In Russia and other countries of the world, August 3 is celebrated as Watermelon Day. This large, sweet berry quenches thirst well, has a balanced taste and low calorie content. The last month of summer is the time to harvest melons, so it is not surprising that Watermelon Day is celebrated on August 3. The largest events take place in Astrakhan, Kamyshin, located in the Volgograd region, and Sol-Iletsk, 73 km from Orenburg. The holiday program includes fairs where they sell not only melons, but also honey, candied fruits and other sweets made from watermelon. Organizers hold competitions between farmers and amateur gardeners for the largest berries. Among the events, very popular are master classes in carving - artistic carving of vegetables and fruits, competitions for the fastest eating of watermelon, etc. US citizens were the first to celebrate National Watermelon Day. Watermelon, like the hot dog, is a symbol of outdoor picnics, and is especially popular among Hispanics. A beautiful and tasty berry turns a meal into a real celebration. Many different dishes are prepared from watermelon, which is a storehouse of vitamins and microelements - they are cut into salads, boiled, pickled, and grilled. The birthplace of the berry is South America. From there it first came to Europe, and in the 16th century. - in America. Watermelon has been grown since ancient Egypt. This is due to the fact that melon seeds were found in the tombs of Tutankhamun and other pharaohs. The berry was also cultivated in Ancient Rome. Honey was made from it, eaten fresh and salted. The fruit came to China in the 10th century on trade ships arriving from the Mediterranean. In the Middle Kingdom it was used for medicinal purposes. The Chinese believed that the berry, eaten before meals, cleanses the body and removes diseases from the body. Common people who value watermelon for its sweetness and pleasant taste are usually unaware of the following facts: • The fat and protein content in its pulp tends to zero. • The record holder for growing melons is China, and the record holder for eating is the USA. • Watermelon contains 92% water whereas cucumber contains 95%. • The size of the dwarf berry of the "Melotria hummingbird" variety is 3-5 cm in diameter. • In Japan, square and pyramidal watermelons are grown to facilitate their transportation. These and other amazing facts once again confirm how little we know about one of the most popular melons. The berry is known not only for its taste and beneficial composition of substances, but also for other characteristics. The size of some fruits of plants of the Citrullus family is surprising. Thus, the melon crop grown in 2013 in the USA is included in the Guinness Book of Records. The weight of the largest watermelon in the world is 159 kg. There are more than 1,200 varieties of this annual herbaceous plant, and each is unique in its own way. "Ambar" has no seeds at all, and the flesh is yellow. The “Moon and Stars” variety is distinguished by its unusual peel color - it has a lot of small yellow dots and one large spot, reminiscent of the Earth’s satellite. The black rind of Densuke, grown on the Japanese island of Hokkaido, has no stripes, and the taste of the fruit is no different from its counterparts. People love the berry not for the unusual shape and color of the peel. Melon culture is valuable for its taste characteristics. Therefore, everyone who likes this healthy sweet delicacy joins the international holiday on August 3 - Watermelon Day.

American comedian Jerry Lewis often used a trick in films and shows that could make the audience laugh with a 100% guarantee. The actor, with his characteristic self-irony, kissed himself in the mirror. Narcissism is not the best character trait. However, people have long treated the mirror as a sacred object, so kissing one’s own reflection is often endowed with magical meaning. It can bring health, prosperity and luck into a person’s life. A holiday was established in honor of the unusual ritual. August 3rd is Kissing a Mirror Day. This tradition exists in the culture of many peoples of the world. The mirror, which is the working tool of magicians, smiles and winks, it is kissed before a wedding or birthday. It is believed that it is able to accumulate positive energy and give it back. Meditations with a mirror and a candle can increase your level of awareness and strength of spirit. A person who has achieved perfection in this practice ceases to see himself in the reflection, as he begins to look into emptiness. The mirror opens portals to other worlds. Esotericists believe that it reflects not only the present, but the past and the future. This fact was confirmed by the invention and experiments of the Soviet scientist N.A. Kozyreva. In its concave mirrors, time flowed backwards, people saw themselves from the outside and received information that was transmitted to them by the participants in the experiment, who were thousands of kilometers from the laboratory. The ancient Slavs never slept on a bed if it was reflected in a mirror. It was believed that during a night's rest a person's soul could go to Nav and not return. Today, according to a long-standing tradition, if there is a deceased person in the house, all reflective surfaces are covered. According to beliefs, the soul of the deceased can get lost in mirrors, which are portals to another world, and not leave the Earth for 40 days after death. The magical artifact was mentioned more than once in myths, legends and fairy tales. This dialogue of the queen from Pushkin’s fairy tale about the seven heroes is familiar to many of us from childhood. Women at all times loved to look at themselves in reflection. However, in real life, as it turns out, men admire themselves more, according to statistics. Representatives of the stronger sex love to look at the advantages of their own appearance in the mirror and catch the reflection during the day much more often than women. Girls have long used mirrors to tell fortunes about their betrothed during Christmas time, but most often - in order to once again be convinced of their irresistibility and beauty. There is nothing wrong with expressing self-love. Therefore, feel free to touch your reflection with your lips in honor of Kissing Day with a mirror and feel a surge of strength and positive emotions.

According to the popular calendar, Onuphrius the Silent is celebrated on August 3 (July 21, old style). So the holiday is named in honor of the church saint - Onuphrius the Silent, whose memory is revered by Orthodox believers on this day. Little is known about Onuphry; he lived in Kyiv in the 12th century and was a Christian monk. The man dedicated his life to God, therefore he settled in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in the Near Caves, led a godly life as an ascetic, observing fasts and prayers. For his seclusion and strict vow of silence, Onuphrius was classified among the saints and called the Silent One. After his death, Onuphrius's body was buried in the same caves. Among the people on Onuphrius's day, the peasants tried to be silent, like the saint himself. It was forbidden to conduct any conversations, jokes or even interpret matters on this date. It was possible to speak only in emergency cases, and only in a few words. And the residents had no time for talking - summer was in full swing and there was enough work in the garden, at home and in the field. The main task of this day was considered to be checking household warehouses: barns and cellars. The owners looked to see if all the walls were intact, if there were any cracks, if the canopy was leaking. If there were problems, the men patched them up and filled up the holes. They tried to protect the storage from moisture, since it could cause rotting of food in the autumn, which in turn led to hunger in the family. In addition, barns and cellars were checked for the presence of rodents. If they were met, the cats were allowed into the storage facility for a couple of nights. It was believed that females, not males, were suitable for exterminating rodents, since it was in their genes to protect their offspring, including from rats. It was also believed that tri-colored and tabby cats cope better with rodents, as they have excellent coloring for camouflage. If a cool night was noticed on the day of Onuphrius the Silent, then they were preparing for the early arrival of winter. The abundance of morning dew foreshadowed a small flax harvest. The descending fog at night announced a fine day after dawn. Strong thunderclaps were heard leading to a thunderstorm with hail.

Orthodox holidays on August 3:

Memorial Day of the Venerable Simeon of Palestine, Christ for the Fool's sake, and his companion John

Memorial Day of Saints Onuphrius the Silent and Onesimus the Recluse, Pechersk

Memorial Day of the Holy Prophet Ezekiel