Today, we remember the creole martyrs on Commemoration of the Batepá Massacre, observed annually on February 3 in São Tomé and Príncipe. On this day in 1953, government colonists murdered hundreds of creoles — indigenes of São Tomé — under the guise of a communist conspiracy. Unlike how the typical colonist tale plays out, this massacre erupted due to the protests of creoles in their refusal to work under hard conditions of coffee harvesting. The massacre was led by Carlos Gorgulho, taking the lives of innocent citizens through torturous conditions. The day is set aside to commemorate the Batepá Massacre, remembering and honoring the lives that were shamefully lost.
National River Day
National River Day takes place every year on February 2 to celebrate all the Rivers across the globe. The word ‘river’ conjures up images of a body of water, yet it’s also a fairly unusual baby name. The name River has gained popularity over recent years. River Jude Phoenix, the late actor, was a famous namesake, and his famous brother, Joaquin Phoenix, named his son River after him.
National Claudia Day
National Claudia Day is celebrated on January 20 every year. This day is all about celebrating and appreciating the people carrying this name. Claudia is a female given name and the female equivalent to Claudius or Claudio. It’s said to derive from Latin and Roman roots, meaning ‘lame,’ as in limping, and ‘enclosure’. Neither of these sounds very nice — however, recent research assumes that it’s a name of unknown meaning or just means ‘of the patrician Claudii,’ one of the oldest and most powerful Roman Patrician families.