Every year since 1993, a spring holiday is celebrated on March 22 - World Water Day, World Water Day. This was announced by the United Nations General Assembly. On this day, various events dedicated to the conservation of water resources are held, such as exhibitions, excursions, lectures, conferences aimed at the rational use of fresh water. To show the versatility of water resources, each year these events are dedicated to a specific theme and are held under different mottos. In Russia, Water Resources Day was celebrated for the first time in 1995. The motto was: “Water is life.” This is an opportunity to once again remind people that water resources are very important for society and the environment, to draw attention to the need for such wealth, to pay attention to the condition of water bodies and their protection, and to think about the role of water on Earth for every person. To achieve positive results, you need to turn words into commitments, actions, attract governments and people of all countries to this problem, inform people about how important it is to protect and conserve water resources, take all kinds of measures and solve the problems of the population of those countries where there is a lack of drinking water. water. The most valuable natural resource on the planet is water. A person cannot live without water. The population is growing, and the amount of water consumed is growing. And fresh water reserves in the world are not increasing. Scientists have calculated that if fresh water is not used rationally, then by 2030 half of the world's population will experience water shortages. Water production will be 40% lower than demand, and fresh water shortage will be the most important problem. Russia ranks second in terms of water resources. These are rivers, lakes, underground waters. Lake Baikal contains 95% of the country's fresh water. Water is used everywhere: in industry, agriculture, housing and communal services, in any production. On average in Russia, 30.2 thousand cubic meters per year are spent per person. Every day a person needs 20 liters of water to drink, eat, and wash. It must be remembered that water resources are not limitless. The life of each of us depends on the quality and quantity of water. This is a global problem. Everyone should understand that water resources must be protected.

During the seventeenth meeting of the Helsinki Convention, which took place in 1986, an important decision was made that Baltic Sea Day should be celebrated annually. The date March 22 was chosen for a reason, because it was on this day in 1974 that this convention was signed. It is worth noting that on the same day, ecologists around the world celebrate another important environmental holiday - World Water Day. Previously, this natural pearl on the territory of modern Russia was called the “Varangian Sea”. This name lasted until the 18th century. The deepest point in the Baltic Sea is at a depth of 470 meters, and the average depth is 51 meters. The Baltic Sea today serves as an important transport corridor that connects Russia, Asia and Europe. It washes the shores of nine countries at once - Russia, Estonia, Sweden, Poland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Denmark and Finland. Over the past few decades, environmentalists have argued that there is a huge amount of garbage in the sea, and it urgently needs cleaning, otherwise a real environmental disaster will occur with irreparable consequences. In order to attract public attention to the important issue of preserving the environment on this most beautiful object on the planet, Baltic Sea Day was established. In connection with this holiday, various scientific and educational conferences are held in different countries. Also, activists and defenders of this natural wealth carry out various environmental events. Traditionally, this day is celebrated on a particularly large scale in St. Petersburg, where numerous public organizations involved in environmental protection have taken the organization and initiative into their own hands. The authorities and business actively assist in holding various kinds of events. International video conferences, environmental exhibitions, competitions in schools and universities have already become traditional, the purpose of which is to reveal the environmental problems of the Baltic Sea. In addition, the city hosts a large-scale international environmental forum, which is called “Baltic Sea Day”. At this forum there are always vigorous and serious discussions of all existing problems of this natural wealth, as well as methods for solving them, and an exchange of experience between representatives of different countries. The St. Petersburg forum is attended not only by famous ecologists and representatives from the Baltic region, but also by well-known environmentalists from the USA and Canada. Everyone unites around the main goal - the preservation of a unique natural object - the Baltic Sea.

