Festival of Sleep Day

The Festival of Sleep Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated annually on January 3rd. It is designed to encourage people to catch up on rest and relaxation after the busy and often exhausting December holiday season.

Key Facts and Celebration Ideas

• Purpose: The day emphasizes the importance of a good night's sleep for physical health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
• How to Celebrate:
• Sleep In: Turn off your alarm and wake up naturally.
• Take a Nap: Treat yourself to a 20–30-minute power nap to boost your mood.
• Cozy Environment: Spend the day in pajamas, using soft blankets and comfortable pillows.
• Unplug: Disconnect from electronic devices to reduce blue light exposure before resting.
• Origins: While its exact creator is unknown, it likely originated as a practical way to recover from "sleep debt" accumulated during New Year's celebrations.

Why Sleep Matters

Proper rest is linked to several vital health benefits: 

• Cognitive Function: Improves memory consolidation, focus, and problem-solving skills.
• Physical Health: Supports a healthy immune system and can lower the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure.
• Mental Health: Helps regulate emotions and reduces stress, anxiety, and irritability. 

 

 

 

Dada Bhagwan's Death Anniversary

 

Dada Bhagwan, also known as Dadashri, born Ambalal Muljibhai Patel, who passed away on 2 January 1988, aged 79, was an Indian spiritual leader from Gujarat who founded the Akram Vignan Movement. He was spiritually inclined from an early age. He worked as a contractor for a company maintaining dry docks in Bombay before attaining "self-realization" in 1958. He left business and focused on his spiritual goals. The movement around his teaching grew into the Akram Vignan movement gaining followers in western India and abroad. Ahimsa (non-violence) and vegetarianism are an important part of Dada's teachings.

 

Nepali Dress and Topi Day

 

Nepali Dress and Topi Day (Rastriya Poshak Diwas tatha Topi Diwas) is celebrated annually on January 1st. This day is observed by Nepali people around the world to promote and celebrate traditional Nepali attire as a symbol of national identity and cultural pride. 

About the Celebration

The celebration was initiated by youth activists in 2014 (2070 BS) as a voluntary campaign after the government of Nepal removed the traditional attire from the list of official national dress. The event has since grown into a widely recognized cultural celebration, with activities organized by various community groups both in Nepal and abroad.

Cultural Significance

Symbol of Identity and Unity: The primary goal is to encourage the use and preservation of traditional attire, such as the Daura Suruwal (men's traditional top and trousers), Gunyo Choli (women's traditional dress), and especially the Dhaka or Bhaad-gaaule Topi (traditional Nepali hats). These items are seen as symbols of national pride that unite the diverse ethnic groups within Nepal.

Cultural Promotion: On this day, many individuals proudly wear traditional dress and share photos on social media. Special events, rallies, and cultural programs are held in public places like Basantapur, Kathmandu, to highlight Nepal's rich cultural heritage.

Revival of Tradition: The movement is credited with contributing to the resurgence of interest in traditional dress, not just on this specific day but also for other festivals and special occasions. 

In 1857, Queen Victoria chooses Ottawa, as the capital of the Province of Canada

 

December 31 is a significant date for Ottawa, Canada’s capital, marking both a major historical anniversary and the centre of New Year's Eve festivities. 

Historical Significance: December 31, 1857 

On December 31, 1857, Queen Victoria officially selected Ottawa (then a small lumber town known as Bytown) to be the permanent capital of the Province of Canada. 

 

• The Selection Process: Ottawa was chosen as a political compromise between the rival cities of Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, and Kingston.
• Strategic Advantages: The location was chosen for its relative safety from American attack, its position on the border of English-speaking Canada West (Ontario) and French-speaking Canada East (Quebec), and its access via the Rideau Canal.
• Announcement: The decision was formally relayed to Canada's Governor General in a letter from the Colonial Secretary dated December 31, 1857. 

Saddam Hussein's execution in 2006

 

Saddam Hussein, the former President of Iraq, was executed by hanging on December 30, 2006.

Execution Details

Time and Location: The execution took place at approximately 6:00 a.m. local time at Camp Justice, a joint Iraqi-U.S. military base in the Kadhimiya neighbourhood of Baghdad.

Conviction: He was sentenced to death by the Iraqi Special Tribunal for crimes against humanity. Specifically, he was held responsible for the 1982 Dujail massacre, where 148 Shiite men and boys were killed in retaliation for an assassination attempt against him.

Last Moments: Official footage showed Saddam being led to the gallows and having a noose placed around his neck. However, a leaked mobile phone video surfaced later, showing witnesses heckling him and praising Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in his final moments.

Burial: His body was transported to his birthplace, Al-Awja (near Tikrit), and buried on December 31, 2006. Reports indicate his remains were later moved to a secret location in 2012 to prevent desecration during the rise of ISIS. 

International Cello Day

International Cello Day is celebrated annually on December 29.

Purpose and History

The day honours the cello, a bowed string instrument known for its deep, resonant, and "human-like" tone. It was officially founded by a group of cellists in 2015 to celebrate the instrument's versatility across classical, jazz, and even contemporary rock genres. 

Why December 29?

The date was chosen to commemorate the birthday of Pablo Casals (born 1876), a legendary Catalan cellist, composer, and conductor. Casals is widely credited with: 

Elevating the Cello: Transforming it from a secondary orchestral instrument to a prominent solo instrument.

The Bach Suites: Rediscovering and recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites, which were previously dismissed as mere technical exercises.

International Cinema Day

 

International Cinema Day is celebrated annually on December 28. It marks the anniversary of the first public commercial film screening by the Lumière brothers at the Grand Café in Paris in 1895. 

On 28 December 1895, in the basement of the Grand Cafe in Paris (Le Salon Indien du Grand Cafe) on Boulevard des Capucines, the first public cinema show was held, where the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere showed the viewers 10 short films, among which was the famous short documentary The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat Station. During the screening of that film, the audience jumped from their seats and ran in horror away from the hall, fearing that the moving train on the screen would crush them. 

Each film was then 17 meters long, which, when hand cranked through a projector, ran approximately 50 seconds. From that moment, regular film screenings began, accompanied by a piano or a saxophone. The motion pictures were sometimes also accompanied by text below the images.