May 4th is International Bereaved Mother’s Day or International Bereaved Mother’s Day, International Firefighter’s Day and Rebuilding Day. On this day, historical events also took place in the world, which left a significant mark in politics, culture, science and wars.
International Day of Dead Mothers
This event is not heard of, it is rarely mentioned in the media. While society prepares for Mother’s Day with flowers and greetings, there is another reality in parallel – for women who have lost a child. Along with such a loss, a part of the mother’s inner world dies, and that is why the name of this day is so telling.
This day was created for mothers who have experienced the deepest pain – the loss of a child at any stage: through miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death or other forms of early loss. International Day of Bereaved Mothers is a space for unity, support and open conversations about experiences that are often silenced. These women remain mothers, even if their children are no longer around.
Among Ukrainian mothers, this day takes on a special resonance, especially after the full-scale invasion of Russia. Every day, thousands of women bury their sons and daughters who died at the front, during shelling, in captivity, or during the occupation.
Widows and mothers of the fallen unite, create organizations, go to courts, write letters to the authorities, talk to journalists. Their portraits can be seen in front of the Verkhovna Rada, at actions in front of the pre-trial detention center, on squares in Kherson, Lviv, and Kyiv. These are women who do not let us forget: war is not statistics, but destinies.
A separate pain is the mother of the missing. They don’t even have a grave to visit. Their grief is a bottomless wait, a hope that eats away. And at the same time — superhuman endurance and solidarity. It is these women who start weekly “quiet pickets”, go to international embassies, and negotiate with humanitarian organizations. Mothers from the occupied territories are another dimension of this day. They often cannot bury the child, do not have access to the body, cannot speak aloud. But letters, voices, appeals to the Ukrainian authorities also come from there: about kidnapping, torture, loss of communication, silence of administrations.
International Day of Firefighters
This day did not arise as a result of decrees or international decisions, but as a reaction to a specific tragedy. In 1999, five firefighters died while fighting a large-scale forest fire in the Australian state of Victoria. One of their colleagues, JJ Edmondson, proposed to honor the memory of the fallen rescuers every year and express support for those who continue to work in extreme conditions. The date — May 4 — was chosen because this day commemorates St. Florian, who in Catholic tradition is considered the patron saint of firefighters.
This is a non-state holiday, but a public initiative that quickly spread in many countries. She was supported in the USA, Canada, Europe, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand. Later, this day became an opportunity to talk not only about the dead, but also about the real conditions in which rescuers work: high risks, poor equipment, lack of insurance, psychological stress.
Interesting facts
In France, firefighters are officially military personnel. In Paris and Marseille, the fire and rescue services are subordinate to the Ministry of Defense and their employees are military. Paris is protected by the Brigade des Sapeurs-Pompiers de Paris, one of the oldest and most structured fire brigades in the world.
In Japan, the traditional acrobatic training of firefighters from the Edo period has been preserved. Every year in Tokyo, Dezomeshiki is held – a parade of firemen, during which rescuers in ancient clothes demonstrate tricks on bamboo ladders – this is how they extinguished fires in cramped wooden buildings in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In Sweden, firefighters are also paramedics. In many regions of the country, firefighters are the first to arrive when a patient is called. They have medical training, defibrillators, stabilization skills. This is due to the scattered rural areas and the shortage of ambulances.
In Germany, the oldest volunteer fire brigade has been operating since 1846. The town of Kanaufen in Bavaria still supports it, and most of the members are people from firefighting dynasties. In some families, 6 generations already serve voluntarily.
In the USA there is a special category of firefighters – “prison fire brigades”. In the states of California and Arizona, convicts serving sentences can be trained to fight wildfires. Once released, they are ineligible to work in the fire service because of a criminal record — and that’s what fueled the debate about inequality.
In Kenya, firefighters are trained by the British Army. Because the country lacks a proper fire education system, there is an academy in Nairobi, which was created together with British instructors, and even teenagers who have not completed high school are accepted there.
In Portugal, 90% of firefighters are volunteers. Voluntary brigades work in most cities of the country. In some villages, every adult male is required to complete basic firefighting training — it’s part of local tradition, not just civil defense.
There are fire trains in China. In hard-to-reach areas (deserts, mountain tunnels), China uses entire fire depots — special trains with tanks, pumps, and generators that can extinguish fires along railroad tracks.
In Latvia, there is a project of psychological support for firefighters after suicides and disasters. After several cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in rescuers who worked on traffic accidents or suicides, the state launched a separate service of crisis interventionists – psychologists who work exclusively with firefighters after difficult calls.
Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, firefighters have become not only rescuers, but also a target. They are the first to arrive at the places after the flights, pull out the wounded from under the rubble, put out burning high-rise buildings, warehouses, maternity homes, and power stations. Often – without even waiting for the alarm to stop. Every day they get injured and die. Every fifth challenge in the first months of the war ended under shelling, including targeted fire — the enemy deliberately hit fire calculations after the first flight.
Relationship Restoration Day
This is an unofficial but symbolic initiative, designed to remind of the importance of reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration of broken ties. It’s not a public holiday, it’s not a religious event, and it’s not part of the UN’s global calendar, but it’s taking on increasing symbolic importance — especially in an age of social disconnect, information wars, and family isolation.
The idea of the Day of Restoration of Relationships originated in the USA. The author is considered to be the journalist Ann Landes, who in her column in 1989 suggested that readers choose a day when they could try to forgive old grudges, call a relative they hadn’t spoken to in years, or restore a lost friendship. She proposed April 30 for this — and readers supported this initiative with letters and publications. Subsequently, several public organizations in the United States fixed this date as unofficial.
The point of this day is to make at least one attempt to restore the relationship: write a message, send a card, apologize if guilty, or accept an apology. And even if the other does not respond, the very gesture of reconciliation can change a person from the inside.
Interesting facts
In the USA and Australia, this day is sometimes considered an “anonymous holiday”. People send notes of apology—often without a signature. In some schools, students can leave an “apology letter” in a special box, addressed to another, without even mentioning names.
In Canada, there is a family tradition – “silent reconciliation”. In some families, it is customary not to discuss the quarrel, and on this day simply have dinner together or meet without explanation. This is an old household gesture: don’t make excuses – just come, sit next to me, and that says it all.
British psychologists recommend not waiting for consent — it is enough to take a step. Research by the National Health Service (NHS) mentions: even if the person does not forgive you in return, the very fact of trying to reconcile has a positive effect on the psyche, reducing the level of anxiety and the risk of depression.
In some couples, this day has become an alternative to Valentine’s Day. A couple that has survived a crisis uses this day as a “point of renewal” – not for romance, but for conversation, apologies, renewal of agreements. It is even jokingly called “Sober Valentine’s Day”.
Anonymous confessions often appear on Twitter and Reddit on April 30. People write short messages like “10 years of silence – I still love you”, “I cheated, but I regret it for 5 years”, “Mom, I’m sorry I didn’t answer when you called”. Most do not send these messages to their intended recipients – they simply release the pain.
In some psychotherapeutic groups in the USA, April 30 is considered the day of “allowed calling”. When you can take the first step – and you will definitely not be judged. Even if you were wrong ten years ago. Even if you think it’s too late.
Historical events on this day
1807 year — The French Empire and Persia sign the Finkenstein Treaty. He laid the foundation for Napoleon I’s alliance with Iran against the common enemies of Great Britain and the Russian Empire, changing the geopolitical balance in the Middle East.
1838 year — Ukrainian artists and intellectuals collect funds to buy 24-year-old Taras Shevchenko from serfdom. This step opened the way for him to creativity, which later became the basis of Ukrainian culture and identity.
1863 year — the construction of the first section of the Odesa railway between Odesa and Balta begins. This marked the beginning of the development of railway connections in the south of Ukraine, which played an important role in the economic development of the region.
1878 year — Thomas Edison demonstrates to the public the phonograph he invented. The event took place in the opera house and marked a breakthrough in the field of sound recording – the invention allowed recording and reproducing the human voice.
1904 year — The USA receives the territory of the Panama Canal at its disposal. The move gave America strategic control over one of the world’s key trade and military routes.
1904 year — Henry Royce and Charles Rolls start the production of cars under the Rolls-Royce brand. The company has become a symbol of elite automobile manufacturing and engineering excellence.
1915 year — the fierce battle for Mount Makivka in the Carpathians ends. This is the first large-scale battle of Ukrainian snipers, in which they proved themselves as a combat-capable national military formation.
1979 year — Margaret Thatcher becomes the Prime Minister of Great Britain. She becomes the first woman in this position, ushering in an era of profound economic and social reform in British politics.
1986 year — after the Chernobyl disaster, the USSR government expands the evacuation zone to a 30-kilometer radius around the station. This decision affected dozens of villages and towns, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.
2023 year — Ukrainian air defense forces for the first time in history shot down the Russian Kinzhal hypersonic missile with the help of the American Patriot air defense system. The event was an important technological and symbolic victory in the war with Russia.
