April 16 is World Voice Day. The first celebrations on this occasion were held in 1999 in Brazil. In Russia, the tradition of celebrating Voice Day appeared in 2006. Both professionals (phoniatricians, otorhinolaryngologists, speech therapists, etc.) and ordinary people take part in the events. The holiday is dedicated to the phenomenon of the human voice and its significance in human life. Scientific symposiums and conferences are held all over the world on April 16, programs are broadcast that talk about the dangers of smoking and other factors that negatively affect the speech apparatus. These include working in dusty rooms, hypothermia, stress and frequent colds. It is known that long-term ignored hoarseness leads to damage to the upper respiratory tract, chronic laryngitis and surgical interventions. Problems of disease prevention and vocal hygiene concern singers, announcers, presenters, actors, tour guides, interpreters and representatives of other professions. This is interesting: Women who are planning to start a family often speak in a high-pitched voice. In this way, they attract potential partners to themselves on a subconscious level. The cultivation of high-pitched female voices is practiced on UK radio. But US television and radio broadcasts give preference to low voices with overtones. The voice is a communication tool, a way of transmitting the state of a person’s inner world and communicating with God. Yogis claim that the world originated from the sound “AUM” - the sacred “word of power”. Vocal practices and breathing exercises help to reveal the capabilities of your voice, make it deeper and softer. Singing mantras harmonizes the chakra system, removes internal pressures, and causes vibrations in the brain and endocrine glands. People who engage in meditative practices are calm, balanced and practically not susceptible to voice problems. Regular repetition of mantras, according to scientific observations, relieves stress, promotes relaxation and lowers blood pressure. This is interesting: A person’s voice and strong charisma, even negative, can have a powerful effect on people. Eyewitnesses claim that during A. Hitler’s speeches, the ladies fell into euphoria and ecstasy. The Fuhrer was such a powerful speaker that he could bring women to orgasm with his voice. Myths about sirens are widely known. These demonic creatures possessed divine voices with which they charmed people, after which they attacked and killed. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice tells of a legendary singer who saved his beloved by singing. His wondrous voice charmed the gods - Hades and Persephone. That's why they allowed Orpheus to descend into the kingdom of the dead and take Eurydice from there. This is interesting: Cuban leader Fidel Castro had a masterful voice. The Comandante could give speeches for hours on end. His longest speech to his party colleagues lasted 7 hours and 10 minutes. The fiery revolutionary owns another record. As an orator, Castro distinguished himself with the longest speech ever given at the UN. The commander's speech lasted 4 hours and 29 minutes. The transformation of flower girl Eliza Doolittle from B. Shaw's play "Pygmalion" into a society lady was accompanied by classes with professor of phonetics Higgins. He believed that a person can be radically transformed by learning to speak correctly. Thanks to him, Eliza’s speech, which had previously spoken in Cockney, becomes measured and smooth, like that of a real lady. In 1959, the Italian writer Gianni Rodari wrote the fairy tale “Gelsomino in the Land of Liars.” Its main character has an amazing voice, the sound of which makes glass break, fruits fall from trees, buildings collapse and drawings come to life. Gelsomino's magical voice became a real weapon in the fight against evil and injustice in the person of King Giacomone. The “Hour of Silence” helps to understand the value of being able to share information out loud. British experts suggest that patients remain silent for 60 minutes in everyday life, while trying to solve problems and problems that arise without using their voice. The experiment proves that the speech apparatus is not inferior in importance to hearing and vision. These and other factors explain the appropriateness of the annual celebration of World Voice Day on April 16.

