One can only guess why Welder Day is celebrated in Russia on the last Friday in May, but it is impossible to understand why the holiday has not yet received any official status confirmed by regulatory documents. Where else but in Russia can we honor welding and every representative of this most complex profession, without which it is impossible to imagine life in the modern world. The work of a welder is necessary in heavy and light industry, in the everyday life of every citizen. Pipelines, bridges, transport, buildings would not be built without welding and welders. Industrial equipment would not have been created. The welding process produces permanent connections. The strength of the structure depends on the quality of the equipment, technology and skill of the welder. The safety of life of every person depends on the strength of structures. People have been trying to obtain durable metal structures ever since metal began to be used in everyday life (decorations, water pipes). But it was possible to achieve reliable strength of connections in metal devices and buildings only in the 19th century. Russian inventors became the founders of electric welding, which can quickly and efficiently transform metal parts into strong structures. Among them is the first Russian electrical engineer Vasily Vladimirovich Petrov, academician of the Medical-Surgical Academy of St. Petersburg. On May 17, 1802, he demonstrated to members of the medical board the phenomenon of an electric arc. He spoke about the possibilities of using an electric arc for melting and welding metals, and about its use as a source of electric lighting. It was the electric arc that was used by the inventor of the arc lamp (“electric candle”), the famous P.N. Yablochkov, who received the world’s first patent for the invention of the electric lamp. The electric arc was also used by the Russian engineer N.N. Benardos to create a method for connecting and separating various metals by the direct action of electric current. Benardos, in a chronological list of his inventions, indicated that he created electric arc welding (“electrohephaestus”) in Paris in the spring of 1881. At this time, Nikolai Nikolaevich, as part of the Russian delegation, was preparing an exhibition for the Russian branch of the International Electricity Exhibition. In Paris, Benardos's "Electrohephaestus" received a gold medal at the International Exhibition and became its most significant exhibit. Another Russian engineer Slavyanov received a gold medal at the World Electrical Exhibition in 1893 in Chicago. For the first time in the world in November 1888, he put a metal (consumable) electrode into practice. Benardos' invention (electric arc welding) revolutionized metal processing. The 100th anniversary of this event was celebrated throughout the world at the initiative of UNESCO in 1981. Probably, it was after the celebration initiated by UNESCO that Russian welding professionals began to celebrate Welder Day. May is the month of major discoveries and inventions related to welding. The work of welders is hard, unhealthy, dangerous, but so necessary for all humanity. Health to you, welders, long happy years of life!

Relationships between people are a very subtle and complex thing. This is especially true for social contacts, in particular between neighbors. Willy-nilly, in many situations the latter often become even closer to relatives and good friends. In order to pay due attention to this type of relationship in society, a rather unusual holiday date was invented and introduced in Europe several years ago. It is called European Neighbors Day, celebrated by all caring people on the last Friday of every May. The main goal of the innovation is to encourage society to be more kind and responsive to those who live in our neighborhood. After all, residents of large settlements and megalopolises often do not even know who is behind their walls. For the first time, a French citizen named Antanas Perifan thought seriously about this problem. With the support of his friends and sponsorship, he organized a massive celebration for neighbors he knew little or not at all. As part of the event, he employed several of them, organized home mini-kindergartens, provided financial support to those in need, and performed many other good and useful deeds. According to Perifan, doing all this was quite simple - the main thing is to delve into the problem of a particular person. This holiday was celebrated for the first time in 1999 in the capital of France. The event was attended by 10,000 Parisians from 800 residential buildings. Since then, this date has been celebrated every year. Since 2000, the holiday has received international status. If in European countries the organization of a celebration falls on the shoulders of local solidarity societies, then in our country this is done by ordinary citizens, organizing a holiday for loved ones, giving them care and warmth. Currently, the holiday has over 1,450 partners in more than 36 countries, and the number of people taking part in the events exceeds 30 million. Gradually, this day acquires its own traditions and customs. In every country, city and even in the yard they are special. The only thing they have in common is the desire to open up and help everyone around them. The founders of the holiday are sure that it is quite easy to celebrate. It is enough to notify your neighbors in a timely manner, gather in a place convenient for everyone (in the house, in the yard, in the garden), sit down at a friendly table and have a good time. The main condition is that participants must bring treats with them and be in a great mood.

