We all know about international days celebrated by people
worldwide. Some of these are celebrated in Bangladesh too. “New year’s day”,
“International Mother language day”, “Valentine’s day”. But how many of us do actually know that
there are some unusual but important days exist in the whole year besides
these. Last month we had celebrated “Mother’s day” and “May day” but do we know
that only in the month “May” there are 16 different days celebrated world wide?
Not only some serious days are celebrated but there are some funny (may be
hilarious holidays) do exist. This month’s cover is dedicated to these special
days, which are somehow unknown to us.
January 31st- Street Childrens Day
2009 marked the 75th anniversary of the canonization of John
Bosco, the Father and Teacher of Youth. To mark the anniversary, Jugend Eine
Welt launched “Street Children‘s Day“ the same year. The "Street
Children's Day" is commemorated every year on the January 31st and should
highlight the situation of these children and young people and raise funds for
projects run by the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Salesian Sisters of Don
Bosco in favor of street children worldwide. A “Street Children‘s Day“
information package is sent to parishes, interested teachers and youth groups
in the beginning of January. The package included material for a service for
children, general background information on the subject of street children and
suggestions for campaigns. This material is also available online (in German).
Since the first Street Children's Day in 2009 it has gained more and more
attention in Austrian media, especially in 2011 when the auxiliary bishop of
Vienna Franz Scharl cleaned shoes on the streets to commemorate the day.
February 6- International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female
Genital Mutilation:
It is a UN-sponsored awareness day that takes place February
6 each year in an effort to make the world aware of female genital mutilation
(also called female genital mutilation or FGM) and to promote its eradication.
First, on February 6, 2003, Stella Obasanjo, the First Lady of Nigeria and
spokesperson for the Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation, made the
official declaration on "Zero Tolerance to FGM" in Africa during a
conference organized by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices
Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC). Then the UN Sub-Commission on
Human Rights adopted this day as an international awareness day.
February 12-Darwin Day
We all know what Darwin’s theory is. According to him we,
humans, are the result of the evolution of, what we say now, Monkey. So
basically, when we go to the zoo, we actually see our past. Although religions
don’t accept his theory, but it seems like he made quite an impression of his
work that his birthday is celebrated as “Darwin’s day”. A day celebrated in
honor of him and his works. It was started as a “Day” after his death in April
19, 1882. In 1909, more than 400 scientists and dignitaries from 167 countries
met in Cambridge to honor Darwin's contributions and to discuss vigorously the
recent discoveries and related theories contesting for acceptance. This was a
widely reported event of public interest. Also in 1909, on February 12, the
100th birth anniversary of Darwin and the 50th anniversary of the publication of
On The Origin of Species were celebrated by the New York Academy of Sciences at
the American Museum of Natural History. A bronze bust of Darwin was unveiled.
On June 2, 1909 the Royal Society of New Zealand held a "Darwin
Celebration". "There was a very large attendance."
February 13th- Hug Day –
Can you all remember about an Indian film “Munna Bhai
M.B.B.S”, where the hero “Munna Bhai” teaches us the power of a hug? A magical
“Jappi” that can solve any anger any pain leaving happiness behind. Well, maybe
or maybe not but there is a day specially reserve for “Hug”. It is an annual
holiday created by Rev. Kevin Zaborney. It occurs on January 21 and is
officially recognized by the Hugging Committee of the City of London (?), as
well as the United States Copyright Office, but is not a public holiday. The
holiday was launched on January 21, 1986 in Clio, Michigan, USA, and has since
spread globally. The purpose of the holiday is to encourage everyone to hug
family and friends more often. Reverend Zaborney cautions to ask first if one
is unsure of the response. While National Hugging Day and the Free Hugs
Campaign share many similarities, there is no actual association between the
two. Whether you hug a family member or a friend or a stranger, the mental and
physical health benefits are the same.
February 22- Thinking Day
Do we need a day just for thinking? Well, many of you will
be quite surprised to know that there is a day fixed which is named “Thinking
Day”. So, maybe the question will arise“What would we think on that day?” Well
basically it’s a day celebrated annually on February 22 by all Girl Guides and
Girl Scouts. It is also celebrated by Scout and Guide organizations and some
boy-oriented associations around the world. It is a day when they think about the
their "sisters" (and "brothers") in all the countries of
the world, the meaning of Guiding, and its global impact.
Most recently, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl
Scouts has selected an important international issue as the theme for each
year's World Thinking Day, and selected a focus country from each of their five
world regions. Girl Guides and Girl Scouts use this as an opportunity to study
and appreciate other countries and cultures, and equally increase awareness and
sensitivity to global concerns. Donations are collected for the Thinking Day
Fund which supports projects to help Girl Guides and Scouts around the world.
February 22 was chosen as it was the birthday of Scouting
and Guiding founder Robert Baden-Powell and of Olave Baden-Powell, his wife and
World Chief Guide. Other Scouts celebrate it as “B.-P. Day” or “Founders' Day”.
February 28-National Science Day
National Science Day is celebrated in India on February 28
each year to mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman on 28 February 1928.
For his discovery, Raman was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1930.
In 1986, the National Council for Science and Technology
Communication (NCSTC) asked the Government of India to designate February 28 as
National Science Day. The event is now celebrated all over the country in
schools, colleges, universities and other academic, scientific, technical,
medical and research institutions. On the occasion of the first NSD (National
Science Day) on 30 May 2000 , the NCSTC announced institution of the National
Science Popularization awards for recognizing outstanding efforts in the area
of science communication and popularization. Sir C. V. Raman worked at Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata, West Bengal, India during
1907 to 1933 on various topics of Physics making discovery of the celebrated
effect of scattering of light in1928, which bears his name and that brought
many accolades including the Nobel Prize in 1930. The American Chemical Society
designated the 'Raman Effect' as an International Historic Chemical Landmark in
2013. By MukilAntony
March 14-Pi Day
For young and not so young mathematicians there is a special
day reserved, “Pi day”. It is an annual celebration commemorating the
mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (or 3/14 in the
month/day date format), since 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits
of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives
supported the designation of Pi Day.
