We believe in the resurrection of our dear Orthodox Christians and therefore we call them deceased, not dead. They are sleeping, but on the right day they will be resurrected, and everyone will be rewarded according to their faith. That is why the solemn day of remembrance of the deceased is called Radonitsa, from the word “joy”. We need to rejoice for our ancestors, they are already on their way to eternal life. And to make it easier to survive the sadness of a temporary separation, the church has appointed a special day of remembrance while the Easter holiday continues. This is the second Tuesday after Easter Sunday. In common parlance it is called parent's day. The holiday is ancient, the roots of its name go back to another word, Rod. According to the tradition prescribed by the church on this day, immediately after the evening service a full funeral service was performed. It was necessary to go to the cemetery, pray for the deceased relatives (from Rod), visit the resting places, and remember the departed. This was done through a simple meal; believers brought colored eggs and other Easter dishes to the graves. Thus, the unity of the living with the departed was recreated. From Old Church Slavonic, the prefix “pre-” in this case has the same meaning as “re-”. And it is correct to use the form “to repose before the Lord,” that is, to make a rearrangement, a step closer. Because after earthly death, the deceased do not cease to be part of the Church. They had to share with them the same meal that the living eat. But under no circumstances should you leave food in the cemetery or pour alcohol on the grave. However, during the Soviet era, due to the total eradication of customs and due to the fact that there was no one to be the keeper and bearer of traditions, confusion occurred. Someone remembered that as a child they carried Easter dishes to the graves of their ancestors. And he came to the conclusion that it is imperative to go to the churchyard on the very holiday of Easter Sunday. A new custom was born, upsetting for the very foundations of Orthodoxy. On the day on which one should rejoice at the Resurrection of the Savior, perform rituals corresponding to this event and participate in festive services, people often go to the cemetery, where they leave colored eggs, alcohol and black bread. This is a big misconception, a mistake. The Church specifically designated the ninth day after Easter. Just as on the ninth day it is customary to remember the newly deceased. And on Radonitsa it is imperative to remember the departed with the thought of the victory over death accomplished by Christ and expected for all true believing Christians. At the same time, there should be no place for mournful and sad thoughts, because the Easter holiday continues. We must remember that the grave is the place where the future resurrection will take place. It must be looked after, kept in order, kept clean, tidy and tidy. So that at any moment, whenever the moment of reunion comes, the grave mound would be ready for this event. Upon arrival, it is customary to bring and light a candle, say a prayer, try to immerse yourself in it and thereby remember the deceased. Thus, the custom of the ancient Slavs, supported and reinforced by the Russian Orthodox Church and expressed in the holiday of Radonitsa, will be completed.

Navy Day (Madder Day) among the Slavs is a holiday of remembrance of the dead. From this day on, visits to graves began, where rituals and sacrifices were performed. In memory of the dead people, libations were poured and funeral feasts were held. Particular attention was paid to the production of the required. Requirements meant what was done with one’s own hands. It could be pies and cereals, rolls and cookies, pancakes and colored eggs, wine and beer. The ancient Slavs firmly believed that if you cook something with your own hands, lovingly thinking about the deceased, you can saturate the creation (cookies or pie) with energy. She, in turn, will become food and satiate the Souls of her relatives. In this sense, the service was a sacrificial offering of living energy, very necessary and important (according to the thoughts of the ancient Slavs) to the Gods and ancestors. But before rendering demands to the Gods and relatives, it was necessary to perform personal cleansing with all the elements. To do this, they sprayed water, surrounded it with fire, fumigated it with air and sprinkled it with earth. On this day, the children “called out” for the first spring rain. We started watching the clouds and sky clouds early in the morning. If nature blessed people with rain, everyone vying with each other hurried to wash themselves with “heavenly water.” The old people claimed that this would definitely bring happiness. On Navy Day, it was important to go to the graves of relatives in the same way as the funeral procession. You should have left him the way you left on the day of the funeral. It was assumed that in this way it would be easier for the deceased relative to find the way to the living (through sleep) and help with advice if necessary. On Navii day, after sunset, the Slavs lit fires. This was done away from human eyes. Deceased relatives were “warmed” by lighting a fire. The performers of the ritual took a branch in their hands and, calling the name of the deceased, to whom they could not go to the grave, threw it into the fire for him. Food was also set on fire in honor of this man. On Naviy Day, festivities, fun and drunken celebrations were prohibited. Only quiet “gatherings” among relatives were allowed, with obligatory commemoration of those who had gone to another world. When night came, people went to bed also thinking about the dead. They hoped that the meeting in a dream would definitely happen. People believed that the veil of secrecy would be lifted: they would find out how their relatives lived in another world and would receive answers to all their questions.

