February 1st is World Week for Harmonious Interfaith Relations, World Hijab Day, International Dessert Day and Robinson Crusoe Day.
World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations
From February 1 to 7, the World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations is celebrated all over the world — an initiative designed to strengthen mutual understanding between representatives of different religions, cultures and traditions. In today’s world, where tensions between believers often lead to conflict, this week serves as a reminder that shared values and the desire for peace can unite even those who are divided by age-old traditions and religious views.
The idea of creating the World Week of Harmonious Interfaith Relations arose within the framework of the initiative of the United Nations Organization. In 2010, the UN General Assembly supported this initiative proposed by Jordan, calling on all countries to promote inter-religious dialogue, tolerance and mutual respect. Since then, this week annually unites millions of people in the pursuit of harmonious coexistence, regardless of their beliefs.
Today, this week is celebrated all over the world with various events — from interfaith prayers and round tables to educational programs, art exhibitions and joint social initiatives. In many countries, religious leaders are coming together to remind society that peace and harmony are only possible through mutual respect and openness.
Religion has always been a powerful force that could both unite and divide nations. History knows many cases when religious contradictions became a reason for wars and violence. But at the same time, at all times there were leaders who proved that cooperation between representatives of different faiths can be a guarantee of stability, peace and development of society.
Ukraine, as a multi-religious country, is a vivid example of how different religious communities can coexist in peace. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, Protestant communities, Islamic and Jewish communities take an active part in public life, interacting with each other and with the state. Especially during wartime, when spiritual support became even more important, interfaith harmony played a significant role in supporting citizens.
Interesting facts
In 2019, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb signed a document on the «Brotherhood of Man», calling for dialogue between Christians and Muslims as the basis for world peace.
Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam share common ethical principles such as compassion, mercy, and the importance of good deeds, despite differing theological approaches.
In India, the city of Amritsar is located, where the «Golden Temple» is located — the main sanctuary of Sikhism, which is open to people of all religions. Every day, more than 50,000 people, regardless of their faith, are fed here for free.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the city of Sarajevo, an Orthodox church, a Catholic church, a synagogue and a mosque are located on one street, symbolizing the peaceful coexistence of different religions.
The UN has officially recognized the Days of Interfaith Harmony, held in the first week of February, which emphasizes the global importance of this initiative.
World Hijab Day
Every year on February 1, the world celebrates World Hijab Day, a holiday that is still very young, but has already become an important symbol of support for Muslim women and their right to wear or not wear the traditional headscarf. Despite the existence of many religious and cultural customs, the issue of wearing the hijab continues to cause debate in society. While for some it is an expression of faith, modesty and personal dignity, for others it means religious coercion and restrictions.
The idea to celebrate this day appeared in 2013. Its initiator was Nazma Khan, a Muslim woman from New York who was discriminated against because of her clothing as a child. She suggested dedicating one day a year so that women of different faiths could understand firsthand what it means to wear the hijab, and thus overcome prejudice and spread the idea of mutual respect.
Despite the fact that at first the idea arose as a local initiative, later it acquired an international scale. Today, this day is celebrated in more than 140 countries of the world. In many cities, flash mobs, lectures and actions are held, where women who do not normally wear the hijab try it on for a day to better understand its meaning.
Hijab is not just a piece of cloth, it is part of Muslim culture and religious tradition. Translated from Arabic, «hijab» means «covering» or «veil». It symbolizes modesty, spiritual purity and connection with God. However, Muslim women’s clothing has many variations that vary by country, culture, and level of religiosity. For example, the niqab covers the face, leaving only the eyes exposed, while the burqa covers the entire body, including the face.
Despite the fact that many women wear the hijab voluntarily, in some countries there are restrictions or, on the contrary, mandatory requirements for this element of clothing. For example, in France and Belgium it is illegal to wear the niqab and burqa in public, while in Iran and Saudi Arabia women are required to cover their heads under penalty of fines or even arrest. Such different approaches indicate that the issue of wearing the hijab still remains politicized and ambiguous.
