It is hard to believe ... well, for me, at least, because I am passing-of-time-challenged in unpredictable and confusing ways ... that October has rolled around already. This year is going even faster than 2007, and that one had the rolling down to the equivalent of a sixteen-pound bowling ball flicked from the fingers of a fullback with torque ... zero to 365 in about as much time as it takes my electric kettle to boil.

Reality will out, though, and I have accepted the Octoberness of this morning, so with little fanfare and much consternation over how ridiculously close we are to the holidays already, I'll turn my focus to international festivities specific to this, the 10th month of this speedy year.

Today is Independence Day in Nigeria, marking the end of British rule in 1960.

Tomorrow, the 2nd, is Gandhi's birthday, celebrated, as it well should be, as a national holiday in India.

The 3rd is the Day of German Unity, commemorating the day in 1990 that East and West became one country and the Cold War was well and truly finished. The date is also marked in Korea as Foundation Day.

China celebrates the birth of Confucius in 551BC on the 7th with ceremonies at dawn to honor him.

In Korea, the 9th is Han-gui Day and honors the creation of the Korean alphabet by King Sejong of the Yi dynasty, 1443 to 1446.

The 12th is Noss Senhora de Aparecida in Brazil, a day that marks great fishing after fisherman pulled a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary from the sea in 1717, Hispanic Day in Spain, a day to honor Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, Dia de la Raza in much of Latin America, and Navatri in India, the 'nine nights' ending on Dussehra dedicated to the goddess Durga ... she has the power of good to destroy demons.

Eid ul-Fitr falls around the 13th this year and marks the end of Ramadan for Muslims.

The 15th is National Heroes Day in Jamaica, and in Columbia they celebrate the Dia de la Raza on this day.

In China ... Taiwan and Hong Kong included ... the 19th is the Chung Yeung Festival, the day families visit the graves of ancestors.

The 20th continues the celebrations in India with Durga Puja, then on the 21st it's Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. This is also New Year of Jains and a significant Sikh holiday.

On the 20th in Guatemala, the date marks Revolution Day.

In Egypt, the 22nd sees the Aby Simbel Festival, and one of the only two days per year the inner sanctum of the temple of Ramses ll lights up, having been constructed on an angle to catch the light just right on the anniversary of his rise to the throne and on his birthday.

Thailand celebrates Chulanlongkorn Day on the 23rd and honors the birth of Rama V who ruled from 1868 to 1910.

October 28th is National Day Ochi in Greece, marking the day when Greeks said "ochi" (no) to the Italians wanting to invade Albania, which got them into WWll.

The 29th is King Norodom Sihamoni's Coronation Day in Cambodia.

And, October 31st, a huge holiday in the Catholic Church globally, and translated into Halloween in the US and Canada, plus Cambodians will celebrate the birthday of former king and present King-Father Norodom Sihanouk.

I could really go for some candy corn about now ...