November 19 Holidays

International Men’s Day was established in Trinidad and Tobago in 1999 by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh to address men’s health, well-being, positive role models, and contributions to society — men die by suicide at approximately 3.5 times the rate of women in most Western countries, and men’s life expectancy is 5 years shorter than women’s. Monaco National Day is the national day of the Principality of Monaco, observed on November 19 — the feast day of Saint Rainier, patron saint of Monaco — celebrating the Grimaldi family’s continuous rule since Francesco Grimaldi captured the Rock of Monaco in 1297. Great American Smokeout is the American Cancer Society’s annual event on the third Thursday of November, encouraging smokers to quit for one day — an initiative that has been shown to motivate long-term cessation in a significant proportion of participants. Garifuna Settlement Day is a national holiday in Belize marking November 19, 1802, when the Garifuna — descendants of Island Caribs and West African slaves who intermarried — arrived on the coast of what is now Belize.