World Poetry Day

Welcome Spring!

Thanks to UNESCO, we celebrate the World Poetry Day on 21 March, since 1999. The main purpose is to support reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world.

What else we honor?

International Day for the Elimination

of Racial Discrimination

On 21 March in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws. Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. In South Africa, Human Rights Day is a public holiday celebrated on 21 March each year.

Word Down Syndrom Day

On this day, people with Down syndrome and those who live and work with them throughout the world organize and participate in activities and events to raise public awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion and well being of people with Down syndrome. Read more here: worlddownsyndromeday.org

 International Day of Forests

The International Day of Forests was established on the 21st day of March, by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 28, 2012.

Each year, various events celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests, and trees outside forests, for the benefit of current and future generations. Countries are encouraged to undertake efforts to organize local, national, and international activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns, on International Day of Forests. Read more: www.un.org

Word Puppetry Day

The idea came from the puppet theater Artist Javad Zolfaghari from Iran. In 2000 at the XVIII Congress of the Union Internationale de la Marionnette, (UNIMA) in Magdeburg, he made the proposal for discussion. Two years later, at a meeting of the International Council of UNIMA in June 2002 in Atlanta, the date of the celebration was identified. The first celebration was in 2003.

National Flower Day

In a world full of worry and stress, here is a chance to spread a little floral cheer! A full day to honor flowers!

National Fragrance Day

The 21st March is a day dedicated to the Fragrance Industry and celebrates the amazing process of fragrance making.

Memory Day

A day to embrace and celebrate that your memory is helping you to live your life. It is a precious and unique functionality that we appreciated only when it starts to degrade.

Common Courtesy Day

This day brings awareness to how important common courtesy is in our lives. Words like please, thank you and you are welcome can make a huge difference in our lives.

Teenagers Day

It is good to remember, we were all teenagers once but there are many more pressures on kids today. This day brings awareness to the challenges a teenager faces every day.

Single Parents Day

Single Parents’ Day honors all those people that are really brave, and are trying to raise a child on their own, and in many cases without a safety net.

National Agriculture Day

Every year, producers, agricultural associations, corporations, universities, government agencies and countless others across America join together to recognize the contributions of agriculture. Ag Day is celebrated on March 20, 2018. National Ag Day falls during National Ag Week, March 18-24, 2018. Read more here: www.agday.org

National California Strawberry Day

Remember as you celebrate that along with the delicious taste of summer, strawberries are also good sources of potassium, fiber, folic acid and vitamin C. They are also low in calories, with no fat and no cholesterol. Read more here: www.californiastrawberries.com

National French Bread Day

French bread, also known as a baguette, is a long thin loaf made from basic lean dough. Back in 1920, a labor law was preventing bakers from starting their day before 4 a.m.  So bakers decided to shape their loaves of bread, in order to bake more quickly and evenly.  As a result, the long, narrow loaves were found to be convenient for slicing and storing.

I am curious

What else happened on 21 March?

• 21 March 2006 – Jack Dorsey sends the world’s first Twitter message or tweet.
  The microblogging service revolutionized the communication and social networking landscape.
• 21 March 1952 – The world’s first rock and roll concert is held in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 21 March 1970 – Earth Day is celebrated for the first time.

Astronomy

The March equinox or Northward equinox is the equinox on the Earth when the subsolar point appears to leave the southern hemisphere and cross the celestial equator, heading northward as seen from Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere the March equinox is known as the vernal equinox, and in the Southern Hemisphere as the autumnal equinox.

The March equinox may be taken to mark the beginning of spring and the end of winter in the Northern Hemisphere but marks the beginning of autumn and the end of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Welcome Spring!

Notes:

• UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
• UN: The United Nations is a global organization that brings together its member states to confront common challenges, manage shared responsibilities and exercise collective action in an enduring quest for a peaceful, inclusive and sustainably developing world.
• UNIMA: Union Internationale de la Marionnette – International Puppetry Association. 
• Some days are celebrated in specific regions.