Most of us probably know that the Earth rotates on a nearly vertical axis every 24 hours, which is one Earth day. But this basic knowledge was not always so certain. In 1851, French physicist Leon Foucault demonstrated how our planet rotates using his now famous pendulum. Today, Foucault pendulums are an integral part of science museums around the world. This simple but brilliant invention uses a suspended lead ball to show the Earth's rotation throughout the day. The pendulum is surrounded by small pins arranged in a circle, which the pendulum knocks down one by one, eventually making a full revolution. Earth Rotation Day commemorates the first public demonstration of the Foucault pendulum and, as far as we know, has historically been observed on the anniversary of this event, January 8th. At the same time, it is not known exactly who was the first to celebrate Earth Rotation Day. The Earth's rotation and its connection to our daily cycles have fascinated philosophers and scientists for thousands of years. As early as 470 BC. The ancient Greeks assumed that the Earth itself was moving, and not the rest of the sky rotating around us. In the 10th century AD, Muslim astronomers began building the astrolabe (astronomical observatory) and other instruments to measure the Earth's motion relative to the stars. The first human images of space date back to 1600 BC. A bronze disk found in northern Europe depicts the Sun, a crescent moon and the Pleiades star cluster, and Babylonian written records record the positions of the celestial bodies. These records, probably the earliest scientific observations, make astronomy the oldest known science. Although people had been observing the stars for thousands of years—some early theories suggested that the Earth was moving—geocentric theory remained dominant in Europe until the work of Nicolaus Copernicus in the 1500s proved that the Earth did indeed revolve around the sun. After his work, others tried to prove the rotation of the Earth through various experiments. While the theory was accepted by the mid-1800s thanks to observations of astronomical movements, it was Foucault's pendulum that clearly demonstrated the rotation of the Earth. Foucault first conducted his pendulum experiment at the Paris Observatory and then at the Pantheon, where it remains an impressive centerpiece today. Although they vary in size, pendulums work best with long lines, typically 12 to 30 meters. A heavy swinging lead bob is suspended from the end of a fishing line. Rocking back and forth, it moves slowly clockwise as the Earth rotates beneath it. Today, Foucault pendulums are an integral part of science museums, observatories and universities around the world. Foucault's device can now be found in science and astronomy museums around the world. Check out your local museums and see if you can find one near you! Did you know that an astronomical day is not exactly 24 hours? Or that the Earth is tilted at an angle of 22.1 to 24.5 degrees? Earth Rotation Day is a great opportunity to brush up on astronomy facts. Science teachers are some of the people who help us make sense of the world and spark our curiosity about how things work. Take time to thank your science teacher for all of his or her work. The Earth's molten iron core creates a strong magnetic field that directs the solar wind around the Earth, protecting us from the harmful effects of solar radiation. Although our calendar year has 365 days, a full solar year contains an extra quarter day, leading to the tradition of adding "leap" days every 4 years. The Earth's rotation speed decreases by about 17 milliseconds every hundred years. At this rate, it will take more than 100 million years for our day to lengthen to 25 hours. The Earth's surface is 70% covered with water. Of this, 97% is salt water and only 3% is fresh! By studying rocks in different parts of the globe, scientists have calculated that our planet is about 4.5 billion years old!