Silent and sound film actor, director and screenwriter, editor, producer and composer Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889. The comedian's long life was full of a series of ups and downs. Fans applauded him, critics sang his praises, and at the same time he was persecuted for political reasons, persecuted for his sympathy with communist views. But the vicissitudes of life’s path did not break the comedian. The contribution of this epic personality to the development of cinema can hardly be overestimated, so on April 16, Charlie Chaplin Day is celebrated all over the world. The actor, in addition to political charges, was charged with moral turpitude by a commission of the US Immigration Department. For this reason, he was unable to return to America until the end of his days, leaving it briefly in 1952 for England. Like all creative people, Chaplin was an addicted person, preferring underage girls. Despite the comical image of the Tramp, a clumsy and slow hero, created in the cinema, in life the actor was very popular with women. Chaplin was interested in both the actresses he filmed in his own films and women not associated with cinema. Charlie Chaplin's first love was Hattie Kelly. She was a ballerina who worked in the London musical show "Yankee Dudds Girls". The 19-year-old actor, madly in love, was surprised to meet a rebuff from the girl. Hattie Kelly did not reciprocate Chaplin's feelings, pointing out the 4-year age difference and being indignant at the fact that she was only 15 years old. Before this meeting, Chaplin had already been in a marriage, which he never mentioned in his autobiography. The comedian married an even younger girl at the age of 16, who bore him a son. After the breakup, Charlie took the child to raise for himself. In addition to this boy, the actor had 11 more children from different marriages, which also indicates the love of love of the brilliant comedian. Chaplin's second son, who died in infancy, was given birth to by Mildred Harris, whom he met in 1917. And although the actor wrote in his memoirs that his future wife was 19 years old, some sources talk about the 14-year-old bride whom the comedian led down the aisle in 1918 G. Lilita Gray, his next wife, who played Playful Angel in Charlie's film "Baby", gave him two more sons. She met Chaplin as a 16-year-old schoolgirl. The relatives of the pregnant Lita insisted on getting married, who threatened the actor with a trial and a fine of 10 million dollars for molesting a minor. Chaplin's last great love was Una O'Neill, whose marriage was registered in 1943. The age difference between the bride and groom was 54 years old and was 36 years. After the wedding, her father, playwright Eugene O'Neill, cut off all contact with his daughter. Jerome Salinger was madly in love with Una, an aspiring model and actress. The future writer was going to marry her after returning from the army. However, the beauty's heart went to Charlie Chaplin, to whom Una gave birth to 8 children - 3 sons and 5 daughters. “Without love, everything is nothing.” These words belong to the Apostle Paul. Do we have the right to condemn a genius for his frequent passions of the heart? Charlie Chaplin gave the world 14 full-length films and more than 60 short films. The heroes of his films made viewers rejoice and laugh through tears, saved them from despondency, instilling hope in a bright future. On April 16, the whole world pays tribute to the talent of the great actor, director and screenwriter, celebrating Charlie Chaplin Day.

On April 16, the Eastern Slavs celebrate the name day of Vodyanoy. People call this day Nikita Vodopol or the Awakening of the owner of the waters. This holiday is even a very old custom, which appeared in Rus' during the times of dual faith. Vodopol is often called Pereplut, the name day of Vodyanoy or Nikita Vodopol, but the meaning does not change - on April 16, which falls on April 3 according to the ancient calendar, people welcomed the awakening of Vodyanoy, mermaids and other aquatic inhabitants from their winter sleep. Along with the onset of spring days and the blossoming of nature, the owner of the waters wakes up from a long hibernation. Over the long frosty months, Vodyanoy became very weak and hungry. Having woken up, grandfather immediately wants to try something tasty, after which he goes to explore his endless kingdom. On this day, at exactly 12 o'clock at night, fishermen came to the shore to feed and oil Vodyany. There was a belief that the fishermen treated him by drowning his horse. Especially for this ritual, the frailest and weakest horse was purchased from the gypsies. After people feed Vodyany, he calms down, begins to lure large fish from other rivers, protects fishermen from storms and flooding, and does not damage the nets. According to some sources, people treated Vodyanoy by pouring oil into the pond. Around this time, the wait for the arrival of ice drift and flooding began. In this regard, a folk sign arose - when bringing gifts, fishermen noted: “If ice drift does not begin on this day, then the fish catch will be poor for the whole year.” Currently, Vodyanoy is a character in many paintings and children's fairy tales. In Slavic mythology he is called the ruler of the water kingdom. He grazes herds of fish at the bottom of lakes and rivers, and guides mermaids and other sea creatures. In fact, Vodyanoy has a good-natured disposition, but occasionally he likes to play pranks and invite an onlooker to visit him as entertainment. He also commands the drowned. In many sources, Vodyanoy is presented as a naked, plump, puffy grandfather, with bulging eyes and a fish tail. He is covered in mud, has a long beard, and a bushy green mustache. Could be shrouded in a large fish, a child or a horse. Usually lives in pools, the favorite habitat is a water mill. The merman can destroy dams, for this reason it is necessary to appease him by sacrificing some large animal, most often a horse. The Vodyans living in the springs were especially powerful, since this type of reservoir, according to ancient legends, was formed by a lightning strike from the strongest and most powerful god Perun. According to most historical sources, such keys were called “rattlers.”