Pi Approximation Day is observed on July 22 (or 22/7 in the
day/month date format), since the fraction 22⁄7 is a common approximation of π.
Well, people who love math will definitely wait for this day
but I probably won’t.
March 15th- World’s Consumer Rights Day
It is indeed a serious issue. On March 15 1962 US President
John F. Kennedy gave a speech on consumer rights which led to the creation of
the Consumer Bill of Rights. Consumer rights activist Anwar Fazal later proposed
the observance of a "World Consumer Rights Day" marking that date,
and on 15 March 1983 consumer organizations began observing that date as an
occasion to promote the basic rights of consumers.
World Consumer Rights Day is an annual occasion for celebration
and solidarity within the international consumer movement. Participants observe
the day by promoting the basic rights of all consumers, demanding that those
rights are respected and protected, and protesting about the market abuses and
social injustices which undermine them.
March 21st- World Poetry Day
World Poetry Day is on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999.
The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and
teaching of poetry throughout the world and, as the UNESCO session declaring
the day says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional
and international poetry movements".
It was generally celebrated in October, sometimes on the
5th, but in the latter part of the 20th Century the world community celebrated
it on 15 October, the birthday of Virgil, the Roman epic poet and poet laureate
under Augustus. The tradition to keep an October date for national or
international poetry day celebrations still holds in many countries. It is
still 5 October in the UK. Alternatively, a different October or even November
date is celebrated.
April 26th- world Intellectual Day
WIPO which elaborates to- World Intellectual Property
Organization, in 2000 established this day to “Raise awareness of how patents,
copyright, trademark and designs impact on daily life” and “to celebrate
creativity and the contribution made by the creators and innovators to the
development of societies across the globe”.
April 26th was chosen as the date for World Intellectual Property Day
because it coincides with the date on which the Convention Establishing the
World Intellectual Property Organization entered into force in 1970.
May 6th- International No Diet Day
“No diet”- this is the word that will create a big smile to
those who just love to eat. For them who live
for food, it is indeed a good news that in a year there is a day
reserved when “No Diet” is allowed. International No Diet Day (INDD) is an
annual celebration of body acceptance, including “fat acceptance” and “Body
Shape Diversity”. This day is also dedicated to promoting a healthy lifestyle
with a focus on health at any size and in raising awareness of the potential
dangers of dieting and the unlikelihood of success; the Institute of
Medicinesummarises: "those who complete weight loss programs lose
approximately 10 percent of their body weight only to regain two-thirds within
a year and almost all of it within five years." The first International No
Diet Day was celebrated in the UK in 1992. Feminist groups in other countries
around the globe have started to celebrate International No Diet Day,
especially in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, Israel, Denmark
and Brazil.
International No Diet Day is observed on May 6, and its
symbol is a light blue ribbon.
May 25th- Towel’s Day
“Towel’s Day”, pretty weird but it is true that people have
a special day for towel’s. No, actually this is the day celebrated as a tribute
to the author Douglas Adams by his fans. On this day, fans carry a towel with
them, as described in Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to
demonstrate their appreciation for the books and the author. The commemoration
was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on 11 May 2001.
August 13th- International Lefthander’s Day
The day for left-handers was first observed 13 August 1976.
As its name suggests, it is meant to promote awareness of the inconveniences
facing left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world. It celebrates the
left-handers, who are from seven to ten percent of the world's population.
August 20th- World Mosquito Day
World Mosquito Day, is a commemoration of British doctor Sir
Ronald Ross's discovery in 1897 that female mosquitoes transmit malaria between
humans. Ross is responsible for the annual observance, having declared shortly
after his discovery that the day should be known as World Mosquito Day in the
future. Sad for mosquitoes that this is not so ever a special day for them.
September 19th- International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Pirates of the Caribbean is most probably the best film on
pirates. We can not go to the sea and do any piracy but we can surely talk like
a pirate in September 19th, as it is the “International Talk Like A Pirate day”.
This day, which is a periodic holiday,
created in 1995 by John Baur (Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap'n Slappy),
of Albany, Oregon, U.S., who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when
everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. For example, an observer of
this holiday would greet friends not with "Hello," but with
"Ahoy, matey!" The holiday, and its observance, springs from a
romanticized view of the Golden Age of Piracy. It has become a holiday for
members of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
November 19th-
Many guys who feel sorry that there is no day for them,
well, cheer up because you have your own day. Yes, November 19th is the
“International Men’s day”. It is an annual international event Inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago,
the day and its events find support from a variety of individuals and groups in
Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe and Africa.
Spoken on behalf of UNESCO, Director of Women and Culture of
Peace Ingeborg Breines said of IMD, "This is an excellent idea and would
give some gender balance."
The objectives of celebrating an International Men's Day
include focusing on men's and boys' health, improving gender relations,
promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an
occasion to highlight discrimination against men and boys and to celebrate
their achievements and contributions, in particular for their contributions to
community, family, marriage, and child care. The broader and ultimate aim of
the event is to promote basic humanitarian values. So gear up guys cause your
day will also come.
Why we all will be so serious and seriously celebrate all
the serious day’s when there is a wide range of stupid and hilarious days we
have? So may be the days which will come soon in this year we will be
celebrating. We can have these days may be as a pirate or as a hugger or maybe
taking a towel and celebrate a “Towel’s Day”. Hopefully, these days will teach
us some inner meaning which we are not able to realize in our normal days. This
is why the special days are for, aren’t they?
