Today, October 11, marks World Music Day and International African Penguin Day. Christians also commemorate the memory of Saint Theophanes, Bishop of Nicaea, writes UNN.
World Music Day
This day is celebrated every second Saturday of October, honoring the power and beauty of music in all its forms. From the dawn of human civilization to the present day, music has been an integral part of our lives. It has the power to unite communities, evoke emotions, motivate, and even heal, promoting physical and mental well-being.
World Migratory Bird Day
This day was established in 2006 by the Secretariat of the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. The prerequisite for the celebration was the International Convention for the Protection of Birds, adopted in 1906. The celebration is supported by the Convention on Migratory Species and the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbird Agreement.
International African Penguin Day
The habitat of African penguins is on the southern sandy coast of the continent. There they like to nest on numerous islets near the mainland. The number of penguins in Africa is constantly decreasing. According to statistics for 2012, the penguin population on the continent was only 2% compared to what it was in 1930. Now the species is endangered.
European Organ Donation and Transplantation Day
Transplantation is the transfer (engraftment) of cells, tissues, or organs from one person or animal to another. This procedure is high-tech and, unfortunately, quite expensive, but it has already saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Donation is the voluntary giving of blood or other tissues and organs. A person who receives donor organs is called a recipient.
Day of remembrance of Saint Theophanes, confessor, canon creator, Bishop of Nicaea
Saint Theophanes the Confessor, canon creator, Bishop of Nicaea, was the younger brother of Saint Theodore the Branded. The brothers received an excellent education, especially fond of philosophy. Then they went to the Lavra of Saint Sabbas. Here Saint Theophanes was tonsured, and a few years later became a presbyter. The saint wrote about 150 canons, among them a canon in defense of holy icons. The saint died peacefully around 850.