May 10 is Mother’s Day in Ukraine and International Mother’s Day, World Poultry Day, World Health Movement Day and Mother Ocean Day. This day is associated with political changes, military decisions, engineering discoveries, sports records and events that have left a noticeable mark on the history of different countries.
Mother’s Day in Ukraine and International Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day in Ukraine and International Mother’s Day are celebrated every year on the second Sunday of May. On this day, mothers are honored, their care, work, support and role in the life of the family and society. In Ukraine, the holiday was officially established in 1999, and it coincides with the international tradition of May honoring mothers.
The modern tradition of Mother’s Day spread around the world at the beginning of the 20th century from the USA, and was later adopted by many countries. In Ukraine, this day has a special meaning because of the strong role of the mother in the family, culture and national memory. During the war, it took on an even deeper meaning, because many mothers are waiting for children from the front, raising children in forced evacuation, volunteering or serving in the army themselves.
Interesting facts
The idea of the modern Mother’s Day is associated with the American Anna Jarvis, who, after the death of her mother, sought to create a separate day to honor all mothers.
In Finland, since 1942, there has been a tradition of presenting mothers with a state award – the Order of the White Rose of Finland. It is awarded to women who have made a special contribution to raising children and community life.
The youngest mother in history is considered to be the Peruvian Lina Medina, who gave birth to a child at the age of five in 1939. The case was officially recorded by doctors and still remains one of the most shocking in world medicine.
In some countries in Africa and Asia, women walk dozens of kilometers every day with children in their arms or on their backs to get to water, food, or medical care. For many families, this remains a part of everyday life.
During World War II, mothers often refused their own food in favor of their children. Diaries from that time describe cases when women died of exhaustion, saving their families from starvation.
In Ukraine, after the start of a full-scale war, thousands of mothers independently evacuated their children under shelling, often without transport, communications, or assistance. Some walked dozens of kilometers to get out of the combat zone.
In many Ukrainian maternity hospitals in 2022, women gave birth in basements and bomb shelters due to constant rocket attacks and the danger of airstrikes.
In the 19th century, in Europe and the United States, there was a gruesome practice of photographing dead children with their mothers. Such photos became the only memory of the child due to the extremely high infant mortality rate.
In Japan, the image of a mother is traditionally associated with complete self-sacrifice for the sake of the child. Because of this, the country has had a strong social culture of silent maternal exhaustion and psychological pressure for decades.
After the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, hundreds of stories emerged of mothers living for months near hospitals or rehabilitation centers, caring for wounded sons and daughters-soldiers.
World Poultry Day
This day is dedicated to the role of poultry in food security, agriculture and daily nutrition of people. Chicken and eggs are among the most affordable sources of protein, so poultry farming is of great importance for the economy, farming and stable food supply.
Poultry includes chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quails and other species, which are raised for meat, eggs, down and breeding. For Ukraine, poultry farming is one of the important branches of the agricultural sector. During the full-scale war, it faced problems with electricity supply, logistics, exports and production safety, but remained important for the domestic market.
Interesting facts
Chickens are the most numerous domestic birds in the world. They are raised in almost all countries because they grow quickly, lay eggs and require less feed compared to many other animals.
Chickens are the most numerous birds on the planet after wild birds. Their number in the world exceeds the Earth’s population several times.
People domesticated the domestic chicken more than 7 thousand years ago in Southeast Asia. Initially, it was valued not for meat or eggs, but because of cockfighting and ritual significance.
In medieval Europe, eggs were so valuable that they were sometimes used as a tax or as a payment for land rent.
During the full-scale war in Ukraine, some poultry farms were under fire or occupied. Due to power and feed shortages, farmers were forced to rescue the birds manually, using generators and volunteer help.
A chicken can remember more than 100 other chickens and distinguish between humans. There is a complex hierarchy in bird groups, known as a “pecking order.”
Turkeys can change the color of the skin on their heads depending on their emotional state. During excitement or aggression, it becomes brighter.
In China and Japan, there are decorative breeds of chickens with feathers several meters long. Such birds are cared for almost like exhibition animals.
During the power outages in Ukraine in 2022–2023, large poultry farms ran on generators around the clock, because without ventilation and heating, the birds could die en masse in a few hours.
Ducks do not get wet thanks to the special fat that lubricates their feathers. That is why water literally rolls off their bodies.
There are museums in the world dedicated entirely to chickens and poultry farming. One of the most famous is located in Germany and has thousands of exhibits – from old incubators to collections of eggs and bird figurines.
Geese were not only a source of meat and down. In ancient times, they were often kept as a “living alarm”, because they react loudly to strangers and unusual movement near the farm.
World Day of Movement for Health
This day was launched with the support of the World Health Organization to promote physical activity and prevent diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle. The day reminds us of the importance of daily movement for the work of the heart, muscles, mental state and general well-being.
