Fun Holidays - Public Sleeping Day

People often fall asleep in the most unsuitable circumstances for rest - at the workplace, during a long meeting, in a cafe, park, subway or cinema. A Kabuki theater performance in Japan lasts more than 5 hours. Therefore, during performances, spectators not only actively eat, but also openly doze. In Japanese culture, it is generally accepted that inemuri (i.e., “to be present and asleep”) is a sign of hard work and fatigue due to the large amount of work performed. Satisfying the body's need for a good night's rest is very important for normal human functioning. That's why February 28th is Public Sleep Day. Funny from the point of view of the rules of command in society, Public Sleeping Day is celebrated all over the world. However, the tradition of daytime rest is rooted in the traditions of the Land of the Rising Sun. Its residents work hard (on average, their working day lasts 12-16 hours) and have little rest: despite 18 official vacation days a year, no Japanese take more than 5. About 40% of the country's citizens sleep less than 6 hours at night. All this can lead to the body being unable to cope with psycho-emotional and physical stress. Therefore, napping in Japan is encouraged as a way to restore strength and increase productivity. Of course, senior managers and company executives have more opportunities to take advantage of inemuri. Junior employees are more energetic and demonstrate their hard work more actively. For the Japanese, it is unacceptable to sleep in the presence of a boss, which cannot be said about a director dozing in front of a subordinate. This is considered the norm. The practice of inemuri allows you to kill two birds with one stone: for attending a seminar, conference or other work-related event, a Japanese can receive a bonus and at the same time sleep in a soft chair while the lecturer speaks. It is unknown what prompted the poet I. Brodsky to write “The Great Elegy to John Donne.” This poem by the Nobel laureate is a real hymn to sleep: Organizers of events dedicated to February 28 suggest celebrating the holiday with a short rest at the workplace or in the park, i.e. reboot and take a nap during the day for your pleasure. It’s not for nothing that both young children and experienced older people use this opportunity without a twinge of conscience. Yes, as you age, the number of hours of sleep at night decreases. But this does not mean that you need to give up daytime rest. Winston Churchill's longevity is a consequence, by the politician's own admission, of the fact that he "never stood when he could have been sitting, and never sat when he could have been lying down." The British Prime Minister got used to sleeping during parliamentary sessions, which did not negatively affect the intensity of his activities. Catherine Deneuve admits that she owes her unfading beauty over the years to daytime sleep. The great French actress dozed in her trailer between film shoots. Therefore, there is nothing surprising in the establishment of a funny holiday on February 28 - Public Sleeping Day, which is a good occasion to remind about the importance of wakefulness and proper sleep as an integral part of human life.