Both faithful readers know that today is a day that we always celebrate. It’s Ten Ten Day, or Double Ten Day. We started celebrating this occasion back in 1972 when we were living in Manila. We lived in an apartment building next door to the Taiwan Embassy. From our balcony, we could look right down into Embassy’s courtyard. On the 10th of October, they had a BIG party. At the time, we weren’t sure why, but we knew it had to be something special.
We found out that the national holiday known as Taiwan National Day or Double Ten Day is observed in Taiwan every year on October 10. Pretty much all Taiwanese have the day off from work. In mainland China, Double Ten Day is known as the Anniversary of the Wuchang Uprising, and there isn’t a big celebration, but commemorative ceremonies are conducted.
Taiwan celebrates the beginning of the Wuchang Uprising in China on October 10. 1911. The revolution brought an end to the Ching (Qing) Dynasty, which the Manchus had created in 1644. The insurrection resulted in the establishment of the Republic of China on January 1, 1912.
So in our household, October 10 calls for Chinese food — it’s a tradition that we’ve looked forward to annually for over 50 years.
Happy Ten Ten Day!!
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