On December 28, many countries around the world celebrate International Cinema Day. The holiday is also celebrated in Russia, despite the already existing date dedicated to cinematic art. This holiday is celebrated not only by those who are directly involved in the creation and production of films, but also by all viewers. People who closely follow the world of cinema, and those who just like to relax their souls for a couple of hours, clinging to the screen. On December 28, 1895, in Paris, the Lumière brothers, using the invented and patented new apparatus “cinematograph”, presented the first film to the public at the “Grand Café”. This was the world's first paid film screening. The brothers had demonstrated their invention before, however, this was only among friends and acquaintances. Therefore, it was the day of the premiere on the Boulevard des Capucines of ten short documentaries, each lasting about 50 seconds, that later became International Film Day. Many years have passed since then, and the life of cinema has changed significantly. The Lumière brothers made documentary short films without a plot. Just pictures of the gray everyday life of Parisians. But it was a real revolution in people's lives. The cinematography flew forward, like the rushing train of the Lumière brothers in Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station. In 1902, the first staged film by J. Méliès appeared. “A Trip to the Moon”, the first color film by E. Turner was released in the same year. In 1903, a film with the first special effects was released. In 1927, the first sound film grossed a record $400,000 at the box office. In 1936, the first black and white 3D films produced in Germany appeared. Video cassettes appeared in 1976, the first DVD appeared in 1996, and since 2009, films have been released on hybrid Blu-Ray/DVD. In 2009, Avatar was released, the highest-grossing project in the history of cinema. It collected $2.7 billion. The first film appeared in Russia in 1908. On October 15, the first premiere of V. Romashkov’s film “Ponizovaya Volnitsa” took place. It was a seven-minute show based on a song about Stenka Razin. Today, there are a large number of festivals, prizes and awards for film creators, but the most prestigious is still considered the first film award established in the USA in 1939 - the Oscar. Cinematic art develops, transforms, and breaks down into genres. This whole huge machine works for the viewer, so that every person can find a film to their liking.

The comedies of Leonid Gaidai are an inexhaustible source of popular expressions. “For the children - ice cream, for the woman - flowers, and be careful not to mix them up!”, “Our people don’t take a taxi to the bakery!”, “Life, as they say, is good. And living well is even better!” and other witty phrases. One of the most popular was the exclamation of the house manager Bunshi from the film “Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession”: “I demand that the banquet be continued!” This call unexpectedly transformed into a funny holiday. December 28th is the Day of Continuation of the Banquet. In Russia, the custom of having a last drink, or before leaving, has existed for a very long time. Just like the tradition of sitting down on the path when saying goodbye to a guest. Before setting off on a journey, our ancestors certainly drank from a ladle or glass on the threshold of their home or home that sheltered them. On the Day of the Continuation of the Banquet, it is customary to sit longer at the table, and after a glass of tea, stay as a guest, contrary to all traditions, or go somewhere to continue more fun. Actor A.A. Shirvindt happily recalls his youth and the company that included M.M. Derzhavin, A.A. Mironov, M.A. Zakharov, and their joint adventures. Friends and their wives loved jokes and practical jokes, kitchen gatherings at a set table, which began in the evening and ended well after midnight. Farewell, when the strength of those present was running low, but the soul demanded continued communication, was accompanied by an unchanging ritual. Usually in the morning in the hallway, when everyone was getting dressed to go out, Mark Zakharov, with an imperturbable expression, said the most hated phrase for all wives: “It would be stupid to break up!” After which the restless friends rushed, for example, to the airport or train station, where there were buffets open around the clock, and the banquet continued... Breaking up in the middle of a party is like ending a movie series or a book chapter at the most interesting place. The continuation of the banquet requires the soul of real people and cartoon characters. Winnie the Pooh, who came with Piglet to visit the Rabbit for a little refreshment, could not leave without eating all the honey. "And they sat a little longer. And then a little more... And a little more... Until, alas, there was absolutely nothing left!" For the bear cub, whose soul demanded the continuation of the banquet, this visit ended sadly: he barely got out of the rabbit hole, finding himself in a hopeless situation, i.e. simply stuck in the door. Any party should bring joy and pleasure to its participants. Therefore, in honor of the Day of Continuation of the Banquet, you should not binge on food or get drunk until you lose consciousness. Remember that this feast in a cheerful and friendly company is not the last in your life. Therefore, take care of yourself and save your strength for the next continuation of the banquet.

