What is celebrated on October 18 in Ukraine and around the world
Kyiv • UNN
On October 18, professional, international, and church observances are marked. In Ukraine, food industry workers and the Apostle Luke are honored.
On October 18, under the auspices of the UN, the European Day against Human Trafficking is observed worldwide; at the initiative of the WHO, World Menopause Day is held, and World Water Monitoring Day and International Necktie Day are also celebrated.
In Ukraine, Food Industry Workers’ Day is observed on the third Sunday of October. According to the new-style church calendar, Saint Luke the Apostle and Evangelist is commemorated, while according to the old style, Saint Martyr Charitina is remembered, UNN writes.
Food Industry Workers’ Day of Ukraine
An official professional holiday established by a decree of the President of Ukraine in 1995, observed annually on the third Sunday of October.
The event highlights the strategic importance of the food and processing industries in ensuring the state’s food security, the stability of the domestic market, and the expansion of the export potential of the domestic agro-industrial complex.
European Day against Human Trafficking
Launched by the European Commission in 2007 to unite the efforts of EU member states, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations in combating modern forms of slavery.
The event aims to raise public awareness of the risks of labor and sexual exploitation and recruitment via the Internet, as well as to strengthen the protection and social rehabilitation of affected persons.
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World Menopause Day
The day was established by the International Menopause Society with the support of the World Health Organization.
The day aims to overcome the taboo surrounding age-related physiological changes in women’s bodies, expand women’s access to modern hormone replacement therapy, prevent osteoporosis and cardiovascular complications, and ensure a high quality of life in later adulthood.
World Water Monitoring Day
An international information and environmental program launched in 2003 by the U.S. Clean Water Foundation.
The event calls on citizens, volunteers, and scientists to conduct basic chemical and biological analyses of local bodies of water, drawing the global community’s attention to the problem of freshwater pollution and the need to preserve these resources.
International Necktie Day
A popular unofficial cultural holiday launched in Croatia at the initiative of the Academia Cravatica organization in 2003.
The accessory’s origins date back to the 17th century, when Croatian horsemen used silk neckerchiefs that later conquered Parisian fashion. The day promotes the necktie as an element of global business and social culture, elegance, and business dress code.
Commemoration of Saint Luke the Apostle and Evangelist
According to the new calendar, Orthodox and Greek Catholic faithful commemorate Saint Luke the Apostle and Evangelist—one of Christ’s seventy disciples, a companion of the Apostle Paul, a physician by profession, and the author of the third Gospel and the Book of Acts.
According to church tradition, the Apostle Luke was the first icon painter, who created the first images of the Most Holy Theotokos, as well as of the Apostles Peter and Paul. He concluded his life of prayer and preaching with a martyr’s death in Greece.
According to the old calendar, the faithful commemorate Saint Martyr Charitina—a Christian virgin who suffered for her faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in the city of Amis.
Openly acknowledging herself as a Christian before the court, she endured severe tortures, during which she departed to the Lord with a prayer on her lips.