One of the most joyful and desirable days for any student is June 1st. In addition to being the first day of summer and the longest vacation, it is also International Children's Day.
Historical reference
They say that children are the flowers of life. It is not possible to calculate how many of these flowers were broken, dented and trampled during the Second World War. The decision to create a day commemorating children's rights was made back in 1925 at the World Conference in Geneva. This conference was dedicated to promoting the well-being of children around the world.
And, in fact, the holiday itself owes its existence to the International Democratic Federation of Women. This organization, under the auspices of the UN, inspired by the nightmarish events of the war of the 40s, in 1949 in Paris took an oath: to fight for the tireless maintenance of international peace as the main guarantor of children's safety, happiness and well-being. A little later, during the Moscow session of the IDFJ, implementing the decisions of its second congress, the International Children's Day was established.
African children, in addition to the international one, have their own holiday - the day of the African child. It was initiated by the Organization of African Unity. The reason for this decision was the shooting in 1976 of a column of students and schoolchildren advocating for the right to receive education in their native language. Children's Day in Africa (as the holiday is called in European countries) was established in 1991 and is celebrated on June 16.
The first International Children's Day was celebrated in 1950. In the Soviet Union, as in Russia today, it is customary to start a holiday with speeches and discussions dedicated to the well-being of children's life. On this day, numerous charity concerts are organized, campaigns begin and end, designed to solve the problems of children who find themselves in a difficult life situation. The program of cultural events of the holiday includes children's sports competitions, the organization of educational sites, the showing of special feature films and other entertainment programs. Not only children are actively involved, but also their parents.
Why June 1st?
The history of the holiday hides only one fact: why June 1 was chosen as the date of the holiday. The opinion that has survived to this day attributes this to the glory of the Consul General of China, who held this position in 1925. Gathering a group of orphans on June 1, he arranged for them a special, colorful celebration - Duan-wu Jie, the Dragon Boat Festival. By some, probably happy coincidence, the date of the celebration coincided with the date of the Geneva "children's" conference. The coincidence was considered significant and was chosen for the international holiday on June 1.