For many Muslim women in countries where wearing a headscarf is optional, the hijab is not a restriction, but a way of self-expression. Some women see it as part of their cultural identity, a sign of connection to their roots, while others see it as an act of protest against standardized norms of beauty and appearance.
Today, World Hijab Day reminds us of the main thing — every woman should have the right to choose. Whether to wear a headscarf or not should be a personal decision, not an imposed requirement by society, family or the state. Respect for the cultural and religious identity of other people is the basis of a tolerant society where everyone has the right to freely define their own identity.
Interesting facts
The hijab was not always a religious symbol. In many Middle Eastern cultures, women wore headscarves long before Islam as a symbol of high social status.
The first country to officially ban the wearing of the hijab is Turkey. In the 1930s, the Atatürk government restricted the wearing of religious clothing in public institutions to enforce the principles of secularism.
During the 2016 Olympics, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad became the first American athlete to compete in a hijab, winning a bronze medal.
In some Arab countries, the hijab is part of the dress code even for foreign women, while in other Muslim countries wearing it remains purely a personal choice.
Famous fashion brands such as Dolce & Gabbana and Nike have released special hijab collections, which shows their popularity in the fashion world.
— The largest hijab in the world was created in Pakistan and was more than 250 meters long.
International Dessert Day
This holiday is dedicated to the most favorite part of any meal. Desserts are not just food, but a real art that brings joy, evokes pleasant memories and can even change the mood.
Desserts have a long history. They appeared in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, when people began to use honey, fruits and nuts to prepare sweet dishes. In medieval Europe, sugar was rare, and only the rich could afford to enjoy sweets. With the development of trade and colonial expansion in the XV-XVI centuries, sugar from the New World began to be imported into Europe, which gave impetus to the development of confectionery art.
Today, desserts are represented in every cuisine of the world, and every country has its own unique sweets. French croissants, Italian tiramisu, Turkish baklava, Japanese mochi — all of them are an integral part of the culture and traditions of different peoples.
International Dessert Day is a great opportunity to enjoy your favorite sweets, learn more about the gastronomic traditions of the world and maybe even try something new. On this day, confectioners organize master classes, restaurants offer special tasting menus, and sweet lovers experiment in their own kitchens, creating new recipes.
Interesting facts
The oldest dessert recipe dates back more than 4,000 years — it is honey cakes, which were prepared in Mesopotamia.
Chocolate cookies with pieces of chocolate (cookies) was invented by accident in 1938 in the USA, when the owner of a bakery Ruth Wakefield added pieces of chocolate to the dough, hoping that they would melt.
The most expensive dessert in the world is the ice cream served at the New York restaurant Serendipity 3. It costs $25,000 and contains edible gold and a rare type of cocoa bean.
Italian tiramisu was created in the 1960s as an invigorating dessert for coffee shop patrons, as it contains coffee and cocoa.
The most popular dessert in the world is chocolate. It is consumed in all corners of the planet in the form of tiles, cakes, drinks and creams.
Unusual desserts such as mochi (rice cakes), jelly sweets and even wasabi-flavored ice cream are very popular in Japan.
The first candy factory was opened in France in the 17th century, when chocolate and caramel became popular among the European nobility.
Robinson Crusoe Day
Every year on February 1, the world celebrates Robinson Crusoe Day — an unusual holiday dedicated to the world-famous novel by Daniel Defoe. This book, first published in 1719, was one of the first realistic adventure novels and remains popular around the world to this day. Robinson Crusoe Day is an opportunity not only to remember this iconic work, but also to consider the deeper questions of survival, loneliness, coping with circumstances and the strength of the human spirit.
The exact reason for choosing this date is not known for certain, but there are several speculations. Some researchers believe that on February 1, 1709, the English sailor William Dampier saved the real prototype of Robinson Crusoe — the Scottish sailor Alexander Selkirk. Others explain the date simply as a day of commemoration of the novel itself, which had a huge impact on world literature.
The novel tells about the Englishman Robinson Crusoe, who after a shipwreck found himself on a deserted island and had to adapt to a new life. Over the course of 28 years, he learned to hunt, build a house, manage a farm, and even befriended a local resident whom he named Friday. His story became not just a story about adventures, but a real manifesto of human resilience, hard work and will power.
