International Harry Potter Day - May 2

International Harry Potter Day is celebrated on May 2 each year, to commemorate the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, where many characters found their deaths. On the one hand, it's a happy day for the victory in the battle of Harry Potter and the scorching loss of Lord Voldemort, but on the other hand it's also a day of mourning for the departure of the all-important characters.

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron announced the day in 2012. Cameron issued an official statement announcing that the reason for the announcement of this special day was to commemorate the work of writer JK Rowling, who has significantly influenced culture all over the world. Harry Potter also holds the Guinness Book of Records as the best-selling series by a single writer, with more than 500 million copies.

Some interesting facts about Harry Potter

Rowling's magical book was rejected by publishers 12 times before being accepted by Bloomsbury Books.

Rowling began writing Harry Potter in her apartment at Clapham Junction in London. The idea for the series originally came to her on train from Manchester to London.

In addition to the Harry Potter series, Rowling also writes fictional crime books under the pen name Robert Galbraith.

In 2020, the author, JK Rowling, donated a million pounds to UK charities, which help homeless people and victims of domestic violence, to increase their support for the most vulnerable sections of the popolation in the  coronavirus pandemic era. Rowling wrote on her Twitter: "Today’s the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I’m going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths today. Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world"

Harry Potter's birthday falls on July 31 (read more).

How to celebrate Harry Potter Day?

Enjoy the Harry Potter books or movies at home.

Visit the official Harry Potter website where you will find activities related to the world of Harry Potter's magic and sorcery. Link to official website. You can join the official fan club through the site and discover new things published by JK Rowling, and read more about the world of wizards.

Have a trivia evening with family or friends about Harry Potter. Play trivia games and find out who knows the most about Harry Potter and the rest of the characters and stories in the series.

Have a Harry Potter theme party, with Harry Potter costumes and a set design that fits the series.

Make Harry Potter-themed DIY creations, like Harry Potter sculptures from all kinds of materials you have in the house, make decorated Harry Potter themed cakes, special-colored drinks reminiscent of Harry Potter potions and everything you love about the series.

Publish Harry Potter posts and photos on social media with the hashtag #harrypotterday

Source

May 2 is also Baby Day

Baby Day - May 2

They are soft, pleasant, smiling and sweet. Sometimes they cry, sometimes they laugh and when they sleep they are the cutest. May 2 is a day dedicated to babies - to celebrate the birth of the babies closest to us, to organize activities for mothers and fathers with babies, to raise awareness of the safety required in an environment where babies grow up and to think maybe we should have a baby?

Babies coloring pages

In honor of Baby Day, get some fun facts about babies you may not have known:

A human baby has more than 60 bones than an adult.

A newborn baby has a total of one cup of blood in his body.

From birth to weaning, an infant changes about 8,000 diapers on average.

Neuroscientists believe that babies do not dream in the first years of life.

Babies are born without bacteria in their bodies.

Babies have three times more taste buds than adults.

In the cosmetics industry, baby foreskins are often used.

Parents of new babies lose on average hours of sleep that add up to 6 months in the first two years of their child's life.

In the first months of life, newborns can only see in black and white.

According to studies, babies born prematurely have a greater tendency to be left-handed.

Until 1985, doctors believed that babies did not feel pain and performed surgeries without anesthesia.

A study found that breastfed mothers had 22% less Alzheimer's than non-mothers.

1 in 1,500 babies are born with a closed anus.

Every year, about 100,000 cocaine-addicted babies are born in the United States as a result of their mothers using this drug during pregnancy.

James Harrison has donated blood more than 1,000 times, saving over 2 million babies from Rhesus disease.

One woman in Michigan managed to have three children on 8/8/88, 9/9/99 and 10/10/10.

According to studies, women who snore during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to small babies.

Every 30 seconds a baby with a birth defect is born in China.

Over 90% of women who find that a baby has mercy with Down syndrome genes prefer to have an abortion and not continue the pregnancy.

In 2005 a baby was born in Egypt with another connected Siamese head that could blink and smile. This condition is called Craniopagus parasiticus.

Babies are born with a self-awareness that allows them to distinguish between their bodies and the bodies of other people.

