February 22 is the Last Day of Shrovetide (Forgiveness Sunday), the International Day of Support for Victims of Crime, and the World Day of Reflection. This day has been marked in different years by decisions, wars, revolutions, cultural premieres, and scientific breakthroughs that have influenced the course of history in different countries.
The Last Day of Shrovetide
This day concludes the week of fasting before Lent among Eastern Orthodox Christians, which begins on March 3. During Shrovetide, believers traditionally abstain from meat dishes, but consume dairy products and eggs.
The last day of Shrovetide is called Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, it is customary to ask forgiveness from relatives, friends, and acquaintances for offenses in order to enter the period of Great Lent with reconciliation and without mutual claims. In churches, a rite of forgiveness is performed, during which clergy and laity ask each other for forgiveness.
Interesting facts
In ancient Ukrainian villages, on Forgiveness Sunday, after dinner, they left part of the dishes on the table overnight, believing that the souls of deceased relatives could come to the house, and thus honored the memory of their ancestors.
In the Poltava and Slobozhan regions, there was a custom to “drag a block” to unmarried boys and girls: a wooden block was symbolically tied to their feet as a humorous reminder of marriage, and in order to “buy it off”, it was necessary to treat the community.
In Kievan Rus, the last day of Shrovetide was accompanied by the burning of a straw effigy, which symbolized winter, and this rite has been preserved in many regions of Ukraine to this day.
In some regions of Galicia, on Forgiveness Sunday, housewives specially washed dishes with boiling water in order to completely remove the remains of fasting food before the start of fasting.
The name “cheese Sunday” is due to the fact that on this day, for the last time before fasting, dairy products were allowed to be consumed, after which stricter dietary restrictions began.
In the Ukrainian tradition, in response to the words “Forgive me” was “God forgives, and I forgive,” which emphasized the religious content of the rite and the reciprocity of the request for forgiveness.
International Day in Support of Victims of Crime
This day is associated with the adoption of the UN Declaration on Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime in September 1985 and the publication on February 22, 1990 in the United Kingdom of the document “Charter for Victims of Crime”, which defined standards for the treatment of victims in criminal proceedings.
The UN Declaration enshrined the right of victims to access justice, reparation, compensation and assistance. The “Charter for Victims of Crime” in the United Kingdom established the obligation of state authorities to inform victims about the progress of the case, provide support and take into account their interests. Later, the provisions of these documents became the basis for changes in the legislation of many countries regarding the protection of victims’ rights.
Interesting facts
In 1985, the UN declaration for the first time at the international level introduced a definition of the term “victim”, including not only persons who directly suffered harm, but also members of their families and persons who suffered while providing assistance.
In the UK, after the adoption of the “Charter for Victims of Crime”, a separate victim support service, Victim Support, was created, which now operates at the national level and is funded by the state and charitable contributions.
In the countries of the European Union, the Directive 2012/29/EU, which establishes minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime and obliges states to provide free assistance regardless of the victim’s citizenship.
In Ukraine, the status of a victim in criminal proceedings gives the right to familiarize themselves with the case materials, file motions and demand compensation for damage, as well as to appeal procedural decisions of the investigator or prosecutor.
After 2014, mechanisms for state support for victims of war crimes were expanded in Ukraine, in particular through the creation of specialized units for documenting such offenses.
In a number of countries, in particular in Canada and the Netherlands, the court may oblige a convicted person pay a special fee to the Crime Victims Support Fund, which finances compensation payments and assistance programs.
In the United States, the Federal Crime Victims Fund was created in 1984, which is filled not with taxes, but with fines and forfeitures paid by convicted persons in federal cases.
World Day of Reflection
This day was initiated within the international Girl Scout and Girl Guide movement. The date was chosen to honor the birthdays of Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell and his wife Olav Baden-Powell, who led the Girl Scout movement. The day is dedicated to the unity of participating organizations in different countries.
The tradition involves remembering friends around the world and realizing belonging to the international community. Participants learn about the cultures of other countries, exchange stories, and support initiatives funded through a special World Day of Reflection Fund that aims to develop the movement in different regions.
Interesting facts
The idea to introduce World Day of Reflection was put forward by delegates from Belgium during the international conference of Girl Scouts in 1926 in the USA, and since then the date has become permanent for all national organizations.
