July 15: Day of Ukrainian Statehood, Day of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine

Today, July 15, is the Day of Ukrainian Statehood. The event was launched by a presidential decree in August 2021, UNN reports .

For the first time, Ukrainians celebrated the Day of Ukrainian Statehood in the face of full-scale Russian aggression on July 28, 2022, as the event was tied to the Day of the Baptism of Rus-Ukraine and the Day of Remembrance of Prince Volodymyr the Equal-to-the-Apostles.

With the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to the New Julian calendar last year, all three events shifted to July 15.

The Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus was first celebrated in 1888 on the initiative of the then Metropolitan of Kyiv Platon.

In Soviet times, this significant event was not mentioned much. In 1987, the UNESCO General Assembly in its resolution called for the celebration of the millennial anniversary of the baptism of Kyivan Rus as a significant historical and cultural event for the whole world.

In independent Ukraine, the Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus-Ukraine became an official holiday in 2008 by presidential decree.

And according to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of Prince Volodymyr, the ruler who baptized Kyivan Rus.

Volodymyr ascended the Kyivan throne in 980 as a result of an internecine war, defeating his older brother Yaropolk.

He threatened the emperors of Constantinople, Basil and Constantine, with war, and wanted them to marry his sister Anna. They agreed, but on the condition that Volodymyr be baptized.

After his marriage, Volodymyr returned to Kyiv, baptized his sons, destroyed all pagan idols, and ordered the statue of Perun to be thrown into the Dnipro River.

In 988, a mass baptismal ceremony took place in the tributary of the Dnipro River, the Pochayna River, with the participation of Volodymyr and Metropolitan Mykhailo of Kyiv.

Today, many countries around the world are celebrating World Youth Skills Day.

The event aims to engage society in improving social and economic living conditions for the younger generation in order to overcome the current global unemployment problem.

The UN defines "youth" as people aged 15-24, while the EU defines it as 13-30.

According to various statistics, more than 75 million young people on the planet are unemployed, and about 125 million have low incomes.

Today, you can also join the Charity Day on social media.

The event was launched in 2013 to promote charity initiatives on social media.

Volodymyr and Vasyl celebrate their name days on July 15.