International Customs Day, World Environmental Education Day: what else is celebrated on January 26

Today, January 26, the world celebrates International Customs Day, a holiday that unites customs services from around the world and emphasizes their important role in the socio-economic development of the planet, UNN writes.

Every year on January 26, customs officers around the world celebrate their professional holiday - International Customs Day. This date has a historical background.

On January 26, 1953, the first conference of the Customs Cooperation Council was held in Brussels, attended by representatives of 17 European countries. A year earlier, the organization was established under a special convention. And on January 27, 1953, the Convention on the Cooperation of Customs Services was adopted.

Since 1983, International Customs Day has been celebrated annually. In 1994, the Customs Cooperation Council was renamed the World Customs Organization. On this day, customs officers summarize the results of their work over the past year, develop new plans and draw public attention to the importance of their mission in ensuring international trade, protecting the economic interests of states and promoting global cooperation.

Also, every year on January 26, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the Audit Service, which is dedicated to people who are engaged in ensuring financial control, efficient use of public funds and prevention of corruption.

This holiday was established in 1993 when the Law “On the State Control and Audit Service in Ukraine” was signed on January 26. Since that time, the Day of the Control and Audit Service Employee has become an important event that emphasizes the importance of this profession.

On December 9, 2010, the Control and Audit Service was reorganized into the State Financial Inspection of Ukraine, and in October 2015, this institution was renamed the State Audit Service.

The purpose of the holiday is not only to recognize the work of specialists in this field, but also to emphasize the importance of their contribution to the country's economy. On this day, civil service employees summarize their work, share their experience and discuss how to improve financial control methods.

January 26  is also World Environmental Education Day, which aims to raise awareness of global and local environmental issues, as well as the importance of everyone's active participation in preserving and protecting the environment. The main focus is on educational initiatives among governments and the public.

The date of the celebration was chosen after the United Nations Conference on the Environment, which took place in June 1972 in Stockholm. It was there that the issue of the need to take care of nature was raised, and the principles that became the basis for environmental education and efforts to combat environmental threats at the global level were formulated.

This day emphasizes the importance of preserving the environment and promotes global and local initiatives aimed at improving the environment for future generations.

Every year, on the last Sunday of January, World Leprosy Day is celebrated. This day is an important event dedicated to raising awareness about leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease. The day is also intended to highlight the problem of this disease, reduce the stigma that often accompanies people suffering from it, and protect their rights.

World Leprosy Day was established in 1954 by French journalist and activist Raoul Vollero, who set himself two important goals.

First, he advocated for equal treatment of people suffering from leprosy, and second, to re-educate the public to correct the historical misconceptions and myths surrounding the disease.

According to the church calendar, on January 26, believers honor the memory of Saints Xenophon, Mary, John and Arcadius. These saints are revered in the Orthodox tradition. Xenophon and Mary were pious parents who raised their sons John and Arcadius in the Christian faith. 

According to the legend, the sons of Xenophon and Mary studied in the Finnish city of Vyrit. One day they were sailing from home to Vyrit, and the ship was caught in a storm. 

The boys survived, but the sea threw them to different shores, so they went to serve in different monasteries. Their parents thought their sons were dead, but after a while the whole family miraculously met in Jerusalem. And after that, John and Arkady  went to the desert to serve God, and their parents gave their property to the poor and entered monasteries, where they spent the last years of their lives. On this day, according to the new calendar, Arkady, Ivan, Peter, Semyon, Fedor, and Maria celebrate their namesakes.