Despite the controversial aspects, the story of Robinson Crusoe became the basis for an entire literary genre — «Robinsonade», where the main characters survive in difficult conditions.
Interesting facts
The prototype of the main character was the real sailor Alexander Selkirk, who lived for four years on the deserted island of Mas-a-Tierra (now Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile).
The book originally had a long title that read as «The Life and Strange and Wonderful Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, a Seaman from York, Who Lived Twenty-Eight Years in Complete Solitude on a Deserted Island Off the Coast of America After a Shipwreck in which the Entire Crew Perished, and How he was eventually rescued by pirates.”
The novel had a huge impact on world literature, inspiring writers to create similar stories, including Jules Verne («The Mysterious Island») and William Golding («Lord of the Flies»).
The book was translated into hundreds of languages and never lost its popularity, constantly being republished in new formats.
There are islands in various countries named after Robinson Crusoe, including one of the islands in the Pacific Ocean where the real Selkirk lived.
Historical events on this day
1411 — a peace treaty was concluded in the city of Toruń, ending the Great War of 1409–1411 between the Teutonic Order and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
1587 — the English Queen Elizabeth I signed the death sentence of Mary Stuart, who claimed the English throne.
1673 — the German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz presented his «arithmetic machine» — a device for adding and multiplying numbers.
1709 — British sailors found Alexander Selkirk, who became the prototype of the literary character Robinson Crusoe, on the uninhabited island of Juan Fernandez in the Pacific Ocean.
1884 — the first volume of the Oxford English Dictionary was published, the editor-in-chief of which was James Murray.
1893 — in the laboratories of Thomas Edison in West Orange (New Jersey, USA), the world’s first film studio «Black Maria» was built, designed for filming films for the kinetoscope.
1907 — an article appeared in a Berlin newspaper in which the authorship of the invention of cinema was attributed to the German photographer Max Skladanovsky, which caused outrage in France. In fact, Skladanovsky created his own film projector at the same time as the Lumiere brothers in 1895.
1918 — Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Tikhon imposed anathema on the Soviet government.
1919 — the Battle of Lytkiv took place between the Ukrainian troops and the Bolsheviks.
1922 — The Politburo of the Central Committee of the CP(b)U decided to export 8 million poods of bread from starving Ukraine to Russia.
1930 — the British newspaper «The Times» published the world’s first printed crossword puzzle.
1930 — the resolution of the Central Committee and the Soviet People’s Committee of the USSR «On measures to strengthen the socialist reorganization of agriculture in areas of complete collectivization and the fight against kulaks» was adopted, which marked the beginning of mass collectivization.
1935 — by decree of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul became a museum.
1946 — Hungary was officially declared a republic.
1951 — the third test of an atomic bomb was conducted in Nevada, which was broadcast for the first time on television.
1953 — 1,835 people died in the Netherlands and 43,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed as a result of dams being washed away during a storm in the North Sea.
1958 — The USA launched its first artificial Earth satellite — Explorer-1.
1958 — Egypt and Syria united into a single state — the United Arab Republic.
1967 – the first issue of the Ukrainian magazine Detroit News was published in Detroit (USA).
1979 — after 15 years of exile, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran, where he was met by more than three million people.
1991 — The Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR abolished the restrictions on the registration of Crimean Tatars in Crimea, which had been in effect since 1987.
1992 — Russia and the USA signed a joint declaration on the end of the «Cold War».
1992 — Ukraine established diplomatic relations with Romania.
1994 — the Schengen agreement came into force, which allowed citizens of EU countries to freely cross borders without passport control.
2003 – the American space shuttle Columbia exploded during the landing approach over Cape Canaveral (Florida, USA). All seven astronauts died, including the first Israeli cosmonaut Ilan Ramon.
2004 — the death penalty has been officially abolished in Great Britain.
2010 — James Cameron’s fantasy film Avatar became the first in the history of cinema to collect more than 2 billion dollars at the global box office in 44 days.
2024 — as a result of the special operation of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense, the Russian missile ship Ivanovets was destroyed, the estimated cost of which was 60-70 million dollars.
