How national holidays in ancient China aligned with emperors’ birthdays, so all could revel

Malaysia celebrates its Independence Day (“Hari Merdeka” in Malay) on August 31. This year, it will mark the 69th anniversary of the Malayan Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom. Note that it was a “Malayan”, not “Malaysian”, declaration. Sixty-nine years ago, in 1957, Malaysia did not yet exist; the modern nation of Malaysia came into being only on September 16, 1963, with the merger of the 11 states of the Malay Peninsula with British North Borneo (renamed Sabah), Sarawak and...