[Punky]

I will change my flag when I will get him.

[Mae]

I think the flag for Sri Lanka is beautiful.

[Slasher1985]

February 4:

Sri Lanka: (1948) --- Independence Day



By the end of the 19th century, a new educated social class transcending race and caste arose through British attempts to staff the Ceylon Civil Service and the legal, educational, and medical professions. New leaders represented the various ethnic groups of the population in the Ceylon Legislative Council on a communal basis. Buddhist and Hindu revivalism reacted against Christian missionary activities. The first two decades in the 20th century are noted by the unique harmony among Sinhalese and Tamil political leadership, which has since been lost. In 1919, major Sinhalese and Tamil political organisations united to form the Ceylon National Congress, under the leadership of Ponnambalam Arunachalam, pressing colonial masters for more constitutional reforms. But without massive popular support, and with the governor's encouragement for "communal representation" by creating a "Colombo seat" that dangled between Sinhalese and Tamils, the Congress lost momentum towards the mid-1920s. The Donoughmore reforms of 1931 repudiated the communal representation and introduced universal adult franchise (the franchise stood at 4% before the reforms). This step was strongly criticised by the Tamil political leadership, who realised that they would be reduced to a minority in the newly created State Council of Ceylon, which succeeded the legislative council. In 1937, Tamil leader G. G. Ponnambalam demanded a 50–50 representation (50% for the Sinhalese and 50% for other ethnic groups) in the State Council. However, this demand was not met by the Soulbury reforms of 1944/45. The Soulbury constitution ushered in Dominion status, with independence proclaimed on 4 February 1948. D. S. Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Ceylon.

[Mae]

So Sri Lanka was formerly Ceylon?

[Slasher1985]

Yes it was known as Ceylon until the year 1972.

[Mae]

I wonder how they came up with the name Sri Lanka after Ceylon? I think I definitely like Sri Lanka better

[Slasher1985]

It's from an old Indian story called Ramayana. It describes a kingdom named Lanka that had been created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma, for Kubera, the lord of wealth. Sri means either Mr. or "Holy" when referring to deities. Thus, it means The Holy Lanka.

[Mae]

Oh I love that

[Slasher1985]

Glad you enjoyed this interesting info, Mae.

Upcoming 3 celebrations:
February 6: New Zealand
February 7: Grenada
February 11: Iran | Japan

[Slasher1985]

February 6:

New Zealand: (1840) --- Waitangi Day



The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on 6 February 1840, in a marquee erected in the grounds of James Busby's house (now known as the Treaty house) at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Māori rights to their land and gave Māori the rights of British subjects. There are differences between the English version and the Māori translation of the Treaty, and since 1840 this has led to debate over exactly what was agreed to at Waitangi. Māori have generally seen the Treaty as a sacred pact, while for many years Pākehā (the Māori word for New Zealanders of predominantly European ancestry) ignored it. By the early twentieth century, however, some Pākehā were beginning to see the Treaty as their nation's founding document and a symbol of British humanitarianism. Unlike Māori, Pākehā have generally not seen the Treaty as a document with binding power over the country and its inhabitants. In 1877 Chief Justice James Prendergast declared it to be a 'legal nullity', a position it held until the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975, when it regained significant legal standing.
The signing of the treaty was not commemorated until 1934. Prior to that date, most celebrations of New Zealand's founding as a colony were marked on 29 January, the date on which William Hobson arrived in the Bay of Islands. In 1932, Governor-General Lord Bledisloe and his wife had purchased and presented to the nation the run-down house of James Busby, where the treaty was signed. The Treaty house and grounds were made a public reserve, which was dedicated on 6 February 1934. This event is considered by some to be the first Waitangi Day, although celebrations were not yet held annually. At the time, it was the most representative meeting of Māori ever held. Attendees included the Maori King and thousands of Pākehā. Some Māori may have also been commemorating the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence of New Zealand, but there is little evidence of this. In 1940, another major event was held at the grounds, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the treaty signing. This was less well attended, partially because of the outbreak of World War II and partially because the government had recently offended the Māori King. However the event was still a success and helped raise the profile of the treaty.

[Litotes]

New Zealand! Land of the Kiwis!

The Kiwi athlete I remember best is Anneliese Coberger, a Winter Olympic silver medalist in 1992, in the slalom event. She was the very first person from the Southern Hemisphere to win a Winter Olympic medal.

[Punky]

loveeeeeeeeeee newzealand, its my dream to visit this city.

i cant wait for iran lol im totally going to play

[Litotes]

Now I have switched to Sami. The indigenous Northern people living in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. This is their celebration day, and despite not being a country I feel they deserve to be noticed.

The first Sami athlete that comes to mind is the Swedish alpine skier Anja Pärson, with seven World Championships and one Olympic gold medal to her name, as well as 42 World Cup victories and two overall World Cup titles.

[Slasher1985]

Interesting Litotes... We have no celebrations going under the radar with you around.

Also interesting that this forum has a Sami flag and not an updated Georgian flag, lol.

[Mae]

Originally Posted by Slasher1985

Glad you enjoyed this interesting info, Mae.

Upcoming 3 celebrations:
February 6: New Zealand
February 7: Grenada
February 11: Iran | Japan

Yes I have really learned a lot in this thread so thanks to everyone involved