May 31 is a holiday for the legal profession. All specialists working in the legal fields celebrate their celebration - the Day of the Russian Bar. The holiday is celebrated annually, although it is not an official holiday. Life is unpredictable. Sometimes there are situations when a person needs legal protection, consultation, and support. At such moments, specialists in their field of activity who navigate various legal areas of the state come to the rescue - these are lawyers. The specialization and profiles of lawyers are varied. There are those who deal only with civil cases, others with criminal or arbitration cases. This may be any legal advice, representation or support of their clients in courts or government agencies. Development and preparation of contracts, claims, statements, claims. Participation in bankruptcy or audit procedures. And much more, too many to list. Moreover, lawyers work both with an individual and with enterprises, organizations, departments, which sometimes urgently need their help. It is not for nothing that the word “lawyer” is translated from Latin as “invitation” in the sense of an invitation to provide assistance. A real lawyer has a mandatory higher legal education and valid status as a lawyer. Must know the main branches of civil, criminal, customs, administrative, family, labor law, understand them, and, if necessary, freely appeal with articles, paragraphs and subparagraphs. Often, lawyers have to understand accounting, Internet activities, construction, military or medical fields. By the way, knowledge of foreign languages ​​is also useful. A lawyer is a speaker. Competent, persuasive, technical. By the way, it often happens that lawyers risk their lives because of the information they may have. Therefore, it would not be out of place to say that the profession of a lawyer is dangerous. Often, lawyers are entrusted with the most intimate secrets related to personal life, financial matters and even state security. Any significant information entrusted to a lawyer is kept secret from other people. It is a pity that the holiday is not official, since the profession of a lawyer is important and responsible. Lawyers come to the rescue at the most critical moments of life. Sometimes, only they can resolve peak situations, defuse unbearable situations, come to an agreement and measure irreconcilable parties.

World No Tobacco Day, like many national holidays, originally originated in the United States. Oncologists suggested that smokers give up smoking at least for one day. Their goal was to enable smoke lovers to take the first step in the fight against a health-destroying habit. The idea was supported and began to be disseminated through the media. The idea had positive results, and in 1988 the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to declare May 31 World No Tobacco Day. Since then, WHO and partners have celebrated this day every year. Russia is also part of these countries. In our country, about 300 thousand people die annually from the harmful effects of tobacco and its consequences, which exceeds the numbers of those killed in road accidents, from drugs and AIDS. Research has revealed that almost half of the population smokes in Russia, or more precisely, 40%. Smokers harm not only themselves: according to statistics, every year more than 600 thousand people in the world die from the effects of second-hand tobacco smoke, unwittingly becoming passive smokers. Therefore, WHO calls on governments to reduce tobacco consumption in different ways. Among them are holding educational conversations and lectures about the immediate dangers of smoking, and its more distant consequences, such as the birth of weakened and inferior offspring of smokers, as well as various bans and fines. These include a ban on advertising tobacco products, increasing taxes on them, and monetary penalties for smoking in public places. This day is celebrated not only by smokers, but also by those who in one way or another help fight smoking, namely oncologists, narcologists, activists of social movements, and those who have already said goodbye to the bad habit and want to share their experience. Every year the action takes place under certain slogans, including, for example, self-explanatory slogans of past years - “Tobacco-free youth” or “Increasing the tax on tobacco products”... Traditionally, May 31 is not complete without conferences and seminars, at which representatives of medicine, charitable foundations, and public government organizations make presentations. In them, speakers introduce listeners and colleagues to problems and successes in this area, put forward various proposals for making improvements to current legislation on this issue, and promote a healthy lifestyle. It would seem, what does it mean for a smoker to spend one day without tobacco? But the importance of this day should not be diminished. For some, May 31 will not change anything, but for others, it may be the first day of independence from a long-term bad habit. The most important thing is to start...