The World Day of Reflection Fund was established in 1932 and is funded by voluntary contributions from participants; The funds raised go to support scouting organizations in low-income countries.
Every year, a separate theme is determined for this day, related to global challenges, in particular girls’ rights, access to education, ecology or digital security.
The Girl Scout movement unites over 10 million participants in more than 150 countries around the world through the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
In Ukraine, organizations working according to the principles of world scouting have been operating since the early 1990s after the restoration of independence, and the first Ukrainian scouts appeared at the beginning of the 20th century.
Olav Baden-Powell, whose birthday is also chosen on February 22, received the title of World Chief Guide in 1930 and made numerous trips to develop Girl Scouting in different parts of the world.
During World War II, Girl Scouts in occupied countries maintained contact between cells, helped the civilian population and engaged in volunteer activities, risking their freedom and lives.
Historical events on this day
1371 — Robert II received the Scottish crown, becoming the first monarch from the Stuart dynasty; his reign began a new era in the country’s history, which determined the development of Scotland for several centuries.
1630 — English colonists in North America first tasted popcorn, which they were treated to by the Indian Quodecunay; later this dish became one of the most popular in the United States.
1635 — at the initiative of Cardinal Richelieu, the French Academy was created, designed to take care of the development of the French language and establish language standards.
1744 — as part of the War of the Austrian Succession, the Battle of Toulon began in the Mediterranean Sea between the British fleet and the combined forces of France and Spain; the British side suffered a crushing defeat.
1797 — the last in history invasion of French troops into British territory began near Fishguard in Wales.
1819 — the Spanish-American Treaty was signed, according to which Florida passed from Spain to the United States for 5 million dollars.
1848 — a revolution broke out in Paris; suppression of the demonstrations by royal troops led to the abdication of Louis-Philippe I and the proclamation of the Second French Republic.
1862 — Jefferson Davis took office in Richmond, becoming the first and only president of the Southern Confederacy during the American Civil War.
1878 — the premiere of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony took place, which later occupied an important place in the world symphonic repertoire.
1889 — US President Grover Cleveland signed a law granting statehood to North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington.
1894 — The Ukrainian People’s Union was founded in Pennsylvania, which became the oldest and one of the most massive organizations of Ukrainians in the USA and Canada.
1901 — The steamship “Rio de Janeiro” sank near the entrance to the Golden Gate Strait after colliding with reefs, killing 128 people.
1920 — California held its first dog race using a mechanical hare, ushering in a new format of the competition.
1924 — Calvin Coolidge became the first US president to address the nation via radio from the White House.
1935 — A ban on airplanes flying over the White House was imposed for safety reasons.
1945 — The USSR Council of People’s Commissars decided to build a metro in Kyiv, which later became one of the city’s key infrastructure projects.
1945 — Uruguay declared war on Germany and Japan at the final stage of World War II.
1946 — American diplomat George F. Kennan sent the “Long Telegram” from Moscow, which influenced the formation of the strategy of containing the USSR in US policy.
1956 — Elvis Presley first entered the music charts with the song “Heartbreak Hotel”, which was the beginning of his rapid popularity.
1958 — The presidents of Egypt and Syria signed an act establishing the United Arab Republic.
1958 — Great Britain allowed the deployment of American nuclear weapons on its territory in accordance with the concluded treaty.
1966 — the USSR launched the Kosmos-110 satellite with two dogs — Veterko and Ugolko, which became a new stage in biological experiments in space.
1968 — during the 13th Soviet Antarctic Expedition, the Bellingshausen Station was opened off the coast of West Antarctica.
1979 — Saint Lucia declared independence from Great Britain and became a sovereign state.
1986 — The People Power revolution began in the Philippines, which led to the overthrow of the Ferdinand Marcos regime after mass protests.
1992 — Radiohead’s debut album “Pablo Honey” was released, launching the band’s career on the international stage.
1992 — Ukraine established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Burundi, expanding its network of international ties after independence.
1997 — No Doubt’s song “Don’t Speak” topped the music charts, making the band world-famous.
1997 — Edinburgh scientists announced the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep, born on July 5, 1996, which was a breakthrough in biotechnology.
2014 — the events of the Revolution of Dignity took place in Ukraine, which determined the further political course of the state.
2015 — in Kharkiv, during the Unity March, an explosion occurred near the Marshal Zhukov metro station, killing four people and injuring nine others.