Noble wild animals with branched horns are the main decoration of the tundra and taiga forests. In Russia, reindeer can be found in the west of the Kola Peninsula, Karelia, the Urals and Sakhalin, Siberia, Kamchatka, Western Chukotka and the Arctic islands. Caribou, artiodactyl mammals of the genus Rangifer, live in the New World - Greenland, the USA and Canada. Reindeer live in the mountain and lowland tundra, as well as in the taiga near high marshes, wastelands and on the edges of forests where reindeer moss grows. The animal has an elongated, squat body, a short neck with a not always noticeable mane, and an elongated muzzle. The antlers of deer living in northern latitudes have an unusual shape: their main trunk bends first backward and then forward. Since ancient times, the graceful animal has been a symbol of rebirth and spirituality, nobility, light and purity. Due to the similarity of the antlers to the branches, the deer is associated with the Tree of Life. An unusual holiday has been established in honor of these stately and majestic handsome men. December 28th is Reindeer Search Day. Animals are found in the myths of many peoples, present in Bashkir, Karelian, Nanai, Mansi and Ossetian fairy tales. In medieval Europe, the deer symbolized purity and purity. In Chinese epic, he is the embodiment of Shou-Xin, the deity of longevity; in Japanese poetry, his image is used to convey the torment of love and loneliness. Poems and lyrical songs are dedicated to deer and caribou: In the mythology of the ancient Slavs, handsome horned men were able to perform miracles and speak in a human voice. Like the horse and the eagle, the deer was considered a mediator between heaven and earth, i.e. messenger of higher powers. Hittite, Shinto and Sumerian deities rode graceful and swift animals. Perhaps that is why eight reindeer harnessed to a team carry the sleigh of the most popular wizard of our time - Santa Claus - across the sky. By the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck, the main characters of the play are looking for the mythical Blue Bird - a symbol of happiness and good luck. The deer, a very real and earthly character, has long been the personification of success, longevity and wealth. To attract prosperity to the house, people bought figurines or objects depicting handsome men with branchy horns. But not everyone is ready to wait for favors from fate. Particularly impatient people like Tiltil and Metil from “The Blue Bird” want to get good luck and happiness as quickly as possible, so they go on December 28 in search of reindeer.

Recognized as an act of genocide, Operation Ulus took place from the end of 1943 to 1944 at the height of the Great Patriotic War. By Stalin’s decision, about 93 thousand representatives of the Oirat group of the Mongolian ethnic group were expelled from the Kalmyk Autonomous Republic during the first stage of deportation.