Nepotism develops in each home in its own way, but society requires certain traditional, family and related holidays: this is how Father's Day, Mother's Day, Sons' Day, and Siblings' Day appeared. The turn has come to my daughter’s day. Traditionally, daughter's day is celebrated all over the world on April 25th. This is probably due to spring, flowering, a joyful mood, the awakening of solar warmth and natural greenery and grace in most countries. In general, almost all women's holidays fall in the spring months, probably due to the tender attitude towards the beautiful representatives of humanity. What is Daughter's Day for? - a question that rarely arises among families with daughters. The joy and happiness that the birth of a child brings to a family is indescribable; the birth of a girl brings special tenderness and peace to the family. The daughter is the future keeper of the home, the mother’s main assistant in family matters. The affection, tenderness, and care that a father feels and shows towards his daughter can never be compared with anything. How many kind and pleasant words mothers and fathers say to their little girls, how much warmth they give them. Raising daughters has always been different from raising sons. According to the traditions of our society, a future man needs rigor and discipline, while girls receive love, tenderness and affection. In a word, the appearance of such a day, its selection among other days of the year, is quite obvious. So, on April 25, Daughter's Day is celebrated all over the world. On this day, it is customary to raise topical problems of girls’ adolescence, of course, in the family, issues of education are raised every day, but on April 25, you can organize some cross-sections of the child’s knowledge, framing them as a game, in order to clarify the area of ​​​​knowledge of girls and girls in various issues of life and their own development. This will contribute to family unity, the emergence of a trusting atmosphere between parents and daughters, which often becomes “covered with cracks” during the teenage, difficult period of a child’s life.

DNA Day is an international holiday celebrated every year on April 25th. It was on this day in 1953 that a scientific article on the structural features of DNA at the molecular level was published in the printed edition of Nature. The authors of the publication are three Cambridge scientists and their colleagues. The article contained only one elementary drawing, taking up a little more than a page. However, the work served as the beginning of the history of genetic engineering, a turning point in the development of the entire biological industry. The significant discovery of British scientists was appreciated, and a few years after the publication of their work they received the most prestigious Nobel Prize in the field of physiology and medicine. In 2003, DNA Day was established by the American Congress as a national date to honor the successful completion of the human gene decoding program. From next year to the present day, cultural and social events dedicated to this holiday are organized every year in the United States. They are attended by scientists, teachers of educational institutions, members of the public, self-government organizations and creative individuals. The main goal of the events is to popularize innovative genetic knowledge and intensify the research work of school and university students to address issues of hereditary pathologies, cancer, aging, as well as the creation and widespread implementation of modern projects in the field of biotechnology and genetics. In Russia, DNA Day was celebrated for the first time in 2009 at the initiative of the state medical university located in Krasnoyarsk. On this day, ceremonial events dedicated to the event were held, in particular open lectures for teachers, students, medical workers, and screening of scientific films dedicated to significant discoveries in the field of genetic engineering. The DNA macromolecule is a deoxyribonucleic acid that contains all of a person's genetic data. This test is considered one of the most effective and frequently used to determine kinship. It has the shape of a double helix, resembling a large spiral ladder, each step of which contains two nucleotides. The discovery of the structure of DNA was truly revolutionary for the entire scientific world. The identification of this molecule made it possible to decipher the code of heredity and identify a genetic threat. The human body contains 40 trillion cells, each of which stores 1.5 gigabytes of genetic data. The DNA of all inhabitants of the planet is 99.9% the same. The uniqueness of each is 0.1%. The only cells in the body that lack this molecule are red blood cells. The gene code of people is identical to the codes of individual representatives of the animal and plant world: with chimpanzees this connection is 95%, with mice - 70%, with bananas - 50%.

