October is the tenth month of the year but it derives its name from the Latin "octo" meaning "eight" since, on the calendar originally created by the Romans, October was the eighth month of the year. October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in the Northern hemisphere. The birthstone for this month is the opal which is thought by some to have the power to predict illness. This is because the opal responds to heat and if you are sick your temperature increases before signs of illness appear. This increased body heat may cause the opal to lose its shine, leaving it dull and lacking color. An old tale states that an opal will crack if it is worn by someone who was not born in the month of October. The birth flower for this month is the calendula which is a type of merigold. October is an exciting month in China since it is the month of National Day on October 1 and this year it is also the month of the Autumn Festival. Mid-Autumn Festival, 'Zhongqiu Jie' in Chinese, is one of China's most important traditional festivals. This festival dates back over 3,000 years and falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar which this year is on Saturday, October 3. In Canada, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in October and in North American towns and cities, on October 31^st, Halloween Day, children will skip from house to house, dressed in costumes, to collect treats.

60^th Birthday Celebrations in China

      October brought a month of excitement to all Beijingers since the days leading up to this month were filled with preparations for the 60^th anniversary of the founding of The People's Republic of China on October 1^st. To beautify the city, about 40 million potted plants were placed along the streets and about 2 million national flags were manufactured by the Beijing Jinggong Red Flag Factory. Security throughout the city was at a very high level and many parts of the city were closed to traffic. Each neighborhood had their own security group outside their neighborhood dressed in new 60^th anniversary, yellow and red shirts and red arm bands. The taxi drivers throughout Beijing sported new yellow dress shirts similar to those worn during the Olympics. As a foreign expert in the city, I was very excited to be invited to several anniversary events which were planned by the Foreign Expert Office of the Beijing Foreign Affairs Department. One event was an special, 60^th Anniversary Exhibition held at the Beijing Exhibition Hall where I viewed room after room of gigantic displays related to history and accomplishment of the past 60 years in China. I marveled at these huge displays from many fields such as environmental, architectural and military sources. On another evening I received a beautiful, red engraved invitation to a large reception at The Great Hall of the People. Since this enormous building is located right on Tiananmen Square and the event was held just previous to October 1, as I walked through the decorated square I was able to see the lovely flowers and other birthday displays. I had often passed the large building of The Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen and I had seen it in events on TV but I had never entered the building. It was very majestic in the interior and I felt like a dwarf as I entered the huge red and gold doorways and past the large articles of adornment displayed in the entrance foyer. The reception event was lovely with a band playing favorite Chinese songs such as "I love China". My fellow guests and I dined on several courses of delicious food while seated at round tables and served by hundreds of waiters. Several of the Chinese leaders gave speeches of welcome and toasts were held to celebrate the 60^th anniversary occasion. October 1, itself, was a day which included both a parade in the afternoon and a celebration pageant in the evening concluded by a gigantic fireworks display. (continued on next page)