Author's punctuation is one of the features of the writer's style. Analysis of prose by A.S. Pushkina says that his favorite punctuation mark was the semicolon. The same statement is true for L.N. Tolstoy. The writer used ";" to delimit independent sentences within one large one, which could reach half a page in length. The dot signifies the end, the finale of everything, including existence. Sign ";" the writer uses it when he could complete the phrase, but does not consider it necessary to do so. Each of us is the author and creator of our own life. Some decide to leave it by putting a period, but it comes out with ";". April 16 is World Semicolon Day, dedicated to people with suicidal experiences. Those who take part in World Semicolon Day have glimpsed the end of their sentence - life, or witnessed the suicide of a loved one. This is a heavy burden, an unbearable burden that pulls you to the bottom, depressing your mental health. A story about the experience of suicide, according to the organizers of Semicolon Day, can prevent people from trying to take their own lives. Symbol ";" says the story is not over yet. God has his own plans for everyone, and it is not for us to decide when to leave this world. Suicide is one of the 10 most common causes of death in the United States. Every year, 1.5 million Americans attempt suicide. The top 25 in terms of suicide rates include South Korea, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, India, South Sudan, Japan, Russia and other countries. September 10 is celebrated annually as World Suicide Prevention Day. However, the creators of World Semicolon Day felt that this was not enough. People with experience of suicide and their loved ones need help to cope with grief and understand their feelings. And this is why Semicolon Day was created. The author of the World Semicolon Day project, launched in 2013, is Amy Blue. She created the day in memory of her father, who committed suicide in 2003. Amy struggled with depression and also tried to take her own life. But thanks to her faith in God, she realized that her story, like other people’s, is not over yet. Members of the movement founded by Amy Blue, survivors of a suicide attempt, get a semicolon tattoo on their bodies. They are open to dialogue with the outside world and are ready to share their thoughts on why such a decision should not have been made. On April 16, words of comfort and support are posted on social networks with the hashtag #WorldSemicolonDay for those who have had the sad experience of suicide. World Semicolon Day encourages people to realize that they are not alone, and there is always someone nearby who is ready to lend a helping hand. It can also be someone who has been abroad and realized that it is too early to put an end to the history of his life.

Armenian Police Day is an annually celebrated professional holiday of Armenian law enforcement officers. Every year it is celebrated on April 16th. As a rule, the Day is not a day off. This holiday is quite young, and began to be celebrated only in 2002. The decision to form this holiday was prompted by the actions of the National Assembly of Armenia, which, under its authority, a year earlier, that is, on April 16, 2001, adopted the Law “On the Police”. The latter is intended to regulate not only the concepts of the apparatus of the Armenian law enforcement agencies, but also establishes their powers, tasks, rights, principles, structure, guarantees, responsibilities and other areas of the body’s activities. The name of the holiday itself came from this event. According to tradition, on this day senior officials and management congratulate their subordinates. Many are awarded insignia: they are awarded state awards, receive titles, gifts, certificates and commendations from the command. In addition, every year on this day, high-ranking Armenian police officers lay flowers in the morning at the monument to the Unknown Soldier, which is located in Victory Park in Yerevan. Law enforcement officials, in the exercise of their powers, perform the following tasks: - protection of public order; - ensuring human safety; - prevention and prevention of crime; - detection and detection of crimes; - providing assistance to persons who need to protect their legitimate interests and rights within the limits of their powers. Democracy has been proclaimed in Armenia, the existence of which is unthinkable without a sense of security, which must be ensured by specialized bodies. The police, which inspire confidence, are such bodies. All functions performed by law enforcement agencies are important and require great human involvement in this structure. Therefore, it is important to appreciate and respect the work of workers who face crime and deviant behavior face to face every day, but continue to be the personification of peace, order and legality in the country. The crime rate in the country is an important prerequisite leading to the burden on these bodies. Therefore, it is important to pay tribute to the work being done by law enforcement agencies working for the benefit of their fellow citizens.

According to the folk calendar, Nikita Vodopol is celebrated on April 16 (April 3, old style). On the same date, Orthodox believers honor the memory of Saint Nikita the Confessor, after whom the day was named. Nikita's life began in the 8th century in a righteous family in Caesarea (in the territory of modern Israel). Having lost his parents, the boy was raised by his grandmother, she instilled in him a love for the Lord. As a youth, Nikita became a monk at the Midice monastery and became one of the best monks. Years later, he was appointed to the post of abbot (abbot) of the monastery. He also defended icons and his flock from the heresy of the iconoclasts, for which he was imprisoned. A few years after his release, the abbot died in his monastery. Nikitin's day was popularly called Vodopol. Due to rapid warming, the ice on the rivers broke and the amount of water increased. It often happened that rivers overflowed their banks, and their waters flooded the area. In rare years, water reached residential areas, and peasants faced water on the floor. That’s why they called the day – Vodopol. To predict how much water will flood this year, residents monitored the level of nesting of river birds. It was also believed that moles do not dig holes below the river flood, so the height of the upcoming flood was determined from the mole holes. Residents believed that on Nikita Vodopola the merman woke up from hibernation. He was called the owner of reservoirs, they said that he managed the fish like a cattle breeder with cows. Therefore, the fishermen tried to appease the merman. They brought him gifts of porridge, chicken entrails, wine drinks, and bread crusts. There was a tradition among fishermen to sacrifice an unfit nag to the owner of the rivers. She was bought together, fed well the day before, and taken to the ice of the river. When a groan was heard from the water, the horse was drowned. Then a jug of oil was poured into the river and the merman was ordered to accept the gift. This ritual ensured that the aquatic owner, after hibernation, would not take the fish to other places. If rain fell on Nikita Vodopol, residents prepared for a bad spring. The first rumbles of thunder promised a cool summer. Seeing the closed coltsfoot flowers before sunset on a given day foreshadowed a change in the weather. Poor fishing was expected if you saw untouched ice on reservoirs.