Today, the World Health Organization calls the age from 44 to 60 average, although back in 2005 most people considered the half-century mark to be old age. Youth included the carefree years of youth, while the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates called the age period from 15 to 42 years maturity. At the beginning of the twentieth century. in the novel “Mother” by M. Gorky, a 40-year-old woman was called an old woman. Nowadays everything has changed. According to sociological surveys, the new borders correlate with the worldview of modern man. Men and women do not want to grow old, paying, despite their biological age, great attention to their appearance, maintaining sanity of mind and sobriety of spirit. The fair sex is especially sensitive to the arrival of the golden age of life. Women who decided to destroy the stereotypes existing in society came up with an unusual holiday - the funny Day of the Red Hat Society, which is celebrated on April 25. The celebration was established on the initiative of the Red Hat Society organization founded in 1998 in the USA. Initially, its members were ladies 50 years and older who wanted to enrich their lives with new acquaintances and communication with like-minded people. Today, the doors of the Red Hat Society, whose Hatquarters headquarters are located in California, are open to women of all ages. The Most Noble Queen Mother of the community is the founder - US resident Sue Ellen Cooper. Its famous Red Bonnet Society got its name from the poet Jenny Joseph from Great Britain. The poem "Warning", first published in 1961, was recognized 35 years later as the most popular post-war work. His poetic lines inspired not only the artist Cooper, but also millions of women around the world to accept their age: In the late 90s, the founder of the Red Hat Society, while traveling in Arizona, bought one red hat for herself, and a second bowler hat from an antique store for a friend for her 55th birthday. Later, E. Cooper made similar gifts to other friends. Thus, in a playful manner, she welcomed the onset of middle age among women, calling for them to treat this with joy, a slight dose of irony and rebellion, like the lyrical heroine Jenny Joseph from her cult poem: On April 25, 1998, the artist’s friends and like-minded people had a tea party, dressed in red hats and lavender-colored dresses. The tradition became annual, marking the beginning of the Red Hat Society Day celebration. According to the charter, only a woman over 50 years old can wear purple clothes and a red hat to the meeting. The popularity of the society was brought by the publication of articles about him in one of the Californian newspapers and the Romantic Homes magazine. By early 2011, there were more than 40,000 branches of the organization in the United States, which were also opened abroad in 30 countries. Supporters of the movement not only gather for tea parties, but also organize joint trips to nature, theater and cinema trips. In 2004-2005 Cooper has written and published books about the Red Hat Society, the interaction and friendship of women after fifty, their personal stories, which became a source of inspiration for members of the organization. An unusual holiday is a hymn to the autumn of life, which comes along with wrinkles and gray hair, wisdom and inner harmony. The holiday established by the Red Hat Society encourages all women to accept with joy any returnable changes and remain forever young at heart.

Thanks to origami, a sheet of paper without glue or scissors turns into a flower, frog, envelope, whale, swan and other animals. This type of decorative and applied art arose in the 1st century. AD Butterflies made from strips of paper were part of a Shinto wedding ceremony. In the 20th century Sadako Sakashi's cranes have become a symbol of peace and friendship between people. This Japanese girl suffered from leukemia after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but fought the disease until her last breath. Sadako believed in the legend that throwing a thousand cranes she made into the sky would help her recover from a terrible disease. Researchers believe that origami has its roots in Ancient China, where paper figurines were first used to perform religious rituals. But this art developed mostly in Japan. Paper airplanes began to be made in China more than 2,000 years ago, and in the 30s of the twentieth century. began to be used when testing aircraft models. The initiative to use the aerodynamic properties of the figures belonged to John Northrop, the head of the Lockheed company founded in 1926. Due to the ease of assembly, creating paper airplanes has become a popular pastime among children and adults in many countries around the world. In honor of the toy, festivals are organized and various events are held at which launch records are set. In the United States, National Paper Airplane Day, which falls on May 26, is considered a national holiday. In Europe, Paper Airplane Day is celebrated on April 25th. The holiday did not immediately receive international status. In 1989, the Paper Aircraft Industry Association was created. Under her auspices, 17 years later, the world's first championship in launching paper airplanes into the sky was held. Competitions are held in two main categories of flights: “time in the air” and “distance”. Since 2012, the American Takuo Toda has held the championship in terms of the duration of an aircraft's flight - 27.9 seconds. This figure became a world record, as did the largest model of a paper balloon with a wingspan of 18 m. In honor of Paper Airplane Day, not only competitions are held, but also master classes on assembling figures. Model aircraft are painted and decorated, and then launched into the sky, assessing the flight range. In this competition category, the record belongs to the American Joe Ayub - a paper plane designed for him by John Collins covered a distance of 70 m in February 2012. The holiday celebrated on April 25 is a great way to return to childhood, feel like a child, have fun with your family, neighbors and friends.