Slavic holidays have very unusual names, some of them immediately make it clear to whom the day is dedicated, others are thought-provoking or confusing. That's how it is on January 8th - Babi porridge, what kind of celebration is this - the day of porridge, or those who cook it? It turns out it’s neither one nor the other. Since ancient times, on this winter holiday, the Slavs paid tribute to midwives (midwives). They were the first and indispensable helpers for women giving birth. Each locality had its own celebration customs, but all were united by the veneration of women in labor and those who helped them give birth - midwifed the baby, cast spells on the health of the mother and child. In some settlements, on this day, midwives were invited to visit, presented with gifts, and treated to porridge. In others, they came to the midwife’s house with gifts and ate the porridge she had prepared. The widespread cooking tradition gave the holiday its name. On January 8, on Babi Kashi, various rituals were performed in each village: It is noteworthy that Orthodox and Slavic holidays are celebrated on the same day - society has always treated the birth of a new life with reverence. The birth of a person is a significant event not only in an individual family, it is the continuation of a clan, a tribe, the continuation of ancestors in descendants. The Slavic tribes lived in a harsh climatic zone; they understood that surviving in conditions of long frosty winters and short summers was only possible with a large, strong community. Every newborn is a new member of the community; what kind of worker and breadwinner he will be depends on his health and upbringing. The Slavs believed that an inextricable spiritual and family connection was established between midwives and the children they adopted. The midwife was responsible for the child she attended and took part in rituals related to the most important events of his life. This is where this deep respect for those who helped babies come from comes from. Not everyone was allowed to see women in labor. Only a person with a pure soul, life experience, and certain knowledge and skills could touch the sacrament of birth. Usually midwives were not chosen; women voluntarily took on this responsibility, but the requirements for them were strict: In Slavic society there was a belief: the character of the midwife is passed on to the children she midwives; immoral - babies will be born sick; for a childless woman - dead. Our ancestors took care of their offspring as best they could. The midwifery baton was picked up by obstetricians with medical knowledge and modern equipment. Are there any other midwives left somewhere? They probably stayed. On January 8th in Babii Kashi, we wish every midwife, every midwife Slavic respect, a happy family, good character, wise life experience and obstetric skill - healthy, viable newborns and their grateful parents.

Dwarves, brownies and elves are heroes of legends and fairy tales that date back thousands of years. Gremlins stand apart from the list of mythical creatures. Small hairy creatures, which are distinguished by cunning and cunning, appeared in English folklore relatively recently - in the 20s of the twentieth century. They were invented by pilots of the British Royal Air Force, and popularized in his books by Roald Dahl and other authors. January 8th is Gremlin Butter Day. According to legends, these eared creatures are very gifted mechanics. However, they can both help a person and harm them: they can ruin any equipment - from a spaceship and airplane to a coffee grinder. Following the pilots' claims, ordinary people began to blame gremlins for minor everyday troubles. Dull knives, flat tires, turning on hot water in the house instead of cold - these are the tricks of these little people. There is even a special term - " gremlin effect". They explain the situation of inexplicable failure of perfectly serviceable equipment. Gremlins are the closest relatives of other furries known as mogwai. They came to Earth from distant planets to restore peace and order. But due to the mistakes of their creator, MacTurman, the Mogwai became evil and treacherous creatures. Gremlins are the last stage in their life cycle. They are similar to their ancestors with protruding ears and limbs with 3 fingers, but they are taller than Mogwai - about a meter. These mythical creatures love to mock people by breaking technical devices. It is believed that they used to live in forests and fields. But with the invention of a large number of mechanisms, gremlins moved to cities - to factories and factories. Before this, mythical creatures helped to make tools indirectly. However, noticing that they were no longer thanked for their help, the invisible helpers got angry and began to harm people. The funny holiday, which is celebrated on January 8th, is designed to butter up the gremlins. According to R. Dahl's book and the film based on it, World War II began because of them. Furry creatures are to blame for many disasters and misfortunes that have happened to humanity. Therefore, the closest relatives of the Mogwai must be appeased. After all, if you don’t do this, your phone or computer may break down, your washing machine or other household appliance may fail. Gremlins love chocolate, candy and various fast food dishes. Therefore, in honor of the holiday, it is customary to treat them with these delicacies, leaving them in a visible place in the house or workplace. You can come up with any other tradition of honoring fantasy heroes, taking into account their preferences and craving for mechanisms. But you need to remember: the more seriously you take the choice of a sign of attention on Gremlins Day, the greater the likelihood that nothing will happen to your smartphone, vacuum cleaner and car.

