Timor-Leste Edition
World Shared Festival Table Day leads today's complete edition for Timor-Leste.
Daily Edition
Official observances, world days, local context, and everyday celebrations for people who need something worth reading, sharing, or talking about today.
A day for the food, music, cleaning, decorating, travel, and welcome that turn an ordinary date into a gathering.
The anniversary of the 1999 referendum in which 78.5% of Timorese voted for independence from Indonesia : despite widespread intimidation and violence by Indonesian-backed militias. The 1999 referendum was conducted under UN supervision, and the voter turnout was 98.6% : one of the highest in any democratic vote in world history. Nearly every eligible Timorese voted, despite militias threatening to kill anyone who did. The ballot box became a battlefield, and Timor chose freedom at nearly 100% participation.