Material well-being allows a person to make his life comfortable and safe. Financial independence is a path to self-improvement, including getting an education, implementing interesting projects, and the opportunity to take care of loved ones. It allows you to live on income from your own assets without depending on work, salary and social assistance from the state. Having wealth makes it possible to devote more time to your loved ones, do charity work and start traveling without worrying about the future. To achieve financial independence, a person needs to set a budget for his expenses, accumulate savings, invest in profitable projects and learn how to manage assets. Passive income is the key to financial stability and confidence in the future. Today, financial literacy is being taught in kindergartens and primary schools. To increase people's awareness of this social phenomenon, a holiday has been established - Financial Independence Day is celebrated annually on April 25th. The date of the celebration was not chosen by chance. 4% is at the forefront of the concept of financial independence. This is how much money is recommended to be spent from your own investments within 12 months in order to cover inflation. That is, with a bank deposit of 3 million rubles. You can withdraw no more than 120 thousand rubles. The number "25" is a marker of how much assets should be kept intact. So, if the annual budget with all planned expenses is equal to 1 million 200 thousand rubles, then the amount of targeted savings should be 30 million rubles. (1,200,000 times 25). Therefore, Financial Independence Day is celebrated on the 25th of the 4th month of the year. Achievement of this status is signaled by four important vital signs. A person does what he likes, freely manages his time, does any work without being dependent on management and external factors, and, most importantly, his capital grows year by year. To achieve independence and material well-being, you need to hire a specialist in this field (for example, start collecting an investment portfolio with the help of a stock broker) or improve your own financial literacy. Assets that generate passive income are a reserve fund that needs to be replenished regularly. They cannot be touched even in the event of unforeseen circumstances. There is no shame in saving and spending wisely. First of all, you need to give up spontaneous purchases, which are often the result of marketing tricks. The first generation of Swiss bankers, whose representatives lived in the 16th century, strictly saved on everything, so that later their great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren could take advantage of the material wealth inherited from their ancestors. Money for the “safety cushion” is withdrawn from the main sources of income (for example, salaries or rental property). After the availability of reserve capital, its funds are invested in promising projects: securities and bonds of state companies, business development, purchase of housing stock or commercial real estate for rent. This is how money begins to work for a person who has achieved his goal - partial or complete financial independence.

The Land of the Rising Sun is home to many unique arts and crafts and craft techniques that have spread throughout the world. Japanese women spend their evenings embroidering temari (traditional fabric balls), making kanzashi (bone or wooden hairpins for creating a national hairstyle), creating oshie (three-dimensional paintings from scraps of fabric and paper). One of the most popular hobbies and ways of spending leisure time is knitting or crocheting amigurumi. The boom in tiny toys in the form of household items, figurines of people and animals was sparked by the cat Kitty. Thanks to her, the aesthetic concept of kawaii appeared - emphasizing and popularizing childishness, naivety and childishness by people of all ages, what in youth slang is denoted by the word “cute”. Tiny and pretty amigurumi in delicate colors and pastel tones evoke affection along with the desire to snuggle them, being the embodiment of the kawaii style. Knitting as a type of needlework appeared in Japan during the reign of the Tokugawa dynasty - during the Edo period. But the first mentions of creating soft miniature toys from threads date back to the 1920s. Until recently, art was known only within the Land of the Rising Sun. However, in 2006, knitted miniature toys made the list of the best-selling handmade goods online. In honor of the traditional handicraft technique, a holiday has been established - International Amigurumi Day is celebrated on April 25 every year. The height of each knitted and stuffed figure does not exceed 10-15 cm. Amigurumi is made in the form of animals and people, vegetables and fruits, cupcakes and donuts, hats and handbags, cacti and roses. Simple figures are crocheted or knitted entirely, more complex figures are crocheted in parts and then sewn together. Amigurumi is made either according to a description diagram or according to a table divided into columns and rows. Ready-made toys are given to friends and acquaintances or sold online. Almost all amigurumi express some kind of emotion - joy, sadness, thoughtfulness, etc. The average height of a figurine is 7 cm. But the size of some knitted keychains and other decorations can be 8 mm. Toys in the form of people, animals and birds have a minimal set of facial features, usually eyes and a mouth. Most often, parts of the body are deliberately made disproportionate, which immediately catches the eye. This cute imperfection gives the toys a cuteness, making them the epitome of kawaii aesthetics. In honor of the holiday, craftsmen post online images of their completed work or current project. Despite the fact that the technique was invented in Japan, the initiators of the establishment of International Amigurumi Day in 2017 were Italian craftsmen Marcia Scarpelli and Bianca Boneca. On April 25, it is customary to exchange secrets of making tiny figurines, share knitting patterns and order toys from your favorite craftsmen.