On March 22, taxi drivers celebrate their professional holiday - International Taxi Driver Day. On March 22, 1907, the first cars appeared in the capital of Great Britain with a built-in taximeter (a special meter). The word comes from the French. "tax" - payment and Greek. "metron" - measurement. The first cab drivers in London were brightly colored - red and green - to immediately attract the client's attention. Later, thanks to the founder of the Hertz Corporation and simply an enterprising American, the cars became the traditional yellow color. The most ancient taxis take their roots in ancient Rome, then they were carts, carriages, cabs and chariots. In Russia, paid passenger transportation appeared in 1907, and later identification marks were invented for cars - the so-called checkers. Working as a taxi driver is full of difficulties and dangers, because you come across different clients. There may be crying babies and bad-smelling alcoholics. And there are also clients who threaten the life and health of the driver in order to rob him. For this purpose, the car has a walkie-talkie through which the driver can report a threat. There are also dishonest passengers who do not want to pay the fare, even to the point of simply running away from the car at the final point of arrival. The work of a taxi driver has not only negative aspects, it is full of positive emotions. Every day there are new clients who may turn out to be interesting conversationalists, and perhaps even find a friend or love. After all, everyone knows that some of the most interesting tales are told by drivers. Today, calling a taxi is not difficult. It is enough to call the dispatcher or call through a special application. You can select the required car, for example, if you have a large company. If you wish, you can order a car at a certain time and then you won’t have to languish in wait. At the client's request, they can provide him with a child car seat, a place in the trunk, and for an additional fee they can help him carry his luggage. Taxi fleet cars for every taste and color - from economy class to the level of increased comfort. This holiday is celebrated not only by men, but also by women, because among drivers there are often representatives of the fairer sex.

The Khakass New Year falls on March 22, the Vernal Equinox. The celebration of Chyl Pazy in the modern republic was resumed after a long break in 1994. The roots of the celebration go back to ancient times. Ancient people associated the cyclical nature of time with the seasons of the year. With their replacement, Mother Nature is born, lives and dies. With the passing of winter, the earth awakens from sleep, and a new cycle of development of all things begins. On March 21, on the day of the spring equinox, light and darkness collide in equal combat, and the line between the world of people and spirits disappears. The Sun God comes to earth, and on March 22 a new period of chronology begins. Winter as a symbol of death and oblivion is leaving, giving way to spring, rebirth and new life. Did you know that?... On March 22, not only the people of Khakassia, but also the residents of Kazakhstan, Iran, Afghanistan, India and other Asian countries celebrate the New Year. The tradition of celebrating Navruz (Persian for “new day”) in the spring appeared among the countries of the Great Silk Road more than 3 thousand years ago. The ancestors of the Turkic-Mongolian peoples of Southern Siberia led a nomadic lifestyle, mainly engaged in cattle breeding. The way of life and farming cycles of the ancient Khakass were tied to the lunar calendar. According to him, the beginning of the new year fell in spring and was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox. On Chyl Pazy (translated from Khakass as “beginning of the year”), it is customary to clean the house, prepare dishes for the festive feast (toya) and put on good new clothes. In ancient times, when clearing a yurt from snow, dust and dirt, they deliberately left a small speck at its door so as not to sweep away their luck (ulus). And the first spring thunder cleared the surrounding world of evil spirits. This is interesting. Before the baptism of Rus', the ancestors of the Slavs, whose life was closely connected with the land-nurse, also celebrated the New Year in the spring, in March. At the end of the 15th century. The Orthodox Church moved the celebration to September 1, combining it with the celebrations of the harvest, the time of payment of rent and taxes. On January 1, the New Year in Rus' began to be celebrated in 1699 after the calendar reform was carried out by Peter I. Modern residents of Khakassia, who honor the traditions of their ancestors, perform a number of rituals on Chyl Pazy:• a rite of purification - they throw black ribbons (chalamas) tied in a knot into the fire, symbolically burning all the sins, failures and illnesses of the past year;• feeding the Goddess of Fire - a libation of wine, feeding flames with pieces of meat, butter or fat; • treating guests to pyzylakh (unleavened cheese), sour cream, cookies and tea from cherbert, bergenia, white cap and rose hips; • worshiping the sacred tree - the birch (khazyn) is walked in circles three times, tying white ribbons on the branches, blue and red colors and making a wish. In ancient times, venerable elders said prayers to people at sunrise on March 22. Upon returning to the yurt, symbolic feeding of the ancestral spirits (tesi) was carried out. Guests of the house, in addition to festive dishes, were invited to try araki - an alcoholic drink made from kumiss and ayran. Milk vodka had a strength from 3 to 20 degrees. Araku was poured into bowls from a leather vessel, kogeerzhik. The owner of the house on Chyl Pazy, before tasting vodka, asked the gods for well-being for the livestock, sprayed the yurt and the burning hearth with the drink. Did you know that?.. Among the Khakass, like the Chinese, annual cycles are named after 12 animals. Among the well-known totems of the traditional eastern horoscope (sheep, mouse, snake, hare and horse), there are symbols of the chicken, crane and fox. The 10th period of the 12-year cycle among the Khakass is called Kizi Chyly - the year of man. Chyl Pazy is an important holiday, a solemn date in the folk calendar. On this day, nature wakes up, so people traditionally ask heaven for health, prosperity and blessings to do good deeds.