During pregnancy, if the mother suffers damage to her organ, the baby in her womb sends stem cells to repair the damaged organ.

In Belgium, a 20-month-old baby named Bryce Brites was signed by a football club and thus became the youngest professional football player ever.

In the 1920s, it was common to use cages for babies hanging outside in the United States.

In Brazil, breast milk is distributed to mothers who are unable to breastfeed.

Between 1838 and 1960, more than half of the pictures people would take were of babies.

Every year, about a million abortions of female fetuses are performed in China and tens of thousands of infant girls are abandoned because of the country's only child policy.

Cute Animal Soft Baby Socks Toys Wrist Rattles

Doctor Dolphin Ocean World Playpen for Babies, Play Yards with Toys Panel Playpen 

May 2 is also International Harry Potter Day

International Workers' Day - May 1st

The 1st of May every year is International Workers' Day, which is a day of identification and struggle for the working class, better working conditions and the strengthening of workers' organizations.

Labor Day is a very old holiday. It began in the 1980s, when workers demanded that the working day be limited to eight hours. Workers' unions in Toronto, Canada, demonstrated on April 15, 1872, for the release of 24 printing workers who went on strike in order to limit the working day to 9 hours. They were arrested because workers' union and strike were then illegal. May 1 was set as the ultimatum to change the workday to 8 hours. The workers' demands were not met and they launched a general strike. On May 4, 1886, a demonstration in the city of Chicago went out of control and turned into a riot, killing about 60 protesters and seven policemen. Following this, the socialist movement turned its flag into a red flag, as a reminder of the blood of the working class that was shed. The riots that erupted that day were called the Haymarket affair.

Today the holiday is celebrated in most countries of the world.

In the photo: the demonstration in the Haymarket affair, May 15, 1886

May 1st is also Lei Day

Bugs Bunny Day - April 30th

April 30 is the birthday of Bugs Bunny, the most famous rabbit in the world, who first appeared on this date in 1938.

Bugs Bunny is the star of the cartoon series "Looney Tunes" and "Merry Melodies" produced by the Warner Brothers.

The character of Bugs Bunny is a character of a trickster who likes to do pranks. He was famous for saying, "What's up, Doc?" Said while chewing raw carrots.

Bugs Bunny was originally voiced by Mel Blanc, "The Man with a Thousand Voices," dubbed by Jewish-American cartoons that lived between the years 1908-1989. Blanc also dubs Duffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Sylvester Cat, Speedy Gonzalez, the Tasmanian Devil and more.

While recording the voice of Bugs Bunny, Blanc used to chew raw carrots and spit it immediately into a marzipan, as swallowing the carrots would take too long. There were attempts to use other fruits and vegetables to make the sound but they were unsuccessful because the sound made was not similar enough to the sound of chewing carrots. There was a rumor that Blanc was allergic to carrots and that's why he would spit it out, but that's not true.

The origin of the name "Bugs Bunny" came from the animator Ben Hardaway, who created Bugs 'sketch in 1938. Ben's nickname was Bugs and when he drew the rabbit, he wrote under the drawing "Bugs' Bunny".

In the cartoon series based on the cartoons, Bugs Bunny's real name is George Washington Bunny.

Bugs Bunny has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

April 30 is also International Jazz Day

International Jazz Day - April 30th

Jazz Day encourages jazz fans all over the world to attend or initiate festivals, events and jazz parties.

If you like jazz, take your trumpet, saxophone, piano or clarinet and start playing. If you do not play, you will probably find an event that has jazz music nearby.

International Jazz Day is an annual event that takes place every year on April 30th. The event was set up by UNESCO to celebrate "the virtues of jazz as an educational tool and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation between people."

The day was announced during the UNESCO General Conference in November 2011. The first annual International Jazz Day was celebrated in Paris by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UNESCO Ambassador of Goodwill Herbie Hancock.

April 30 is also Bugs Bunny Day

Zipper Day - April 29th

It is found on bags, coats, pants and boots. It is really impossible to imagine life without it- the zipper. They are so common and the truth is also not so noticeable, that it is easy to take them for granted. But when they break down, it's impossible ...