World Penguin Day, celebrated annually on April 25, was created to draw attention to the conservation of the penguin family, which currently includes eighteen species of flightless birds. Penguins are common not only in Antarctica, but throughout the world, namely in Chile, Australia, Peru, South Africa, New Zealand, the Falkland and Galapagos Islands. The largest in the world are emperor penguins living in Antarctica. Their weight can reach 50 kilograms, height – 130 centimeters. The species of penguin that is the smallest is called the Little Penguin. The size of individuals reaches no more than 30 centimeters. They live on the coasts of Australia, Chile, and New Zealand. World Penguin Day draws attention to a wide range of problems, such as the destruction of rare species and individuals and changes in the habitat of penguins. Changing the atmosphere and habitat of some families is a global problem. If poaching can be monitored, then changes in weather and climate conditions can be monitored and prevented only through the implementation of measures on a global scale. As a result of the above factors, there are penguin species that are on the verge of extinction. These are Galapagos and crested penguins. The date and month for Penguin Protection Day were not chosen by chance. It is in the spring, in April, that penguins migrate to mainland territories, the end result of which is mating and the birth of other individuals. During this period, the lives of penguins are especially under threat, being exterminated by poachers. The Antarctic Alliance, which includes more than thirty associations around the world involved in the protection of animals, flora, and the environment, plays an important role in organizing the protection of the penguin family. The Antarctic Alliance is committed to preserving marine reserves in the Southern Ocean and Ross Sea. Russia also takes part in activities to protect penguins. As a representative of the Antarctic Alliance in Russia, there is an organization for the protection of the ecology of the global space, operating since 2013. Lesser-known charitable organizations also protect penguins from a number of unfavorable and threatening factors and carry out monitoring. Volunteers, together with specialists, clean coastal bird habitats of environmentally polluting petroleum products, track the migration and population of penguins, and create photo and video archives with valuable statistical data for future research.

"Danube, Danube, Come on, find out where whose gift is!" - sounded from everywhere in the early 60s performed by the unsurpassed Edita Piekha. The song was dedicated to the friendship of the countries of Eastern Europe, freed from occupation by German invaders in the spring of 1945. Another river, the Elbe, on which the fateful meeting of American and Soviet soldiers took place, will forever remain in the history of World War II. This event formed the basis of the plot of the 1949 film directed by G. Alexandrov with Lyubov Orlova and other famous actors. The music for the film "Meeting on the Elbe" was written by the brilliant composer D. Shostakovich. The connection of troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of the Red Army and the 69th American division 100 km from Berlin took place in the spring of 1945 - April 25. The allies met near the city of Torgau, located in the Leipzig district. This became the basis for the release of a statement by the governments of three countries, the USA, the USSR and Great Britain, about the imminent defeat of the Third Reich. The fascist army was torn into two groups, which were conventionally designated as northern and southern, which significantly weakened the strength of Hitler’s troops. In memory of this, the Soviet Union erected a monument in Torgau, and the date April 25 became the holiday Day of the Meeting on the Elbe. Photographs from those years showed Allied commanders meeting for a formal handshake. The second meeting took place on a destroyed bridge across the river. It was attended by an American patrol, which was under the command of 2nd Lieutenant of the US Army William Robertson, and Red Army soldiers led by Lieutenant Alexander Silvashko. The jubilation of privates and officers instilled confidence that the war was practically won and the brown plague was over. After the victory, relations between the two countries did not remain warm and friendly for long. The advent of the Cold War turned former allies and friends into sworn enemies. The confrontation between the two superpowers began with the speech of Winston Churchill on March 5, 1946, known as the Fulton speech. But, despite this, the meeting on the Elbe still remained a bridge, a symbol of peace and the possibility of uniting East and West if another threat of war loomed over the world. Since 1995, a tradition has emerged in the United States to celebrate East Meets West Day, also known as Elbe Day, at a memorial opened in 1988, which is located in the suburbs of Washington at Arlington Cemetery. The event was attended by both American and Soviet veterans, representatives of the embassies of the two countries and officials. They laid wreaths at the "Spirit of the Elbe" plaque while the national anthems of the two countries were played by a US military band. In 2022, the traditional celebration was canceled by the US State Department. But the memorial plaque of the monument in Torgau reminds us of the mutual assistance and friendship of the military men of the two countries and the feat they accomplished in the fight against the German invaders. Embossed on it are the words: “Here, on the Elbe, on April 25, 1945, the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front of the Red Army united with American troops.”