Physical activity is considered one of the easiest ways to maintain health without complex equipment or special conditions. This includes not only sports, but also walking, cycling, mobile work or ordinary daily activity. For Ukraine, the topic of healthy movement became especially relevant during the war due to constant stress, prolonged stay in shelters, sleep problems and psychological stress.
Interesting facts
WHO considers insufficient physical activity to be one of the main risk factors for premature death in the world.
Even a simple brisk walk for 30 minutes a day helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improves mental health.
During the full-scale war in Ukraine, many people began to walk more due to disruptions in transport, fuel or electricity.
In the first months of the invasion, Ukrainian fitness trainers and sports clubs massively conducted free online training to support people’s physical and psychological condition.
Studies show that regular movement can reduce anxiety levels and improve concentration even in stressful conditions.
A sedentary lifestyle is so widespread in the world that some doctors call it one of the main problems of modern society, along with malnutrition.
In many European countries, cities are being specially rebuilt for pedestrians and cyclists so that people move more in their daily lives.
After the outbreak of the great war in Ukraine, interest in running, home workouts and outdoor activities increased dramatically, because physical activity has become a way of dealing with stress for many.
Cosmonauts in orbit train for several hours every day, otherwise their muscles and bones begin to weaken quickly due to lack of exercise.
Mother Ocean Day
This day is celebrated to remind us of the importance of the oceans for life on Earth and the need to protect them. The oceans produce a significant part of oxygen, affect the climate, regulate the temperature of the planet and provide millions of people with food and resources. The holiday draws attention to water pollution, the disappearance of marine species and the consequences of climate change.
For Ukraine, the topic of oceans and seas is also important because of the Black and Azov Seas, maritime trade, ecology and security. After the start of a full-scale war, the state of the marine environment in the region has deteriorated significantly due to hostilities, mining of water areas, water pollution and the death of marine animals.
Interesting facts
The world ocean covers approximately 71% of the Earth’s surface, but humanity has explored only a small part of its depths.
The oceans produce more than half of the planet’s oxygen thanks to microscopic marine organisms called phytoplankton.
In the Mariana Trench, the deepest point in the ocean, the pressure is so great that a person would not be able to survive even a few seconds without a special device.
Thousands of new species are discovered in the world’s oceans every year. Some of the creatures that live at great depths look so unusual that for a long time they were considered fictional.
After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in 2023, a large amount of polluted water entered the Black Sea, which caused large-scale ecological consequences for marine flora and fauna.
During the full-scale war in the Black Sea, dolphin deaths were repeatedly recorded. Environmentalists attributed this to explosions, the work of military sonar, and hostilities at sea.
Millions of tons of plastic enter the oceans every year. Some of the garbage collects in huge floating accumulations, the largest of which in the Pacific Ocean is called the “garbage patch”.
About 90% of world trade is carried out by sea. Even landlocked countries depend on maritime transport through international ports.
The Black Sea has a unique feature: at great depths, its water is saturated with hydrogen sulfide, which is why there are almost no complex living organisms there.
Some scientists believe that the ocean depths are studied worse than the surface of the Moon or Mars.
Historical events on this day
1881 – Romania was proclaimed a kingdom. This strengthened the international status of the state after gaining independence and became an important stage in the formation of the modern Romanian monarchy.
1925 – The Eugenia Bosch Bridge, designed by Eugene Paton, was inaugurated in Kyiv. It became an important engineering structure for the city and one of the notable projects of the Ukrainian bridge-building school.
1940 – Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of Great Britain at a time when Europe was rapidly entering the most difficult stage of World War II. On the same day, Germany launched an offensive against France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, and Great Britain sent troops to Iceland to prevent its use by the Nazis.
1975 – American athlete Brian Oldfield was the first in history to throw a shot put 21 meters. His result was a significant breakthrough in athletics and remained unsurpassed for many years.
1993 – Kyrgyzstan introduced the national currency, the som. Its own money was an important step towards the country’s economic independence after the collapse of the USSR.
1993 – 40 people from nine expeditions were on the summit of Everest at the same time. At that time, this was a record number of climbers on the highest mountain in the world.
1995 – Tajikistan introduced the Tajik ruble. It was in effect until October 2000, when it was replaced by the new national currency, the somoni.
1997 – an NTV television crew led by journalist Elena Masyuk was kidnapped in the village of Semashki in Chechnya. The kidnapping became one of the high-profile cases of danger to journalists during the Chechen conflict.
2006 – A 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck Greece. Its epicenter was approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Thessaloniki, one of the country’s largest cities.
2017 – The cult comic book “Batman: Year One” was released in Ukrainian. The publication was an important event for the Ukrainian comic book market and the popularization of translations of world graphic literature.
