What is celebrated on September 8 in Ukraine and around the world
Kyiv • UNN
On September 8, the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Literacy Day, Physical Therapy Day, and the International Day of Journalists’ Solidarity are observed. State holidays are also celebrated.
On September 8, one of the greatest Christian holidays — the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary according to the new church calendar, International Literacy Day under the auspices of UNESCO, World Physical Therapy Day and International Journalists’ Solidarity Day — are observed, UNN writes.
International Literacy Day
An official date under the auspices of UNESCO, established at the 14th session of the General Conference in 1966 on the recommendation of the World Conference of Ministers of Education on the Eradication of Illiteracy. The day is intended to remind the global community that literacy is a fundamental human right, the basis for personal development and a key tool for building resilient societies.
Despite global progress, hundreds of millions of adults worldwide still lack basic reading and writing skills, which is why UNESCO dedicates this day each year to a specific theme — from the digitalization of education to expanding the rights and opportunities of linguistic minorities.
World Physical Therapy Day
A professional holiday established in 1996 by the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (World Physiotherapy) to highlight the important contribution of rehabilitation specialists and physiotherapists to restoring people’s health, mobility and quality of life.
This date symbolizes the solidarity of physical rehabilitation specialists around the world and draws public attention to the importance of the comprehensive adaptation of patients after serious injuries, surgeries and strokes, as well as wounded military personnel.
International Journalists’ Solidarity Day
A commemorative date established in 1958 at the 4th Congress of the International Organization of Journalists in Bucharest in memory of Czech journalist, writer and anti-fascist Julius Fučík, who was executed on September 8, 1943, in Berlin’s Plötzensee prison.
On this day, media workers and human rights organizations around the world express support for colleagues who face persecution, censorship and arrest for their professional activities, and also honor the memory of journalists who died while performing their professional duties in hot spots.
Independence Day of North Macedonia
The country’s main state holiday commemorating the referendum of September 8, 1991, during which more than 95% of citizens voted to leave Yugoslavia and establish a sovereign state.
The day is an official public holiday and is marked by a ceremonial flag-raising, speeches by the country’s leadership, award ceremonies for prominent figures and mass festivities.
Victory Day in Malta (Il-Vitorja)
A national holiday that commemorates three important historical events at once: the end of the Great Siege of Malta by Ottoman forces in 1565, the capitulation of Napoleon’s French garrison in 1800, and the lifting of the naval blockade and Italy’s capitulation in World War II in 1943.
The celebrations include a traditional sailing regatta in Valletta’s Grand Harbour, religious processions and ceremonial wreath-laying.
National Day of Andorra (Our Lady of Meritxell Day)
The principality’s main state and religious holiday, dedicated to the country’s patroness — Our Lady of Meritxell.
The tradition of honoring her dates back to the signing of the Act of the Pareage in 1278, which established joint rule over Andorra, and on September 8, a solemn Mass is held at the Meritxell Sanctuary, along with nationwide cultural festivals.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
According to the new calendar, the Orthodox and Greek Catholic churches celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary — the first of the twelve most important feasts of the new liturgical year. The feast was established in honor of the birth of the Virgin Mary to the righteous Joachim and Anne in Jerusalem, which, according to tradition, came as an answer to their sincere prayers after many years of childlessness.
In folk tradition, the Lesser Feast of the Blessed Virgin was considered a harvest festival, a women’s day and a time to give thanks for the harvested grain, marking the beginning of the wedding season.
According to the old calendar, believers commemorate the holy martyrs Adrian and Natalia, who suffered for the Christian faith at the beginning of the fourth century in Nicomedia during the reign of Emperor Maximian. Adrian was a pagan official who, struck by the steadfastness of Christians during their torture, himself came to believe and was executed, while his secretly Christian wife, Natalia, supported her husband until the final moments of his life.
People called this day "Natalia the Oat Woman," as it was then that the mass harvesting and threshing of oats began.
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