Since 2007, every year, April 25 is celebrated as International Malaria Day. This date was introduced by the World Assembly for Public Health and is dedicated to promoting strengthening measures to ensure the fight against this dangerous disease in all countries. Malaria, formerly called swamp fever, is a parasitic disease that is accompanied by high fever, anemia and an enlarged spleen. There are several types of pathology. The heaviest is tropical. Infection occurs from a sick person to a healthy person during blood-sucking mosquitoes. There are other ways of transmitting infection: during blood transfusion and intrauterine transmission, when a sick pregnant woman infects her baby. The parasites that enter the body through the bite of a female mosquito end up in the blood, and are then transferred to the liver, in the cells of which they begin to develop. The incubation, so-called latent, stage of parasite development lasts from 7 days to 3 years. The exact period will depend on the type of disease. In tropical conditions, this period is short-lived, ranging from 8 to 2 weeks. Symptoms of the development of pathology resemble general poisoning of the body. This is severe weakness, a broken state, headaches and chills. Afterwards, systematic attacks of fever are observed, the temperature rising to 40 C and above. This condition lasts 3-4 hours and is accompanied by severe chills and excessive sweating. In some situations, attacks of the disease occur without trembling in the body. At the initial stage of malaria, the fever may be constant, without obvious attacks. In this case, diagnosing the disease is very difficult. If the pathology is detected too late, tropical malaria enters the malignant stage. Lethal cases with this disease vary in the range of 10-40%, depending on the speed of initiation of the treatment course, proper selection of medications and the equipment of the medical institution. Malaria develops quite severely; with untimely or incorrect treatment, the following complications can occur: anemia, disruption of the functioning of internal organs, decreased or complete loss of performance. If treatment is stopped prematurely, the disease will return, and the patient will remain a source of infection for other people. According to the International Health Organization, today 82 countries on the planet are classified as highly endemic and are actively fighting the disease. Anyone planning a trip to the tropical countries of Africa, Southeast Asia, South and Central America should definitely undergo chemoprophylaxis, which involves taking antimalarial drugs. 7 days before visiting a country where there is a threat of infection, you must begin a regular course of taking medications that protect the body. The use of the medicine continues throughout your stay in a foreign country and 30 days after returning. The choice of drug will depend on the country, and the dosage is determined by a specialist.

Australia is an amazing continent and one of the largest and most influential states in the modern world. Countless waterfalls, snow-white beaches, mighty forests and majestic cities open the door to the most amazing and distant country. All Australians are proud of their culture and centuries-old history. On April 25, ANZAC Day is celebrated throughout the country - Defender of the Fatherland Day. In the history of Australia, this date is associated with a sad historical event. The holiday is dedicated to the memory and gratitude of the Australian soldiers who took part in the battle on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey on April 25, 1915 during the First World War and gave their lives. According to tradition, the celebration begins with a “fiery breakfast” - coffee with rum. It is drunk after morning memorial services in churches. This is followed by a ceremony of laying flowers at the monument to the dead. The official part of the holiday ends with ceremonial marches in honor of war veterans and soldiers who defend the state. The celebration is permeated with memories of that terrible battle, of the thousands of soldiers who died. According to historical data, about 60 thousand Australian soldiers were killed in the battle, and even more were wounded. Residents of Melbourne attend a football match on the holiday, which has been held for more than 10 years in a row and is considered the biggest game in the Australian football league. At the end of Defender of the Fatherland Day, concerts, performances are held and, of course, a grandiose fireworks display lights up in the night sky. April 25 is Remembrance Day, an important national holiday in Australia. It is comparable only to Victory Day. Many Australians commemorate ANZAC by traveling to Gallipoli in Turkey, where they can pay tribute to the soldiers who died at the battlefield.

The ancient Icelandic tribes divided the year into two seasons: summer and winter. This is due to the climate of this northern country, which is famous for long frosts and short summers. Accordingly, each Icelander kept his chronology according to the harsh winters he lived through. That is why, the onset of warmth expected on winter evenings has become one of the main and long-awaited joyful celebrations celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18 - Sumarsdag or Siggblot. On this day, the ancient Icelanders gave gifts to survivors of a harsh winter. The ancestors of modern Icelanders were pagans and, accordingly, the main role in celebrating the onset of warmth was given to the “head” of the Scandinavian pantheon - the great Odin. The ancient Icelanders, as one of the most furious and brave warriors, held him in special esteem. Sacrifices were made to him and competitions in military skill and dexterity were held in his honor. Since the ancient Icelanders did not have a calendar, they established the date of the onset of Sumarsdag with the arrival of representatives of the shorebirds of the plover family - plovers - the first Icelandic “swallows”. These same birds “told” what awaited those who heard their voice, which sounded like neighing. If the first bird cry was heard from the east, then wealth awaited the Icelander, a cry heard from the south promised good luck and favor of the gods, a cry from the north promised illness and even death. In addition to the call of the plover, other signs are associated with the day of Sumarsdag. For example, frost, which was called “summer that froze into winter” or the thickness of the layer of cream on milk. Modern residents of this northern country, which is quite natural, do not make sacrifices to the gods of the past. However, Icelanders are extremely careful about the past times and traditions of their people. Therefore, Sumarsdag is still celebrated in Iceland and remains one of the most fun and long-awaited holidays. The only difference between the first day of summer and past times is the replacement of sacrifices with festive festivals taking place in every locality of the country.