On May 31, blond girls, ladies, ladies and women celebrate World Blonde Day. The holiday of blonde ladies originated in the United States of America at the instigation of members of the lawyers' union, who held the first National Blonde Day on July 9, 2001. The purpose of the event is to eradicate the existing stereotype that blondes receive a higher education diploma for an informal relationship with the dean, and not for successful and diligent study. Blonde lawyers tried to prove to the whole world that they are mastering the profession and moving up the career ladder solely thanks to their tenacious mind, creativity and business skills, but not due to their attractive appearance and ability to please the boss. It cannot be said that the myth about the stupidity of blondes was debunked, but a wave of struggle for the rights of fair-haired women swept across the world and culminated in the establishment of the amazing holiday of World Blonde Day. Rumor has it that the movement of blond women marched victoriously across all continents, not without the help of the famous comedy “Legally Blonde,” which was released in Los Angeles on June 26, 2001. The heroine of the film, Elle Woods, with her convincing victory over American justice, her intelligence and prudence, encouraged women to unite in clubs, organizations and even parties. The Blonde Party was created in Russia in 2008 on the initiative of businessman Sergei Kushnerov, Marina Voloshina became the executive secretary of the organization. Either jokingly or seriously, the party proclaimed quite ambitious goals: party members promised to nominate their fair-haired candidate in the 2012 presidential elections. These plans were not destined to come true in 2012, but who can predict the course of history? It is likely that in the wonderful distant bright future the country will be ruled by a blonde lady. After all, already today there are quite a lot of the smartest blondes occupying high positions in the Russian government. Their names are well known to everyone - we won’t repeat them. Representatives of blond hair, inspired by the mass movement against discrimination against blondes, took up political slogans and decided to fight for social, political and economic equality of all women on the planet. In 2009, the International Blonde Association sent a request to UNESCO to legalize the holiday by declaring May 31 World Blonde Day. UNESCO apparently decided that one holiday of International Day on March 8th was enough for international women’s solidarity and did not approve the application. The disapproval of the international authority did not become a reason for the cessation of communication between the fair-haired ladies; today they continue to celebrate their holiday, using all kinds of forms to attract attention to their extraordinary persons. In Russia, World Blonde Day was celebrated for the first time in 2006. On this occasion, Novinsky Passage established the “Diamond Hairpin” award - for three years it was awarded to the main blondes of the country who have achieved significant results in art, sports, business, and politics. Among the nominees are Ella Pamfilova, Kristina Orbakaite, Yana Poplavskaya, Svetlana Svetlichnaya. Every year on the eve of summer on May 31, blond beauties remind themselves of themselves by holding all sorts of events. And it doesn’t matter what it is: grand parades, vibrant festivals or modest gatherings, the main thing is a good mood, kind smiles and complete self-sufficiency, independence from the stereotypical opinions of others and the number of invented jokes. Anecdotes are often told about people who stand out for their importance, popularity, intelligence, originality - politicians, military men and blondes are on the same page. Well, isn't that a reason to be proud! We wish all representatives of blond hair inexhaustible energy, humor, enthusiasm, unfading youth and simple, but so necessary female happiness.

Macaws, cockatoos, loris, cockatiels, grays, ecleptus, kakapo... All these are breeds of exotic birds that live in tropical and subtropical conditions. Some species of parrots, such as budgerigars, kakariki and amazon, get along well with humans. Beautiful and intelligent birds, mostly found in forests, mountainous and steppe regions of Australia and South America, need protection. May 31 is World Parrot Day. World Parrot Day was first celebrated in 2004. The initiator of the appearance of the solemn day in the calendar is the World Parrot Foundation, a charitable organization whose headquarters are located in the UK. Since 1989, the World Parrot Trust has funded conservation, research and education programs to protect parrots in the wild and at home. In order to support these projects, the foundation has collected more than $2 million over the years of its existence. The funds were spent on helping 88 species of birds affected by poaching and violation of their natural habitat. Almost all exotic birds are herbivores. However, the diet of kea, which lives in the cool mountains of New Zealand, includes not only cereals and fruits, but also lamb. In the wild, they hunt, attacking large animals without a second thought. The strength of representatives of the parrot order cannot be underestimated. So, a cockatoo with its 10 cm long beak can easily bite a person’s finger. The largest parrots, up to 1 m tall, live in the Amazon, and the smallest, with a body length of 8-9 cm, live in Papua New Guinea. Small birds, both in captivity and in the wild, live 15-20 years, and large birds live 100 years. The parrot was domesticated about 3 thousand years ago. Many birds that live with humans delight with their talkativeness and talent for imitating the timbre and intonation of the owner’s voice, the noise that household appliances make, and other sounds. Few people know that these birds do not have vocal cords. They produce all sounds using their beak and tongue. For thousands of years, parrots have never ceased to amaze people not only with their color, but also with their cheerful disposition and intelligence. Ornithologists come to the conclusion that scientists do not know everything about the intellectual abilities and prospects for the development of the speech apparatus of birds. The world's smartest gray parrot named Alex is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. The bird, raised by a psychologist in Arizona, knew more than 400 words. Alex, who lived for 31 years, could correctly name the colors and shapes of objects, read syllables and count. The parrot expressed his thoughts and feelings using words. His level of intelligence corresponded to the development of a 5-year-old child. The phenomenal abilities of another genius, the budgerigar Puck, who knew 1,728 words, were also reflected in the Guinness Book of Records. Many of the more than 390 species of Psittaidae are threatened with extinction. To successfully observe birds, a person not only needs to find an approach to them, but also create comfortable living conditions and create the right diet. Birds living in mountains and tropical forests can be saved by preserving their natural habitat. World Parrot Day calls on all concerned people to do this.