The Constitution is the most important law of the state, because it regulates political, economic and legal life and provides citizens with their rights and freedoms. That is why Constitution Day is considered a big holiday in all countries, and Bulgaria is no exception in this regard, which celebrates this significant event on April 16. The first Bulgarian Constitution was adopted back in 1879. If you look at its content, it was practically the same as that of the Belgian document. Therefore, at that time, Bulgaria was a constitutional monarchy, where the parliament had fairly large and broad powers. But everything changed in 1934, when Boris the Third came to power and established his sole rule. Accordingly, this Constitution was revoked. The king concentrated all power in his hands. The next changes to the basic law of Bulgaria took place in 1944. The 1879 Constitution was restored. Parliament regained its powers, although not for long. In connection with the advent of socialist power in Bulgaria, a new fundamental law of the state was adopted - in 1947 (the so-called “Dimitrov” Constitution), and then in 1971 (the “Zhivkov Constitution”). Today, Bulgaria has a Constitution adopted in 1991. According to it, the country is a parliamentary republic. In addition, April 16 is an official holiday. Various celebrations are held throughout the country on this day. The most outstanding and beloved is the ceremonial formation of the presidential regiment at the presidential palace. The President of Bulgaria necessarily congratulates his citizens on this significant event. Many cities host mass celebrations, festive concerts, and grand fireworks displays in the evening. The Bulgarians themselves take their Constitution very seriously, considering it a source of national pride.

Orthodox holidays on April 16:

Memorial Day of Confessor Nikita of Midice

Icon painting as a type of cult painting arose in Christianity to convey biblical scenes and images of saints. Paintings, which were painted according to strict canons on wooden boards or canvas, have long been used to decorate temples and houses. All the characteristic features of the saint’s face, the image of his figure and gestures had a sacred meaning. Icons have been the object of veneration by believers at all times. Before painting them, the painter received a blessing from his spiritual father. On April 16, the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Color” is celebrated, which is one of the most revered images in Christianity. The face of the Virgin Mary in this image is full of peace, tenderness and tranquility. There are several iconographic variants of the image of the Virgin Mary “Unfading Color”. On the lists, the Virgin Mary is either depicted from the waist up, or sitting with a baby in her arms on a throne, dressed in a royal robe. In one of the variants, she holds in her hands a rose or a branch of a white lily according to the local traditions of the Greek island of Kefalonia, where in the 16th-17th centuries. the icon was painted. In other images, in the hands of the Mother of God (less often - Jesus) there is a blossoming rod. He refers us to the Old Testament, in which Aaron's rod is an allegory of the Virgin Mary. The icon painters of the island of Kefalonia were inspired to create the face of the Mother of God by an unusual phenomenon. On the day of the Annunciation (April 7), its residents bring sprigs of white lilies to the temple. Flowers are placed in the icon case of the Annunciation, where without water and sunlight they dry up. But on the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 28), a miracle happens - the branches produce buds and bloom. This is how lilies appeared on the “Unfading Flower” icon. This symbol emphasizes the purity, sinlessness and innocence of Christ and the Virgin Mary. Copies of icons were brought to Russia from Mount Athos at the end of the 17th century. Some of them, for example, a face dating from 1865 from the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Moscow, have not survived to this day. A black and white version of the ancient icon “Unfading Color” is located in the Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord, located on Mount Tabor in Israel. Some of the ancient lists are located in Russia. Thus, the “Unfading Flower” icons are kept in the Alekseevsky Monastery in Moscow, the small monastery of Kadom in the Ryazan region and the Assumption Church in Mogiltsy. Since ancient times, the icon has been figuratively called the “picturesque Gospel” and the “Bible for the illiterate.” The image helps believers turn to the prototype with gratitude and requests of various kinds. Some icons are considered miraculous because they heal illnesses, help people get married, and give birth to a child. The Virgin Mary is most often asked for mental and physical health, and resolution of family conflicts. The “Fadeless Flower” icon, which is revered at home, is decorated with lace, willow branches and fragrant fresh flowers. Before the face of the saint, the girls pray for the purity of their thoughts and deliverance from temptation, asking for help in choosing a betrothed and for happiness in family life. Mothers ask the Virgin Mary for help in raising their daughters in the spirit of meekness and innocence. Believers talk a lot about miracles of healing after turning to the icon of the Mother of God “Unfading Light,” which is why it is glorified annually on April 16.