Day of Military Commissariat Workers and International Roma Day: What else can be celebrated today
Kyiv • UNN
April 8 is Roma Day, Military Commissariat Workers' Day, Pygmy Hippopotamus Day and Buddhism Day. Also today is the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Apostles.
Today, April 8 is International Roma Day and the Day of Military Commissariat Workers, writes UNN.
Day of Roma Unity around the World
Today, the world celebrates International Roma Day, established at the World Roma Congress in London in 1971. On this day, for the first time in many centuries, representatives of the Roma nationality declared themselves a distinctive people without a single territory and defined their national symbols – the flag and anthem.
In April 2024, Stefan Müller, Advisor on International Affairs of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, reported that there are about 400,000 Roma people living in Ukraine.
Day of Military Commissariat Workers
On April 8, 1918, the Council of People's Commissars issued a decree establishing volost, county, provincial and district commissariats for military affairs. This day is the birthday of military commissars.
Since 1993, the range of tasks performed by military commissariat employees has expanded significantly.
The replacement of the Soviet system of military commissariats with territorial recruitment and social support centers began in 2017.
The need to reform these bodies into a new structure of local military administration bodies arose in connection with the Russian aggression that began against Ukraine back in 2014. The work of military commissariats was nullified until this time (there was a reduction in staff with a tendency towards their gradual dissolution), and with the onset of difficult wartime for Ukraine, there was a need for their revival in order to ensure the mobilization of military personnel to protect the state.
On August 1, 2017, the introduction of a territorial recruitment and social support center on the material and technical base of the Chernihiv Regional Military Commissariat and the Kozelets District Military Commissariat was launched on an experimental basis. On November 1, 2017, the first positive results of the experiment were announced.
From March 2018, the reorganization of other military commissariats into a new structure began. On April 26, 2018, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, General of the Army of Ukraine Stepan Poltorak, approved a plan to create territorial recruitment and social support centers based on military commissariats.
After the reorganization of military commissariats into territorial recruitment and social support centers in Chernihiv, Rivne, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, such a reform took place in the rest of the regions. An instructional and methodological training session for military commissars from all over Ukraine on this issue was held in Chernihiv in September 2018.
The military commissariat is responsible for the organization of mobilization, registration, preparation for service, conscription, etc.
Currently, the main task of the TCC and SP is to conduct mobilization measures to counter the Russian army, which is not going to stop.
Last year, due to violations by TCC employees of mobilization processes and the emergence of scandals with the TCC in society, discussions arose about the disbandment of the TCC.
Then, a member of the parliamentary committee on national security, defense and intelligence, Oleksandr Fedienko (Servant of the People faction), stressed that reforming the system of territorial recruitment and social support centers (TCC and SP) is impossible.
At that time, the commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk, admitted that the TCC system is not ideal and stated that work is underway to improve it.
In February of this year, the President's Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Servicemen and Members of the Families of Warriors, Olha Reshetylova, promised to break the vicious circle, when people do not want to go to the army because of uncertainty and as a result there is no one to replace the soldiers who have been fighting since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
Pygmy Hippo Day
On April 8, zoodefenders and wildlife lovers can join various events to mark Pygmy Hippo Day.
The habitat of pygmy hippos is the forests and swamps of West Africa. These animals were first described in 1849 by British scientist Sam Morton. They weigh ten times less than regular hippos.
Pygmy hippos are solitary animals, except during the mating season. Females give birth to one cub every two years.
Due to ruthless poaching, pygmy hippos are on the verge of total extinction. According to various estimates, there are only about two thousand pygmy hippos in the world today. Most of them are kept in captivity solely to preserve the population.
Rare dwarf hippo born in Athens Zoo21.03.24, 01:11 • 28049 views
International Day of Buddhism
The event was established in honor of the founder of this religious movement, Buddha Shakyamuni, who is believed to have been born on April 8.
Buddhism is a religious and philosophical doctrine that helps to awaken spiritually. It appeared in ancient India, around the 6th century BC. Buddhism is often called an "atheistic" religion: although it has religious characteristics, there is no Creator in Buddhism.
Buddhism is one of the world's religions. It is practiced by more than 500 million people on our planet.
Church holidays
According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Apostles of the 70s Herodion, Herma, Ruf, Agav, Asinkrit and Phlegont.
They all traveled the world and preached the teachings of the Lord, had the gift of healing and prophecy.
Rodion, Yakiv, Yevheniy, Yarema, and Yulia celebrate their name days on April 8.