Every year on December 28, the Catholic world celebrates the Day of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. By the way, a similar holiday is celebrated by the Orthodox Church, only a little later - on January 11. This is a religious holiday celebrating events that were described in the New Testament of the Bible. They are described most extensively in the Gospel of Matthew. On this day, the memory of the babies who were killed by order of King Herod a few days after the birth of Jesus Christ is honored. According to the Bible, the Magi, seeing a bright star in the sky that marked the birth of the Messiah, went to King Herod to ask where this happened. But Herod did not know that the messiah was about to be born. Having learned about this, he was not happy like the Magi, because he saw in the Messiah, whom the Magi called the future king, a real threat to his power. During the visit of the Magi, Herod asked them to inform him of the whereabouts of the baby, ostensibly in order to praise him and bow down to him. In fact, he decided that the child needed to be disposed of so that nothing would threaten his dominance. But the wise men understood his plan and, having found Jesus with his mother, did not tell the king anything. All Herod knew about the child was that he was born in Bethlehem. Therefore, he ordered the death of all infants under 2 years of age. This order was immediately carried out and all the babies that were found in Bethlehem were killed. But Jesus was saved; his mother and Joseph fled to the lands of Egypt shortly before the tragedy. The number of victims of this “beating” (a term often used in church practice) is unknown. According to Byzantine church tradition, 14 thousand babies were killed then. According to Syrian tradition - 60 thousand. Historians are very skeptical both about the fact that this event took place at all and about the number of its victims. Some historians, doubting that this event actually happened, argue that it is not described in any historical source. This is only written about in the gospels. Moreover, in its different editions this story is described differently. Some historians, while recognizing the fact of the event itself, do not agree with the number of its victims. They claim that at that time Bethlehem itself had no more than 1,000 inhabitants. Even if we take into account that at that time there was an influx of people from other cities due to the population census, the number of children killed could not have been so huge. Based on the results of that very census, the birth and death rates of children characteristic of that time, most historians put the number of children killed at 10-20 people. Christians began to honor these innocently murdered babies in the 5th century. From that time on, everyone who died defending Christ began to be recognized as saints, without even realizing it. And these babies are recognized as the first martyrs of Christ. First they were recognized by the Church of Constantinople, and then by all other denominations. On December 28, Catholics hold services in all churches; pilgrims flock from all over the world to the relics of the holy murdered infants. Most often they go to Bethlehem to the Cave of the Bethlehem Babies, where, according to legend, the corpses of murdered children were carried away. And also many pilgrims come to France, to the city of Brantome on this day. Here there are the incorruptible remains of one of the babies, placed by Charlemagne. People from all over the world flock not only to honor the memory of innocent babies. It is believed that their relics can heal various physical and mental illnesses, and women who wish to have children are given a blessing.

Lawyer Day in Azerbaijan

Kulubi Gabriel (St. Gabriel's Day) in Ethiopia (Kulubi Gabriel)

According to the folk calendar, Trifonov Day is celebrated on December 28 (December 15, old style). This holiday comes from the church day of honoring the memory of St. Tryphon of Pecheneg, famous in the 16th century for converting pagan savages to Christianity. Born into a Novgorod priest's family, the Monk Tryphon bore the secular name Mitrofan. From his youth he decided to devote himself to God and become a preacher of Christianity. One day, while praying, Tryphon heard a voice from above and realized that the Lord was blessing him to bring the faith of Jesus Christ to the pagans. For this purpose, Tryphon came to the Kola Peninsula among the pagan aborigines. Several years later, having studied their customs and language, enduring beatings and persecution, the preacher, with wisdom and kind words, managed to convince many locals to accept Christianity. He founded a temple on the banks of the Pechenga River, and built the Trinity Pecheneg Monastery nearby. Among the people, Saint Tryphon was considered the patron saint of sailors and people going on voyages. To avoid the storm, the people prayed to Tryphon for good weather and good luck on the sea voyage. In the temple, a candle was lit in front of his icon. On Trifonov's day, the sun began to remain above the earth a little longer, thereby reducing night time. The people believed that the evil forces wandering in the darkness weakened with the arrival of light. Therefore, the peasants tried to help the heavenly body by scattering hot coals around the house at dawn. They said that such a ritual would frighten the evil spirits and drive them away from human shelter. Based on the day of Tryphon, they predicted the weather for the coming March. According to folk signs, people determined that if tits were squeaking outside the window in the morning, and the cat climbed closer to the stove, it was worth waiting for the cold to increase. Red rainbows before sunset meant severe cold. Clouds covering the sun foreshadowed the approach of a blizzard. The snowdrifts promised a rich harvest in the summer.

Orthodox holidays on December 28:

Memorial Day of Hieromartyr Hilarion, Archbishop of Vereya

Cathedral of Crimean Saints

Cathedral of the Kola Saints

Memorial Day of Saint Stephen of Sourozh

Memorial Day of St. Paul of Latre