International Black Cat Day, World Stray Animal Day, Potato Day. What else can be celebrated on August 17
Kyiv • UNN
In the Middle Ages, a real hunt for black cats was launched in Western Europe. It was believed that black cats were the helpers of sorcerers and witches in their magical rituals.
Today, on August 17, all animal lovers can join the celebration of the International Black Cat Day, UNN reports.
The black cat was a talisman of sailors. Its presence on the ship almost always meant a successful voyage. The weather was determined by the cat's behavior. And, of course, cats were great at killing rodents.
For the Irish and Scots, black cats have been and will remain symbols of good luck.
Nevertheless, in the Middle Ages, a real hunt for black cats was launched in Western Europe. It was believed that black cats were the helpers of sorcerers and witches in their magical rituals.
It got to the point where in 1233 Pope Gregory IX declared black cats to be the devil incarnate. The animals were mercilessly caught and destroyed. But people did themselves a disservice by doing so. Due to the sharp decline in the cat population, rodents proliferated, leading to a terrible plague in the fourteenth century, which killed up to 60% of Europeans.
Also, today, on the third Saturday of August, animal rights activists in many countries of the world join the events on the occasion of the World Stray Animals Day.
The purpose of the holiday is to draw public attention to the difficulties faced by cats, dogs and other pets who find themselves on the streets, and to urge society to work towards the creation of sterilization laws and to create animal shelters.
Today, you can still celebrate Potato Day with a delicious meal. The event was founded in the United States but quickly became popular in many countries around the world.
It is believed that the inhabitants of modern Peru and Bolivia were the first to eat potatoes more than ten thousand years ago. They gradually cultivated this plant.
After the discovery of America, sailors brought potatoes to Europe. Not all ordinary peasants knew that the small potato berries were poisonous, which led to a large number of deaths, and it even went so far as to ban potato cultivation in France in the second half of the eighteenth century for 20 years.
In 2022, Ukraine ranked third in terms of potato yields, harvesting almost 21 million tons. By this indicator, our country was second only to China and India.
Ukraine also ranks third in the world in terms of per capita potato consumption, at over 130 kilograms per year.
August 17 is also Secondhand Day (Day of Secondhand Shops).
According to statistics, 70% of our planet's population has at least one second-hand item in their wardrobe.
According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of the Holy Martyr Myron, who lived during the time of Emperor Decius.
Myron was a priest in the city of Achaea in Greece. According to legend, during the Christmas service, soldiers led by the local ruler burst into the church. The priest stood up for the believers. For this, he was captured, demanded to worship pagan gods, tortured for a long time and brutally, and then beheaded.
On August 17, Myron, Pavlo, Dmytro, and Ulyana celebrate their name days.
