On October 17, the world, under the auspices of the UN, observes the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty; on the initiative of international medical organizations, World Trauma Day and World Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation are held. According to the new-style church calendar, Saint Hosea the Prophet is commemorated, while according to the old style, Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens, is remembered, UNN writes.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
An official international UN observance established by the General Assembly in 1992. The origins of the event date back to October 17, 1987, when more than one hundred thousand people gathered at the Trocadéro plaza in Paris, where the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in 1948, to pay tribute to the victims of poverty, violence, and hunger. The day is intended to unite the efforts of the global community to overcome extreme poverty and ensure social protection, guaranteeing every person's right to decent living conditions.
World Trauma Day
The date was established in 2011 in New Delhi on the initiative of the Trauma Association of India. The event emphasizes the importance of preventing physical injuries and harm caused by road traffic accidents, workplace accidents, household mishaps, or natural disasters. The day calls for raising public awareness of first-aid rules, improving the systemic work of emergency medicine, and minimizing the risk of death from sudden injuries.
World Day for Organ Donation and Transplantation
Established with the support of the World Health Organization and the Council of Europe to raise public awareness of the importance of voluntary organ and tissue donation. The event is intended to dispel myths surrounding transplantation, highlight the humanitarian significance of consent to donation after death, and mobilize resources to save the lives of thousands of people on waiting lists for heart, kidney, liver, or lung transplants.
World Singing Day
A global initiative observed annually on the third Saturday of October. The holiday was founded in 2012 by Colorado musician Scott Johnson with the aim of bringing people around the world together through singing songs collectively, regardless of their vocal abilities, language, or cultural background. The event highlights the positive impact of singing on mental health, stress reduction, and the strengthening of social ties.
Wear Something Gaudy Day
A popular unofficial holiday invented in the United States by fans of the American sitcom "Three's Company" in honor of the character Larry Dallas. The day encourages people to abandon their gray everyday wardrobe and wear the brightest, most colorful, and most extravagant items, thereby expressing individuality and a positive mood.
According to the new calendar, Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers commemorate Saint Hosea the Prophet — one of the 12 minor biblical prophets of the Old Testament, who preached in the Northern Kingdom of Israel for more than half a century. The Book of Hosea contains a call to repentance, denunciations of idolatry, and prophecies about the coming of the Messiah.
According to the old calendar, believers commemorate Hieromartyr Hierotheus, Bishop of Athens. According to church tradition, Hierotheus was a member of the Athenian Areopagus, converted to Christianity after the preaching of the Apostle Paul, and became the first bishop of Athens, later suffering a martyr's death for his faith in Christ.