Zipper Day comes to remind us of the origin and history of this useful and wonderful invention that accompanies us almost everywhere.

The exact zipper's birthday is controversial, but the zipper day is traditionally celebrated on April 29th. On this day in 1913, Swedish-American scientist and inventor Gideon Sundback registered his strange device as a patent. Although there were similar inventions around the 1850s, its version is accepted as the first modern zipper.

The zipper quickly found where to fit into modern life, for example the United States military adopted it for uniforms and bags. The zipper is a functional and fashionable accessory, sometimes it even appears as an ornament. There is no doubt that the invention of Sundback has improved our lives and deserves us to dedicate a special day to it!

April 29 is also World Wish Day and International Dance Day

World Wish Day - April 29

In 1978, five-year-old boy Chris Greicius was diagnosed with stage 4 leukemia. Doctors said he had 3 more years to live and he told his mother he wanted to be a cop. In April 1980, officers in Phoenix, Arizona, heard about it and decided to make his dream come true. They had no charity or donations and they managed on their own to recruit a helicopter and take Chris to town to turn him into a cop. Young Chris was a police officer for one day on April 29, 1980. A few days later he was rushed to the hospital and died.

Other people who have heard about it thought that fulfilling wishes for sick children is a great idea. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded and has become one of the most well-known charities in the world. The foundation has since fulfilled dreams for more than 250,000 terminally ill children.

In the photo: the boy Chris Gracius, whose death led to the fulfillment of more than 250,000 wishes

Chris' story led to the creation of World Wish Day, the day the police fulfilled his dream. Today there are 48 countries in the world celebrating this day. On this day raise awareness of the importance of contributing to sick children and the fulfillment of their dreams.

If you want to celebrate this day, spread the message on social media, donate money to charity or if you know a sick child, refer him to the organization.

 April 29 is also Zipper Day and International Dance Day

International Dance Day- April 29

World Dance Day is celebrated every year on April 29, which is the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), the French dancer and the Creator of ballet of action, the precursor of the narrative ballets of the 19th.

The day was created by the Dance Committee of the ITI (International Theater Institute) and was officially recognized by the United Nations in 1982 and has since been celebrated in all the member countries.

The message of International Dance Day is to celebrate dance and savor the universal language of this art form, which crosses political, cultural, geographical and ethnic barriers, brings together people all over the world.

Each year the ITI International Dance Committee selects an outstanding choreographer or dancer who conveys its message. The message is translated into many languages and distributed around the world.

The message of this year, 2021, belongs to the ballet dancer Friedemann VOGEL, who has a long and glorious international career, and it talks about the COVID-2 period and its limitations:

"...As dancers, we are constantly on the move, aspiring to create these unforgettable moments. Regardless of the dance genre, it’s what every dancer strives to achieve. 

So, when all of a sudden, we aren’t allowed to perform anymore, with theatres closed and festivals cancelled, our worlds come to a standstill. No physical contact. No shows. No audiences. Never in recent history has the dance community been so collectively challenged to stay motivated, to find our raison d’être..." (Link to source)

To celebrate International Dance Day every year, on April 29, the International Theater Institute invites its members along with dancers, choreographers, dance students and amateurs to join them in the celebration. The gala celebration takes place in a selected host city decided by the Executive Council of the International Theater Institute - for example in 2017 it was held in Shanghai, China and in 2018 it was in Havana, Cuba. The program of the gala event can vary, but usually consists of quality dance performances from around the world, student performances, keynote speeches, and a recital for the event of that year that reads, in person, the author of the chosen message in those years.

How to celebrate International Dance Day?

One way to celebrate International Dance Day is to start dancing. Sign up for a dance class or learn on your own from instructional videos. It does not matter what type of dance you choose, the main thing is that you will love it and express yourself with it. You can upload photos and videos of yourself dancing to social media with the hashtag #InternationalDanceDay. Another way to celebrate is to watch dance performances or movies about dance and dancers like: Fame (1980), Flashdance (1983), Footloose‏ (1984), White Nights (1985), Dirty Dancing (1987), Billy Elliot (2000), Step Up (2006), Black Swan (2010) and more ...

April 29 is also World Wish Day and Zipper Day