Fun Holidays - Draw a Bird Day

Cayuga ducks, kingfishers and peacocks with tails iridescent in the sun, quesal and mandarin birds, jays and hyacinth macaws attract the attention of artists with their unusual plumage. No less beautiful are the crowned pigeon, rainbow lorikeet, pink flamingo and green-headed oriole, which just beg to be painted on canvas. Nature never ceases to amaze us with the diversity of its fauna and the beauty of some bird species. April 8 marks an unusual holiday - Bird Drawing Day. The Draw a Bird Day movement appeared in the middle of last year. History says that it began in 1943 with the initiative of a certain Dorie Cooper from England, who was visiting her uncle in the hospital, who had lost a leg in World War II. Wanting to distract him from his heavy thoughts, a 7-year-old girl invited the wounded soldier to draw her a bird, which he did. Seeing a robin through the window, my uncle drew it on paper. The niece promised that she would display the drawing in her room. This statement lifted the spirits not only of the front-line soldier, but also of everyone who was in the same room with him. After a while, other hospital patients joined in the drawing. Within a few months, the walls of the hospital were decorated with paintings of a variety of birds. The little girl instilled hope and faith in miracles in many wounded soldiers. Most of them remembered her for the rest of their lives. Three years later, Dorie Cooper died under the wheels of a car. At the girl's funeral, the coffin was filled with images of birds, which were painted in memory of her by soldiers, doctors and nurses of the hospital where her uncle had previously lain. On Doris's birthday, April 8, they began to celebrate Draw a Bird Day. Initially, the basic rule of the movement was to create a drawing of a bird in pencil. Later, everyone who wanted to take part in the event began to use other drawing tools, including computer graphics. The main condition, after more than 80 years, remains the same - to share a picture of a bird with someone. The drawing is given to friends or relatives, and the photo is posted with the hashtag #DrawPictureofaBird Day on social networks. The purpose of this sweet and touching holiday is to spread joy and love for the world around us, to remind people that happiness is often hidden in the simplest things. The picture painted for April 8 may depict a peacock, duck, penguin, dove, swallow or any other bird. You don't have to be an artist to take part in holiday activities. The main thing is the desire to share joy with your neighbor, to show how beautiful this world is, and to infect others with optimism and faith in a bright future.