International holidays - World Inequality Day

The number of people who are adopting a healthy lifestyle is growing every year. Participation in bicycle racing allows you to combine business with pleasure, physical activity in the fresh air with a trip through a picturesque area. The first such competition took place on May 31, 1868 in Saint-Cloud, located 10 km from Paris. The winner was the Englishman J. Moore, who finished first a year later. In honor of this competition, the Birthday of Cycling is celebrated annually on May 31st. At the races in the suburbs of Paris, many records were set - from the maximum speed for that time of 34 km/h to the duration of the trip. Women did not take part in the first competition. But already in 1869, two representatives of the fair sex were allowed to race on two-wheeled “spider” bicycles with a high front wheel. The French really liked this sport, so they initiated another competition in 1903, which today has international status - the Tour de France ("Big Loop"). In Russia, the first bicycle race over a distance of 1.5 km took place in July 1883 at the Moscow Hippodrome. Three years later, Russian cyclist Mikhail Dyakov won the British national championship. Also in 1886, he took second place at the World Championships in the 100 km race. Russian athletes own many records. So, in 1911-1913. Anisim Pankratov made the first trip around the world on a Gritzner bicycle. During the trip, the athlete changed 9 chains, 52 upper and 36 inner tires, 4 seats, 8 pedals, 2 steering wheels, countless lights, bells and other parts. The fortitude and endurance of cyclists is admirable. Today, this sport includes cross-country (racing in mountainous terrain), dirt (driving on embankments, jumps), dual slalom (parallel descent, reminiscent of skiing) and other areas. As early as 1896, due to its extraordinary popularity, cycling was included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games. Currently, competitions are held in four disciplines: road and track racing, mountain biking (off-road riding over rough terrain) and BMX (extreme cycling with various acrobatic elements and stunts). Cycling attracts with its accessibility and dynamism. Not only professionals, but also amateurs take part in bike competitions. Performing stunts on bicycles (going down stairs, jumping over earthen embankments, performing somersaults in the air, etc.) is constantly being improved by stuntmen. Anyone who has at least once experienced the feeling of freedom from a high-speed bicycle ride will never refuse the opportunity to repeat this experience. Every year on May 31, bike competitions and demonstration performances of masters and stuntmen are held in different countries of the world. Everyone can visit exhibitions of ancient technology, take part in competitions and costume parades on mobile, safe, environmentally friendly two-wheeled vehicles. Thus, by participating in these and other events, bike riding enthusiasts celebrate the Birthday of Cycling on May 31st.

Russian Holidays - Psychotherapist Day

Russian holidays - Day of formation of juvenile affairs units in the system of internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation

International holidays - International Flight Attendant Appreciation Day

International holidays - Web Designer Day

International holidays - European Brothers and Sisters Day

Holidays of India - Day of fasting and spiritual practices "Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi" (Pandava Nirjala Ekadashi)

Day of Remembrance for Victims of Political Repression and Famine in Kazakhstan

Fedot Ovsyanik, also called the Seven Virgins, is celebrated according to the folk calendar on May 31 (May 18, old style). The holiday received its name due to the church date of honoring Saint Theodotus of Ancyra and the seven virgin martyrs who died for their faith. Theodotus lived in the 3rd century in Ancyra (modern Turkey), was a wealthy Christian, and owned a hotel. When persecution began against Christians, he helped them as best he could: he provided shelter and shared food. Seven Christian women who chose the path of chastity were captured by pagans, tortured and executed by drowning. One of the maidens was Theodotus’s own aunt. Her soul came to him in a dream and asked him to bury the drowned women as it should be. Theodotus complied with her request, but the saint was reported to the emperor, after which he was beheaded. The people called Fedot Ovsyanik, since on this day they carried out fortune telling about the oat harvest. It was identified by oak leaves. A leafy oak tree foreshadowed an abundance of oats, and if its falling leaves were noticed, they were preparing for a crop failure. In addition, Fedotov's day was favorable for planting flax. The oak tree itself was revered on Fedot Ovsyanik. The tree was called powerful, magical, strong, persistent, having masculine strength, and sometimes it was associated with the forest guardian. There was a belief that forest spirits lived in oak trees. Residents came to him to gain strength, meetings, trials or wedding ceremonies were organized under him. They believed that if lovers walked around the oak tree three times, holding hands, then their union would be strong and durable. The oak tree's trunk and branches were no less strong, but cutting down an oak tree was considered a sin. Therefore, when building a house or a temple, the tree was cut down by the entire village in order to divide the sin in half among everyone. In more ancient times, offerings were made to the oak tree in the form of honey or mash to protect grain fields from storms. Oatmeal jelly was poured on Fedot Ovsyanik under an oak tree and a spell was read, asking Saint Theodotus for a generous oat harvest. On this day, the healers were treating back pain. To do this, the patient was given an aspen branch and talked to relieve pain. They believed that with the right conspiracy, the pain could go away forever. But the village daughters-in-law on Fedot’s day united lonely souls: they found a match for widowers or bachelors among unmarried girls. Hearing the long cuckoo cuckoo on Fedot Ovsyanik, residents rejoiced at the arrival of the long-awaited warmth. Seeing flashes on the horizon, we prepared for a change in weather. The setting sun in a light haze foreshadowed the approach of rain. Clouds on this day promised worsening weather, but the singing of lapwings announced clear days.

Orthodox holidays on May 31:

Memorial Day of the Holy Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils

Memorial Day of St. Macarius of Altai