World Embroidery Day, International Day of Light. What else can be celebrated on May 16

Today, on the third Thursday of May, all Ukrainians, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora abroad, as well as people who honor our national and cultural traditions, join the celebration of World Vyshyvanka Day, UNN reports.

The Vyshyvanka Day was founded in 2006 by a group of students from Chernivtsi National University. Two years later, all educational institutions in Chernivtsi joined the holiday.

Every year the geography of the Vyshyvanka Day has expanded. In 2011, more than 6.5 thousand people dressed in embroidered shirts gathered in the city center of Rivne. The event was registered in the Ukrainian Book of Records.

In 2014, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Romania, France, Germany, and even Russia joined the Vyshyvanka Day.

On this day, various events take place in Ukraine and other countries of the world, and the condition (though not mandatory)  is to wear an embroidered shirt on this day.

Embroidered shirts have been known in Ukraine since ancient times. It is believed that embroidered shirts were worn by representatives of the Trypillian culture.

For Ukrainians, an embroidered shirt is not only a beautiful and stylish piece of clothing, but also a symbol of national freedom. An embroidered Ukrainian shirt is often called the nation's genetic code.

Each region of our country has long been characterized by its own special patterns on shirts, and sometimes even in neighboring villages, embroidered shirts differed significantly in ornaments and colors. In vyshyvanka, not only the color of the threads used to create the pattern is important, but also the color of the fabric used to make the shirt.

May 16 is also the International Day of Light. It was established in November 2017 at the initiative of UNESCO. The date of May 16 was not chosen by chance - it was on this day in 1960 that Theodor Maiman's laser was first successfully operated.

The purpose of today's event is to draw humanity's attention to the importance of light for everyday life, as well as for scientific, cultural, and artistic development.

Biographers celebrate their professional holiday on May 16.

These writers work hard to research a person's life and create a high-quality and accurate biography. Often, they have to immerse themselves in the life of a prominent personality to make the biography truly truthful and interesting for the reader.

Heavy music fans are celebrating Heavy Metal Day today.

On May 16, 2010, the legendary vocalist and guitarist Ronnie James Dio  died - the author of many immortal hits, he was a member of such cult bands as  Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Elf, Dio and Heaven&Hell.

Fans of unusual species can join the Sea Monkey Day today.

Sea monkeys (Artemia) are small crustaceans (a type of shrimp) that live in salt lakes. The little creatures have tails that resemble a monkey's tail, hence the name.

A unique feature of these small creatures is the ability to undergo cryptobiosis, a condition in which all metabolic processes that can be measured stop, preventing reproduction, development, and recovery. When exposed to the right mixture of water and nutrients, sea monkeys can return to life.

In 1998, about 400 million sea monkeys were sent into space aboard the shuttle Discovery in a state of cryptobiosis. They were exposed to a variety of space influences and were brought back to Earth, where they successfully restored all their vital functions after eight years.

Many countries around the world hold various events on May 16 to mark International Celiac Disease Awareness Day.

Celiac disease is a genetic intestinal disorder that occurs as a result of damage to the villi of the small intestine due to the consumption of gluten-containing foods.

 Gluten is a type of insoluble protein found in cereals. Symptoms of celiac disease: diarrhea, abdominal pain, bloating, migraines, chronic fatigue, weight loss, etc.

This disease affects about 1% of the world's population.

According to the church calendar, today is the Day of Remembrance of St. Theodore.

The man was born in the 4th century in Egypt into a noble family, but at the age of 14 he left his parents, went to a monastery, and took monastic vows. For many years, he was the abbot of the monastery founded by Pachomius the Great.

For his devotion to the Lord, Theodore received the gift of healing and miracles.

On May 16, Fedir, Arkadii, Heorhii, and Petro celebrate their name days.