What is celebrated on October 16 in Ukraine and around the world

On October 16, the world, under the auspices of the UN, marks World Food Day and  World Anaesthesia Day. According to the new-style church calendar, Saint Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Lord’s Cross, is commemorated, while according to the old style, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop of Athens, is remembered, UNN writes.

World Food Day

An official UN date proclaimed in 1979 at a conference of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The date was chosen to commemorate the founding of the FAO on October 16, 1945. The main goal of the day is to draw the global community’s attention to the problems of hunger and malnutrition, ensuring food security, developing sustainable agrifood systems, and overcoming poverty in developing countries.

World Anaesthesia Day 

A professional observance for anesthesiologists, resuscitation specialists, and intensive-care physicians around the world. The date commemorates a historic event: on October 16, 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital, American dentist William Thomas Green Morton publicly performed the first successful operation under ether anesthesia in history, ushering in modern anesthesiology and painless surgery.

World Bread Day 

Established in 2006 at the initiative of the International Union of Bakers and Confectioners. The event is dedicated to one of the most popular and important foods in human history; it highlights the importance of the work of farmers and bakers, promotes breadmaking traditions, and draws attention to the rational use of food resources.

World Healthy Eating Day

A global observance that echoes World Food Day and calls on humanity to reconsider its daily diet. The event emphasizes the importance of consuming high-quality, natural, and balanced foods, and reducing the intake of sugar, salt, and ultra-processed foods to prevent obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.

World Restart a Heart Day

Established by the European Resuscitation Council with the support of the WHO and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation. The event aims to teach as many people as possible first-aid skills, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of automated external defibrillators to save people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest.

World Spine Day

A global medical initiative under the auspices of the World Federation of Chiropractic, aimed at promoting an active lifestyle, maintaining musculoskeletal health, preventing osteochondrosis and posture disorders, and reducing the risk of chronic back pain through ergonomics and physical exercise.

International Boss’s Day

Established in the United States in 1958 by Patricia Haroski, who worked as a secretary and registered the observance in honor of her manager father’s birthday. The observance is intended to strengthen positive relations between managers and subordinates and express gratitude to top managers for honest leadership, fairness, the organization of work processes, and support for the team.

World Raw Foodists’ Day 

An unofficial observance dedicated to promoting raw foodism as a dietary approach involving the consumption of uncooked plant-based foods in order to preserve the maximum amount of vitamins and enzymes.

Memorial Day of Saint Martyr Longinus

According to the new calendar, Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers commemorate Saint Longinus the Centurion, who stood at the Lord’s Cross. According to the Gospel and church tradition, the Roman centurion Longinus commanded the soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and, having witnessed the miraculous signs and the Savior’s death, recognized Him as the Son of God. After Christ’s Resurrection, Longinus refused a bribe from the Jewish elders, left military service, was baptized, and set out to preach in Cappadocia, where he later suffered martyrdom by beheading on the orders of Pontius Pilate.

According to the old calendar, the faithful commemorate Saint Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite, Bishop of Athens—a disciple of the Apostle Paul, who was a member of the highest Athenian court, embraced Christianity after the apostle's sermon, and became the first Bishop of Athens, later suffering a martyr's death in Lutetia.