German Holidays - Berlin Bear Day (Der Tag des Berliner Baren)

International holidays - Arab League Day

Larks, Sandpipers, Magpies, and also Grouse Day - a holiday of the revival of nature on March 22. It would seem that all the names are associated with birds, but Magpies are not white-sided beauties, but forty Sebastian martyrs who did not renounce Christ under Roman torture. In Orthodoxy, it is a highly revered holiday that falls during Lent. And now about the coincidences: forty martyrs, forty species of birds fly from the south on this day, after forty days of absence, the Pleiades appear in the sky - a sacred constellation among the Slavs, the abode of the souls of their ancestors. Were there exactly forty martyrs? Perhaps more than forty species of birds are returning? What comes first: folk observations of space or biblical stories? There is hardly a certain answer. The traditions on the Day of the Larks are wonderful, so in any case the holiday will be preserved in people's memory. On this day, the souls of ancestors incarnate into birds and flock in flocks to their descendants. Women bake lark buns and distribute them to children. The kids, having planted them on poles, rush around the area, call for spring, then eat them, sparing the bird’s head. They bring it to their mothers and sing: The men selected cookies from the platter. The one who received the baked coin was the first to throw a grain of grain on the sown arable land. The girls called on spring with spring songs, gathering on the green hills. If a woman tore 40 thread strands in Soroka, broke 40 splinters, then she destroyed the icy bonds that bound nature in the winter cold. Along with the arrival of warmth, the day lengthened, and 40 types of evil fevers, defeated by the sun, disappeared. The Pleiades constellation lit up again in the night sky, signifying the triumph of the forces of light over evil spirits. It was customary to remember the dead. Folk holidays are based on natural phenomena and centuries-old observations of them. The days of the spring equinox are the line between the seasons. The transition to warmth is associated not only with the emergence of new life, but also with the tension of the forces of all things on earth. To successfully enter the next cycle, it is necessary to cleanse yourself from everything that pulls you back: to break the shackles of winter, to expel 40 infirmities. Now it’s time to meet the messengers of nature’s revival and welcome winged friends into the courtyards.