Typing Day is an international holiday dedicated to the ability of operators to quickly and efficiently handle typing of various texts. This day is organized thanks to a special competition that has been held in Malaysia since 2011. Speed ​​typing experts compete on it. The authors of the competition were a team of people who developed a special program capable of automatically correcting various errors and typos in the text. Typing Day is celebrated annually on January 8th and aims to encourage self-expression through writing. In addition, the holiday allows you to expand the popularity of this method of communication, which can be quite effective, accurate and fast. To celebrate this day, various events are held dedicated to this type of activity, and a traditional competition is also organized. Residents of Malaysia take part in it, while other countries have the opportunity to participate via the Internet. The online competition is held in various languages, which allows anyone to take part in it. One of the varieties of speed typing is touch typing, which is a method of typing letters that uses all fingers, while the operator does not look at the computer keyboard or typewriter keys at all. This method of typing appeared more than 130 years ago and can significantly increase the productivity of workers in this field. The speed of typing depends, as a rule, on many factors, among which the most common are the individual himself and his disposition to this type of activity, as well as the amount and effectiveness of training. According to general data, a standard printing worker who has undergone special training is able to type about 200-400 characters per minute. However, at international competitions a result was recorded that significantly exceeded such indicators. Thus, indicators of more than 800 characters are known, which is a fairly good result. When performing calculations, all key strokes are taken into account, including letters, as well as register characters such as punctuation marks, accents, numbers and other elements of machine writing.

Not only yawning, but also positive emotions are transmitted from person to person. Happiness and joy are contagious just like any infection, but only with a plus sign. American Joan White from New York State was convinced of this quite a long time ago, who in 1981 came up with the idea of ​​​​establishing an unusual holiday - Joy Germ Day. Since then, every year on January 8th the Day of Spreading Germs of Joy is celebrated. In honor of the holiday, Joan White, infected with happiness, publishes funny messages on the Internet, signing them “Infectiously Yours.” On January 8, she also calls friends and relatives, sends them letters and cards, sharing her positive attitude towards life. Before retiring, Joan White worked as an advertising and public relations manager. It is therefore not surprising that her creativity manifested itself in this way. Mrs. White's baton has been taken up by thousands of people around the world, who together with her spread the germs of joy and pleasure on this day. The symbol of Joy Germ Day are postcards, T-shirts and other souvenirs with thematic inscriptions. “Share your smile, and it will come back to you more than once,” sang Little Raccoon. This cartoon idea is in sync with Spread the Germs of Joy Day. Each person on January 8, who becomes a generator of good mood, inevitably infects others with it. The date of the holiday was not chosen by chance - it coincides with the birthday of Joan White's mother, who was her daughter's main inspiration. Joan first came up with the artistic image of microbes of joy while writing an advertising article for a hotel in Syracuse, located in New York State. But the hotel owner asked to remove the phrase “infection with happiness” from the text. Later, the advertising specialist remembered her “find” and created an unusual holiday. How is it customary to celebrate Joy Germ Day? On this day they give a smile and share a good mood with both loved ones and strangers. The virus of fun and kindness on January 8 spreads at lightning speed. Germs of joy are transmitted both through airborne droplets and digitally: in honor of the holiday, it is customary to post funny posts on social networks and send funny cards to friends. “Happiness comes more willingly into the house where a good mood always reigns,” Leo Tolstoy said. It's hard to disagree with the great writer. The Fun Virus is a great reason to invite your close friends over and celebrate Joy Germs Day with them. And even if some of them are in a bad mood, Joy Germ Day will make you forget about sorrows and hardships. "Smile, gentlemen. Smile!" - called Baron Munchausen, whose role was brilliantly played by O. Yankovsky. Joining this call is Joan White and everyone celebrating January 8th as Germ Joy Day.

