On this date in Nigeria, the Yoruba people celebrate the Gelede, an annual ritual of dancing and wearing of masks to drive away evil sorceresses.

In pre-Christian times, a festival called the Pardon of the Sea was celebrated annually in Brittany. It was originally dedicated to Ahes, a Pagan goddess of the sea, and was later Christianized into the Feast of Saint Anne.

Pope Innocent VIII, the pope who issued bull Summis Desiderantes Affectibus was elected on this date in 1484.