International Girls in ICT Day

On April 25, residents of Portugal celebrate one of the most important holidays of their country - Freedom Day. This date is not accidental. It was on this day, back in 1974, that thousands of Portuguese took to the streets for the first time to protest against the rule of the brutal Antonio Salazar (and he was in power for forty years!). The so-called “carnation revolution” began. The signal to action was the song “Grandola, vila morena”, which was played on the radio. The rebellious citizens of Portugal demanded the adoption of the country's Constitution, the resignation of the dictator, the introduction of a multi-party system, that is, everyone wanted to rebuild society according to democratic principles. Where did the name “carnation revolution” come from? Firstly, residents went to protests with this flower in their hands (thus showing that they were determined), and, secondly, the revolution was practically bloodless. After all, the death toll was reduced to a minimum and amounted to only 4 people. This is despite the fact that such protests lasted about two years and covered not only the capital of Portugal - Lisbon, but all its cities, as well as the African colonies. When the rebels on the streets saw police or government troops, they handed them carnations. And they, as a sign of peaceful intentions, inserted these flowers into the muzzles of their guns. Since then, April 25 is a major public holiday, which the Portuguese celebrate with great pride and joy. Naturally, it's a day off. On this day, ceremonial rallies are held, Portugal's top officials give welcoming speeches, and after official events, mass festivities begin: concerts, fairs, competitions. Also in honor of Freedom Day, a bullfight is held. But unlike Spain, here it is absolutely bloodless. So, the Portuguese caballero goes out to the bull, sitting on a horse and under no circumstances will kill his opponent. A real knight!

A national secular holiday in Egypt dedicated to the events of 1982, when Israeli troops left the Sinai territory. For thousands of years, the Sinai Peninsula belonged to the Egyptians; there is a mention of it in the Bible. Geographically, it is located approximately 120 km from the capital (Cairo), starting immediately beyond the Suez Canal, but its peculiarity is that it remained uninhabited for centuries due to its climatic conditions. Unlike the main part of Egypt, which belongs to the African continent, Sinai is the Asian part of Egypt, it is 60 thousand square meters. km. a dry area of ​​sand and stone bordering the Red Sea. This sunny peninsula seemed very promising from the point of view of tourism development for Israel, where the climate is more severe: it rains and cold winds blow. In 1967, the entire peninsula was captured by Israeli troops, right down to the Suez Canal. This war is called the "six-day war". It was only in 1973 that a retaliatory war began with the support of Syria for the return of Sinai. Only a UN resolution to stop the shelling was able to put an end to this protracted conflict. Under the influence of the world community, peace negotiations began in September 1978, held at Camp Davis. And in 1979, a peace treaty was finally signed between Egypt and Israel: Sinai was returning to its historical homeland. The requirements of the Camp David Agreement were fully implemented a few years later - on April 25, 1982. On this day, the Israelis completely left Egyptian territory, leaving behind a fairly developed tourist infrastructure: hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh, Nuweiba, Dahab, many roads and equipped beaches. April 25, like all similar holidays associated with military memorials, is widely celebrated in Egypt. On this day, government offices, many shops, and restaurants are closed. There is always a military parade, ceremonial processions, and various festivals.

On April 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the day of St. Mark, who became one of the evangelists. The symbol of this saint is the Lion, whose roar resembles the voice of one crying in the desert. According to legend, the apostle was born on the territory of modern Libya into a fairly wealthy family, which later moved to Jerusalem. At birth, the boy received the double name John-Mark, where the first name indicated his Jewish origin, and the second his connection with the Roman Empire. In Jerusalem, Mark’s family became close to the disciples of Christ, and their home often hosted Jesus and the apostles. The young evangelist witnessed the events of the arrest and death of Christ, which he later described at the request of St. Peter. Mark became the companion of the apostles Peter and Barnabas on their missionary journey and thus became one of the first 70 apostles who began to spread Christianity. The Gospel of Mark was written for the Romans, the shortest and filled with miracles performed by Jesus, recorded from the words of Peter. The Romans turned to the saint with a request to describe everything connected with the life and Resurrection of Christ, but it was difficult for the former fisherman Simon to write the text in a language understandable to all citizens of the Roman Empire. Therefore, the Gospel was fulfilled by the educated John Mark, who knew Greek writing. After missionary activity in Rome, Mark comes to Egyptian Alexandria, where he becomes the first Christian bishop. The strengthening and expansion of the community of followers of Christ caused indignation among the townspeople who worshiped pagan gods, and the pagans planned to destroy the bishop of Alexandria. That year, the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord fell on April 24, on the same day the Egyptians celebrated a celebration in honor of the god Serapis. While Mark was performing the service, militant pagans burst into the church and dragged the saint out by force. A terrible test was prepared for the evangelist: they wrapped a rope around his neck and tied him to a bull, which they drove through the streets of the city until the evening. But pain and suffering only strengthened the faith of John-Mark, who did not cease to offer prayers, praising and glorifying the Lord. At night, Christ appeared to the tortured apostle and said that he would soon find himself in the Kingdom of Heaven. Indeed, the next day, when the torture resumed, Mark’s head was separated from his body, and the saint gave up the ghost. The pagans intended to throw the saint's body into the fire, but a sudden earthquake prevented them. The remains were picked up by Christians and buried in a stone tomb, over which a temple was later erected. Several centuries later, the relics of the apostle were transported to Venice, whose symbol became the holy evangelist Mark.

