Mother Language Day, Guide Day and Church Holiday - what is celebrated on February 21
Kyiv • UNN
On February 21, the world celebrates International Mother Language Day, established by UNESCO in 1999. On the same day, the World Guide Day is celebrated, and an online dictation in the Crimean Tatar language will be held.
On February 21, the world celebrates International Mother Language Day. This holiday was launched in 1999 at the XXX session of the UNESCO General Conference to draw attention to linguistic and cultural diversity, UNN reports.
The date of the International Mother Language Day is no accident. It was on February 21, 1952, that police opened fire on students in Dhaka (now the capital of Bangladesh) who demanded that Bengali be recognized as an official language. Since then, this day has become a symbol of the struggle for the right to speak one's native language.
For Ukraine, this holiday is of particular importance, as the Ukrainian language has been subject to oppression and bans for centuries. Knowledge of the native language is not only a means of communication but also a defining element of national identity. It is through language that traditions, worldview and cultural heritage of the people are transmitted.
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The seventh online dictation in the Crimean Tatar language, organized by the Nefes ("Breath") civic initiative, will also take place today. The broadcast will start at 20:00 Crimean time (19:00 Kyiv time) on the YouTube channel and Facebook page of Nefes, as well as on the YouTube channel of the independent media outlet Cemaat media. The text of the dictation was written by Maye Safet, a writer, translator and teacher of the Crimean Tatar language.
Day of the guide
Another international holiday celebrated on February 21 is World Guide Day.
It was launched in 1990 on the initiative of the President of the International Federation of Guides, T. Loizides.
The job of a guide is not just to tell tourists about the sights. It requires in-depth knowledge of history, culture, the ability to work with archival materials, create routes, update information, and have good public speaking skills. The profession of a tour guide involves constant communication, mobility, and readiness for long journeys.
Interestingly, guides existed in ancient times. In Ancient Greece and Rome, travelers were provided with guides who helped them get accustomed to the place.
Church holiday
According to the Orthodox calendar, February 21 is the day of commemoration of St. Timothy and St. Eustathius, Archbishop of Antioch.