriarch, Adjutor, Aegidius, Agia, Ammon, Anna the Prophetess, Arcanus, Augustus, Castrensis, Constantius the Bishop, Gideon the Judge, Giles, Giles of Castaneda, Jane Soderini and Josep Samsó y Elias.

Additional September 1^st saints include Joshua the Patriarch, Juliana of Collalto, Laetus of Dax, Lupus of Sens, Lythan, Michael Ghebre, Nivard of Rheims, Priscus, Regulus, Sixtus of Rheims, Terentian, Verena, Victorious and Vincent of Xaintes.

Notable Anniversaries on September 1st:

Elvis Presley, known to many as the King of Rock 'n Roll, purchased a pink Cadillac for his mother, Gladys Love Presley, on September 1, 1956.

Various Other September 1st Holidays

September 1st is also Aunts Day, Celtic Tree Month of Coll (final day), Cherry Popover Day, Chicken Boy's Day (California), Creation Day, Evacuation Day (Libya), Fairies' Sneeze Wobbling Festival Season Day, Feast Day of St. Verana, Feast of Macuilxochitl - 5-Flower God (Mexico), Feast of the Hermit (New Mexico), Informe Presidencial (Mexico), International Balloon Tournament Holiday (Belgium), Iroquois Indian Festival Holiday, Libyan Independence Day, Love Litigating Lawyers Day, Luxembourge City Kermesse, Nutt Day, Oyster Season (first day) and Partridge Hunting Season Day.

September 1^st holidays also include Presidential Message Day (Mexico), Qatar Independence Day (1971), Reincorporation of Tarata (Peru), Revolution Day (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), Revolution Day (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), Royal Highland Gathering Holiday (Scotland), Sikhism Nanakshahi - First Parkash, Slovakia National Holiday, St. Fiacre Festal Celebration Day, St. Giles Feast Day, St. Simeon Stylites' Day (Eastern Orthodox), Start of the Armed Struggle Day (Eritrea), United Arab Republics Day, Uzbekistan Independence Day, Wattle Day (Australia), Wine Season Holiday and Workers' Day (Marshall Islands).

Celebrate September 1^st, one and all!

Other Notable Holidays:

Click here to check other calendar dates for notable holidays and additional holiday content from this author.

(Note: Annually, some dates may fluctuate to accommodate weekends and local calendars.)

Sources:
http://halife.com/daily/trivia.html
http://halife.com/religion/ch04.html
http://holidayinsights.com
http://saints.sqpn.com/month00.htm
http://www.brainyhistory.com/events.html
http://www.brookston.org/almanac
http://www.earthcalendar.net
http://www.everythingpreschool.com/holidays
http://www.holidays.net/dailys.htm
http://www.holidaysforeveryday.com
http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holidays
http://www.partyguideonline.com/months