On April 25 (April 12, old style) according to the folk calendar, Vasily Parilshchik is celebrated. The day is named after the church date of veneration - the day of remembrance of St. Basil of Paria, who lived in Byzantium in the 8th-9th centuries. The saint served as a bishop in Paria and was a zealous admirer of icons. During the period of iconoclasm, Vasily supported the spirit of the parishioners, refused to destroy icons and allow desecrators of holy icons into the temple. He had occasion to be in persecution, to be condemned by heretics, but Vasily felt the grace of God for his merits. And among the people, Vasily of Paria was renamed the Steamer, since such a nickname was more suitable for this day. The spring weather became really warm, and often the sun would greatly heat the ground, which left a lot of water after the snow melted. The result was the effect of evaporation of moisture from the ground, as if it was floating. The people rejoiced at this phenomenon, since good heating of the soil ensured a rich harvest. On Vasily Parilschik there was a tradition of going hare hunting. However, one had to move through the forest with caution, like hares, otherwise there was a risk of bumping into a bear waking up from hibernation. The hares themselves had the hardest time of all: either hiding from humans or escaping from foxes and wolves. When going hunting, men performed a ritual to appease the bear. In the morning, women baked round cakes from the remaining flour and gave them to their husbands. They carried the cakes into the forest and left them under a tree or bush for the bear. Residents believed that this would protect them from bear encounters, and the clubfoot itself would not touch livestock. Also, the peasants cast a spell on river water to Vasily the Steamer. The saint was considered a protector against disease, so they took water home from the river and read a spell over it to improve health. We washed our faces and hands with this water every Wednesday. Signs on Vasily the Steamer indicated the peasants about the future. Rainy weather foreshadowed rain again in a week. A sunny but cool morning meant a hot summer. Flowering of willows was observed at the end of cold weather, and willows - at the onset of warm weather. If there was a second river flood, but more abundant than the first, residents prepared for a generous harvest by the end of autumn.

Liberation Day from Fascism is a national holiday in Italy. In 1945, namely on April 25, Benito Mussolini, being a fascist dictator, fled from Milan. From then on, Italy began its struggle for democracy. In April of the same year, a general strike broke out in the region of Northern Italy, and at the same time an armed uprising. Considering the fact that Italy was still occupied by the Germans, the Italians were able to liberate hundreds of cities in the country even before the arrival of the Allies. This became possible thanks to the bloody battles in which rebels and partisans took part. It was April 25 that marked the beginning of the general liberation movement. Because of this, the day was declared a national holiday. In addition, the uprising contributed to saving Italy’s potential regarding the country’s industry from the destruction of the Nazi troops. Thanks to this, the preconditions were laid for the subsequent consolidation of forces. Two days later, Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans, and the next day (April 28) he was executed along with his comrades. Their bodies were later presented hanged in a square in Milan. Since Hitler committed suicide on April 30, there is a version that he chose this type of death because he was afraid of suffering Benito’s fate. Every year, commemorative events are held throughout the country, gathering partisans and war veterans. On this day, the country's highest officials lay commemorative wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This date is considered a symbol of resistance and liberation, marking the fact that feelings of patriotism prevail over tyranny. Italians sacredly honor the memory of heroes and remember with horror the days gone by. On this day, the Holocaust Museum, located in Rome on the site of Mussolini's former residence, becomes the epicenter of visiting not only tourists, but also Italians themselves, who pay tribute to the victims of fascism and occupation.

Orthodox holidays on April 25:

Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God of Murom

Memorial Day of the Hieromartyr Zenon of Veronia

Feast of the Belynichi Icon of the Mother of God

Memorial Day of St. Basil of Pari