August 27: Lard Day in Ukraine, International Boxing Day

Today, on August 27, all true fans of Ukrainian bacon in many countries of the world can join unofficial events dedicated to this product, UNN writes.

Interestingly, despite the popular belief that Ukrainians are the most fond of bacon, according to statistics, Ukraine is only among the second ten countries in Europe for equal per capita consumption of bacon.

It is believed that the prototype of traditional Ukrainian lard appeared about three thousand years ago in ancient Rome  pieces of pork fat with salt and other spices were originally considered a dish for slaves, but after a while they became popular among local aristocrats.

Today is also the International Boxing Day.

Boxing first appeared at the Olympic Games in 688 BC. The fights were always held outdoors, it was forbidden to hold the opponent with your hands, and there were no rounds as such - the fight lasted until one of the participants conceded defeat.

The revival of this sport began in England in the seventeenth century - the aristocrats there were very interested in the traditions of antiquity, so boxing was first a way to resolve disputes, and soon became a sport.   

Today is also the International Lottery Day.

It is believed that the first lottery was held in 1466 by the widow of the famous Belgian artist Jan Van Eyck, who raffled off one of his paintings and donated all the proceeds to help the poor.

The most successful lottery participant is Joan Ginter from the USA. From 1993 to 2008, she hit four jackpots, each of which exceeded one million dollars.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Pimen.

Pimen lived in the fourth century in what is now Egypt. From a young age he decided to devote his life to the service of Jesus Christ. Pimen took monastic vows, was a preacher and theologian, and led an ascetic life.

On August 27, Pimen, Oleksandr, Dmytro, and Anfisa celebrate their name days.