How Children's Day is celebrated on the planet: history and traditions

A quarter of the world's population celebrates one holiday on June 1 - Children's Day. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 25% of people in every country live under the age of majority. According to UN rules, they are considered children. However, the problems of generation Z cannot be called childish. Inaccessibility of education, early sexual development, psychological violence in families... On the first day of summer, the need to protect children's interests is raised all over the world, and emerging issues are examined under a magnifying glass.

How is Children's Day celebrated in Russia?

In Russia, as in fifty other countries, Children's Day is celebrated on June 1. Most often, social events in Russia are timed to coincide with the holiday, which never became a red day of the calendar. Activists, volunteers, public figures and those who care about the problems of the younger generation raise money for children with cancer, open playgrounds and playrooms, come with gifts to orphanages... Do you think it's boring? But no!

Sometimes people with ageless souls burst into standard holiday scenarios with fundraising and cutting red ribbons, sometimes in the literal sense of the word. For example, in several regions of Russia, Children's Day is celebrated under the roar of a motor. Bikers come to boarding schools, give gifts to the students, organize concerts for them and introduce them to iron horses. The Samara Gazeta website reports about one of these events.

Also on June 1, anti-abortion rallies are held in many cities across the country. Several years ago, on the eve of the holiday, Patriarch Kirill made an address. The priest called for donations for women who find themselves in difficult life situations. In 2016, we managed to collect about 40 million rubles for those in need. And in 2012, doctors in Kamchatka refused to perform abortions on this day. Now other regions of Russia are also organizing the “Day Without Abortion” campaign.

Traditions

On International Children's Day, various events are organized in different cities around the world: exhibitions of children's drawings, performances by creative groups, competitions. Also on this day, sporting events are held, in which children receive prizes and colored balloons for winning. Cartoons are shown in cinemas, and children's songs are played on the radio.

Also on this day, actions are held to support children who find themselves in difficult life situations. Charity events and concerts, the proceeds of which are sent to orphanages and hospitals, have become part of International Children's Day.

For example, children with special needs need support and protection. They suffer from social attacks and the inability to receive a good education. Children with cerebral palsy, autism and other diseases suffer from misunderstanding and lack of acceptance in society, despite the opportunity to study and work. The chance for education and self-realization is also a kind of fight for the rights of the child.

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Also in Russia, the “White Flower” campaign is taking place at the International Children’s Protection Center in St. Petersburg. Its goal is to raise funds for seriously ill children and attract public attention to the problems of oncology in children.

History of the holiday: who invented Children's Day?

The child welfare movement gained international significance in the late 1940s. The consequences of the Second World War persistently made themselves felt: millions of people died, the economies of thousands of cities collapsed, crowds of hungry street children appeared on the streets... At this turning point, a session of the International Democratic Federation of Women was held in Paris, where they proposed to establish a new holiday. It was November 1949. They didn’t put the new holiday on hold and in June 1950, Children’s Day was celebrated in 51 countries!

If the session of the women's federation took place in the fall, then why did June 1 become the starting point for the new holiday? Historians say that on the first day of summer in 1925, one of the first international actions took place. The Consul General of the People's Republic of China in the United States organized celebrations for the emigrant orphans on the occasion of the Chinese holiday in honor of the beginning of summer. At the same time, an international conference was held in Geneva, where the problems of the younger generation were discussed. So June 1 became International Children's Day.

International Children's Day flag. Source - mzgazeta.ru.

This is one of the few holidays that has a flag. It depicts figures of 5 children in red, blue, white, black and yellow. They stand around the circumference of the globe and hold hands tightly. The emblem says that people on the planet are different, but at the same time they are united. And the green background of the flag symbolizes growth and development.

In 1959, the United Nations drafted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, which was a non-binding document. Thirty years later, an international document on children's rights appeared.

In 1990, the convention was ratified in the Soviet Union. And in 1998, our country adopted the Federal Law “On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation.” In it, the state recognizes childhood as an important stage in personal development and sets the task of preparing children for life within society: in particular, the education of high moral qualities, physical fitness and the development of creative skills.

What should children be protected from?

Every continent and every country has its own threats to the child population. And, of course, the problems of children in Africa and Europe are radically different. What threats exist to the lives and development of children around the world:

• military conflicts;
• lack of clean drinking water and hunger;
• inability to get an education;
• early sexual development;
• bullying at school;
• drug addiction;
• computer addiction (numerous studies indicate that even a seemingly harmless hobby for computer games becomes the cause of unmotivated child cruelty);
• destruction of traditional foundations and patterns of behavior (this problem is relevant in Japan. The penetration of Western habits and patterns of behavior into the culture of Japan causes concern among the indigenous people).

Also, the fragile children's psyche suffers due to scandals in families. Moreover, children themselves often become the target of aggression. Thus, according to the State Automated System “Justice”, in 80% of cases children are harmed by relatives and close people. In half of the cases this happens while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In such a situation, the importance of social services and dialogue around laws on the decriminalization of domestic violence increases.

Preserving the physical and mental health of children is one of the main issues that educational institutions deal with. According to the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, several tens of millions of preventive examinations are carried out in the country. Over the course of several years, the number of schoolchildren with the first and second health groups has doubled - these are children without serious problems and functional deviations.

Take care and protect your child in any situation! The gentle parental control application “Where are my children” will help ensure the complete safety of your child, even when you are not around. You can download it from the AppStore and GooglePlay stores.

Flag

This is one of the few holidays that has its own flag. The green canvas depicts a planet on which stand five children of red, blue, white, black and yellow. They all reach out to each other: this symbolizes unity, despite the fact that all people are different.

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When is Children's Day celebrated in other countries?

Each country has its own characteristics of children's day. In Russia, school holidays begin on June 1st. But in Mexico, Children's Day is celebrated on April 30, when the school year is in full swing. Teachers and parents turn a blind eye to the fact that schoolchildren run away from classes on this day. After all, there really is a reason for this!

In Chile, Children's Day is celebrated twice a year - on the first Wednesday in October and on the second Sunday in August.

In Brazil, Children's Day falls on October 12th. It is also interesting that in this country the holiday turns exactly 100 years old in 2022! Yes, Brazilians paid attention to the problems of children back in 1920. The initiator of the holiday was a deputy of the federal assembly. A few years later, in 1924, the date was officially approved.

But in Australia they decided not to waste time on trifles and not limit themselves to one day. A “children’s week” was established in the country. of the Philippines turned out to be even more ambitious in terms of celebration , “giving” a whole month to the children.

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Purpose of celebration

International Children's Day was absolutely necessary at that time. Now this holiday is considered one of the most significant in Russia; not only adults, but also children themselves know about it.

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The purpose of the holiday is to educate everyone about the problems and difficulties that children encounter in their lives. This day reminds us of how important it is to know and respect the rights of every child.

How to celebrate a children's holiday within the family?

On this day, the task of every parent is to pay maximum attention to their child. Even if the work week is in full swing, you can devote the whole evening to him - the most important person in the life of every parent. If you managed to take a day off from work or the holiday fell on a day off, then try to organize events that your child will truly enjoy: trips, excursions, hikes, exhibitions, etc.

And we also need to remember that there are children deprived of parental love, affection and care. A gift for an orphan living in a nearby orphanage will not only give him at least a few minutes of happiness and faith in human kindness, but will also fill your child’s heart with a feeling of compassion and mercy.