On March 22 (March 9, old style), according to the folk calendar, Soroki is celebrated, also called Forty Sorokov. In the Orthodox calendar, the day is dedicated to the memory of the 40 Sebastian martyrs who were executed for their faith in Jesus Christ. Their history began in Sebaste in the early 4th century, when Constantine the Great issued a decree on freedom of religion. But the pagan commander Licinius did not support him; he called 40 of his subordinate Christian soldiers and ordered them to commit public idolatry. They refused and were not fooled by flattery or threats. Then they were stripped naked and made to stand on a frozen lake overnight in the cold. One warrior gave up and left the torture, but the Roman Aglaius, who believed in God, took his place. In the morning, 40 believers had their legs broken, and their bodies were taken to the city and burned at the stake. Magpies among the people were the second day of welcoming spring, the first day was Candlemas - February 15th. Daylight hours increased and became comparable to night. The peasants were expecting the return of birds from warmer climes. It was believed that about 40 species of birds should return to their homeland. Women prepared for their arrival: they kneaded sweet dough and baked cookies in the shape of birds: swallows, finches or larks. Children were often hired to help with this type of work. The number of cookies was baked according to the 40 Sebastian martyrs. Sometimes they baked nests with eggs from baked goods and placed them on the windowsill. The baked goods served as a ritual to “invoke” spring. Children put baked birds on long sticks, climbed onto the roofs and loudly called for spring and warmth, waving their poles. Then the cookies were eaten with honey or sour cream with tea, the heads were given to the house stingray, and the crumbs were scattered around the yard. There was a tradition on Soroki Sorokov to bake 40 balls of crushed oats or rye. They symbolized the sun and were made to combat morning frosts. To prevent frost from destroying the emerging crops, the owners threw one such ball out the window every day. If anyone in the family had a relative who went to military service, they prayed to the 40 Sebastian martyrs for his safe return home. The youth in Soroka were having fun: dancing, telling fortunes, and having get-togethers. Residents judged the future based on the signs of Soro Sorokov. The warm day foreshadowed the next forty days being also warm. A warm wind meant a wet summer, and a cold wind meant frost in the following days. Thunder promised a bad harvest. What the weather was like in Soroka was what we expected during the haymaking period.

Orthodox holidays on March 22:

The Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste on March 22. The feat of Christian martyrs occurred in the 4th century, when the life of every Christian was in danger and faith required true courage from its followers. The Great Roman Empire of that time was divided into Western and Eastern parts. The ruler of Eastern Rome, Constantine, declared freedom of religion, which equalized the rights of followers of Christ and pagans. But the emperor of the Western part of the empire, Licinius, was prejudiced towards Christians. Having decided to make a military campaign against Constantine, Licinius ordered to clear his troops of Christians, suspecting them of being prone to treason. In the Armenian city of Sebastia, there served a squad consisting of forty Capadocian Christian warriors, famous for their courage and courage in numerous battles. Despite their loyalty to military duty, the warriors refused to bow before pagan idols, for which they were subjected to severe trials. First, the soldiers were imprisoned; the men did not complain or make excuses, but devoted themselves to prayer. Their appeal to God was heard, and at night the worshipers heard a voice that strengthened their faith. After seven days, the vigilantes were put on trial and sentenced to stoning. The martyrs were ready to humbly accept execution, but the Lord revealed his will to those present. The stones flew away from the bodies of the Christian soldiers, leaving them unharmed. Realizing that the vigilantes are protected by an unknown force and the execution has been thwarted, the judges decide to use torture to force Christians to renounce their faith in one God. They are taken to the frozen Lake Sevastia and left to spend the night on bare ice. For temptation, a warm bathhouse is installed on the shore of the lake, into which every warrior who has apostatized from Christianity can go. The frost became stronger and stronger, and the torment of the husbands became more and more unbearable. One warrior separated from his comrades and ran to the bathhouse. But as soon as he crossed her threshold, death struck him in an instant. The saints remaining on the ice continued to pray and praise the Lord. At three o'clock in the morning, warmth spread around the martyrs, and 39 shining crowns descended from the sky. The guard standing on the shore, seeing the miracle taking place, believed in the Savior Jesus, joined the holy men, replacing their fellow apostate. The judges, seeing in the morning that the wars were not affected by the frost and were still glorifying Christ, arranged the next torment. The men's legs are broken with hammers and burned. The Sebastian martyrs die, but the Lord leaves their bones intact for burial. The insidious tormentors throw the remains into the river, but even there the bones do not disappear. Soon the souls of the martyrs appear to Bishop Sebastia with a request to bury their remains. Christians found the bones of those executed glowing in the river and buried them with honor. The names and feats of the forty Sebastian martyrs were recorded and preserved for posterity. In folk tradition, the memory of the forty martyrs was reflected in weather signs. The warm weather on March 22 promised another 40 similar warm days, the same applied to the arrival of cold weather. Buckwheat should have been planted after 40 sunrises. And 40 baked balls could help protect against frost, the main thing was not to forget to throw one ball at a time onto the street in the morning.

Feast of the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God “The Word became Flesh”