World River Day is observed to raise awareness regarding water bodies and to promote their conservation. It is observed every year on the fourth Sunday of September, and this year (2023), on September 24.
Internationally renowned river activist, Mark Angelo began a major cleanup event of the Thompson River in British Columbia, in September 1980. Upon its success in 2005, it came to be known as BC River Day. Following its success, Angelo proposed celebrating World Rivers Day.
Mark Angelo addressed the United Nations in 2005 during its Water for Life campaign, an effort to raise awareness about vulnerable water supplies throughout the world. In response to Angelo's proposal, the United Nations established World Rivers Day, to be annually celebrated on the 4th Sunday of every September.
The first event in 2005 was marked by a huge success as millions of people joined hands to help conserve rivers around the world.
Sep 23, 2023
International Day of Sign Languages
The International Day of Sign Languages (IDSL) is celebrated annually across the world on September 23. The day is a unique opportunity to support and protect the linguistic identity and cultural diversity of all deaf people and other sign language users. Sign language gives people, who are hard of hearing, a medium to converse. As the name suggests, this day aims to spread awareness regarding the importance of sign language in the realisation of the human rights of people who are deaf.
The proposal for the Day came from the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), a federation of 135 national associations of deaf people, representing approximately 70 million deaf people's human rights worldwide.
The resolution A/RES/72/161 was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Antigua and Barbuda to the United Nations, co-sponsored by 97 United Nations Member States and adopted by consensus on December 19, 2017.
The choice of September 23 commemorates the date that the WFD was established in 1951.
The International Day of Sign Languages was first celebrated in 2018 as part of the International Week of the Deaf.
The theme for 2023 International Day of Sign languages is 'A World Where Deaf People Everywhere Can Sign Anywhere!'
Sep 22, 2023
Day for the Welfare of Cancer Patients
World Rose Day or the Day for Welfare of Cancer Patients is marked every year on September 22 dedicated to individuals suffering from cancer across the globe.
World Rose Day was initiated to honour a 12-year-old cancer patient known as Melinda Rose from Canada. In 1994, Melinda was detected to be suffering from Askin's Tumor, which is a rare type of blood cancer tumour that grows on the chest wall.
World Rhino Day
World Rhino Day, celebrated on September 22 every year, offers a unique opportunity for organisations, conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts worldwide to come together and celebrate the magnificent rhinoceros. The day is dedicated to spread awareness and support the conservation efforts to save all five species of the rhinoceros.
The crisis of the rhinoceros began in Africa in 1990. By 2010, it became a nationwide crisis. More people understood that rhinoceros are becoming endangered so they expressed their concerns over the problem.
The situation became grave when only 30,000 rhinos were alive at that time all over the planet. It was during that time that the World Wildlife Fund – South Africa introduced World Rhino Day to talk more about the crisis and find ways to prevent it.
Later in 2011, a woman called Lisa Jane Campbell wrote a mail to a rhino lover, Rhishja expressing her interest to see at least five species of rhinos alive in the world. This is how World Rhino Day came into existence and people celebrate it every year across the nations on the same date.
World Rhino Day was first celebrated on September 22, 2011 but was first announced by World Wildlife South Africa in 2010.
Sep 21, 2023
World Alzheimer's Day
World Alzheimer's Day is observed on September 21 every year. This day is a global effort to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease. It also aims to eradicate the stigma around Alzheimer's disease as well as other types of dementia. According to the World Health Organisation, Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia and contributes to 60-70% of cases.
Alzheimer's Disease International is an organisation that was founded back in 1984 to support Alzheimer's patients throughout the world and provide them with the right treatment. In 1994, World Alzheimer's Day was introduced in Edinburgh to commemorate ten years of Alzheimer's Disease International. Since then, World Alzheimer's Day has been celebrated all over the world on September 21.
The theme for this year's World Alzheimer's Day is 'Never too early, never too late'.
International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace is observed on September 21 around the world. The day is observed and has been devoted by the United Nations General Assembly to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire.
The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981.
Also known as World Peace Day, it was in 2001 that the official date was declared as September 21. Until then, it was observed on the inaugural session of the annual General Assembly, the third Tuesday of September.
The theme for International Peace Day 2023 is 'Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals'.
Sep 19, 2023
International Talk Like a Pirate Day
International Talk Like a Pirate Day observed on September 19 every year.
International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate. Hence, the parodic holiday was created and ever since then on September 19 each year, everyone in the world is encouraged to talk like a pirate.
Talk Like a Pirate Day offers a break from the daily routine to offer a day of whimsical, imaginative and carefree fun where people of all ages are encouraged to embrace their inner child and engage in pranks, role-play and creativity. The day aims to bring people together in a spirit of camaraderie and shared fun as friends, family and even strangers engage in light-hearted conversations, jokes and activities that allow them to let loose, laugh and momentarily escape the stresses of everyday life.