Argyle Day

Coming of Age Day in Japan(Seijin no Hi)

Midwives' Day is popularly celebrated on January 8 (December 26, old style). This holiday is held in honor of women who help during childbirth. It is also called Babi porridge, since accomplished mothers with their children went to thank the midwives, and in return they treated them to porridge. The people considered the midwife a respected person. She was so nicknamed for her ability to wrap a newborn in swaddling clothes so that he could not scratch himself and slept peacefully. The midwives also taught the new mother how to swaddle the baby. Not everyone could become a midwife; this required being a mother herself and being of advanced age. The woman had to be distinguished by her flexible character and good reputation, otherwise the adopted children could be born weak and sickly. According to tradition, mothers collected a basket with pies, lard, pancakes, vodka and went to the midwife. They also brought her a towel so that the path of the newborns she received would be easy. They showed the old woman how the child had matured and thanked her. Pregnant women went with gifts to the midwife so that their birth would go smoothly. There was a belief that on the day of the midwives, evil spirits crawled out of hiding and wandered the earth, trying to harm people: they stole the moon from the sky and covered the sun. To defend themselves, the peasants dressed up as animals or mummers: they put on shabby clothes, painted their faces with soot, and depicted terrible and wretched deformities. The mummers ran around the village singing and dancing, showing the evil spirits that their place was taken. It was forbidden to buy rope products on the day of midwives in order to protect your family from hanging. They also did not prepare jelly, so as not to invite death into the house. Based on the cold and snowy days, the midwives determined a cool, rainy summer. Clear skies during the day foreshadowed rich harvests of millet. Crows circling in the sky were observed before a snowstorm, and tits singing before a strong cold snap. Frost also promised a burgundy sunset. Warmth was expected if they saw a fire in a white stove.

Orthodox holidays on January 8:

For maternal feat, for unparalleled submission to God, for unspoken suffering and humility, and for the fact that with her the new spiritual chronicle of the human race began, on January 8, the Orthodox Church glorifies the Most Pure Mother of God. In accordance with church custom, after important events dedicated to the Son of God, to remember those who played a significant role during his life, the Council of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated immediately the next day after the Nativity of Christ. The first mention of the holiday dates back to early Christianity - in 681, when the decree of the VI Ecumenical Council laid the foundation for this bright day. The holiday is called a cathedral because on this wonderful day there is a general (conciliar) celebration of other saints close to Mary: believers glorify Saint Joseph the Betrothed - who served the Mother of God and her son Christ with high reverence; King David, from whose family the Savior came into the world; Saint James - the brother of Christ and one of his first apostles, who was next to God's chosen family fleeing to Egypt during the persecution of King Herod. On the great feast of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, solemn services are held in all Orthodox churches. Priests and believers perform church chants of praise, turn to the Mother of God, give thanks, say words of gratitude and pray in front of icons with her image. In the old days, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary was not only a religious holiday, but also a good opportunity to preserve folk customs, because Russian traditions did not disappear without a trace with the advent of Christianity. In Rus', this day was combined with a special women's day - "Women's porridge". From the very morning, the housewives cooked delicious porridge, baked pies, fed the whole family, and then headed to the church to present a treat for the Most Pure One. Returning from church, they collected food: pies, homemade meat, lard, bread or flour and went to bow to the midwives, so that those receiving newborns would not need anything. It is difficult not to notice a symbolic comparison in this, a hidden hint that the Mother of God herself accepted the baby Christ who was born. On January 8, the entire Orthodox world remembers the Virgin Mary, the earthly righteous woman for whom the Creator prepared an unusual and great destiny, the woman who became the mother of God’s son, the Savior and the Messiah, who sacrificed himself for the atonement of human sins.

Celebration in honor of the Kykkos (Merciful) Icon of the Mother of God

Memorial Day of St. Nicodemus of Tismania

Feast of the Ostrobramskaya Icon of the Mother of God of Vilna

Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Blessed Womb”

Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God “Three Joys”

Memorial Day of the Hieromartyr Euthymius of Sardinia