Not only Halloween: what holidays are celebrated on October 31

The last day of October marks one of the world's favorite holidays, Halloween. But it's not the only one. This day's calendar is full of interesting dates.

For example, on this day, Oleksandr, Oleksiy, Anatoliy, Artem, Vasyl, Ivan, Leonid, Mykola, Petro, Roman, Serhiy, Stepan, Fedir and Yakiv celebrate their name days. In addition, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy apostles Stachy, Amplius, and those with them, as well as the holy martyr Epimachus. OBOZ.UA tells about other holidays.

What holidays are celebrated on October 31

Halloween - Many traditional cultures celebrate the transition from fall to winter in late October. But the Celtic tradition is the most widespread in the world. On this day, people dress up in scary costumes to prevent evil spirits from recognizing them and taking them away. The tradition of letting children go to the neighbors and ask for sweets has also become very popular.

Diwali - this year it coincides with the Hindu festival of lights. Diwali or Deepavali is celebrated on the 15th lunar day of the month of Kartik according to the Hindu calendar. The dates change every year, but usually fall between mid-October and mid-November. Diwali marks the victory of good over evil. Although there are several variants of the holiday's origin in Hindu mythology, the rituals remain similar across the country. On this day, as many candles as possible are lit to welcome the conversion of humanity from darkness to light, from chaos to order.

World Cities Day was established in 2013 by the UN General Assembly. Its purpose is to draw attention to the problems of global urbanization and to promote global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development. The day highlights inequalities in the world's largest cities and promotes greater social inclusion, including equality and access to services and opportunities.

World Savings Day - Everyone's future prosperity depends in no small part on their ability to save today. There are many reasons why you should start saving right now, such as for retirement, education, real estate, marriage, etc. It's also good to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances and save even if you don't have specific plans for money yet. And this day is dedicated to raising awareness of this.

Reformation Day - in 1517, on October 31, Catholic priest Martin Luther sent his work "95 Theses" to Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz and Magdeburg, in which he insisted on the need to reform the church. There is a legend that he personally nailed it to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, but this event has not yet been confirmed. Nevertheless, we can say for sure that it was with the 95 Theses that the era we know as the Reformation began. It really led to significant changes in the religious life of Europe and the world and contributed to social progress in general.

International Black Sea Day - it all started when on October 31, 1996, governmental organizations from Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Georgia, and Ukraine signed the Strategic Action Plan for the Restoration and Protection of the Black Sea. The purpose of the document is to protect the ecosystem of the reservoir. And the holiday is intended to draw attention to this.

Significant historical events on October 31

1517 - Augustinian monk, philosopher, and theologian Martin Luther published "95 Theses Against Indulgences."

1625 - the Rzeczpospolita troops storm the Kurukiv Cossack camp.

1815 - British Humphrey Davy patented a miner's lamp.

1864 - Nevada became the 36th state of the United States.

1902 - The first telegraph cable is laid across the Pacific Ocean from Canada to Australia.

1903 - The first Autumn Salon was opened in Paris, created as a counterpoint to the conservative Paris Salon.

1929 - Pravda newspaper calls for "general collectivization".

1941 - The construction of the world's largest monument, the 18-meter-high heads of four presidents, is completed on Mount Rushmore (USA).

1952 - The United States tests the first hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean.

1956 - American Admiral G. Dufek became the first person to land on an airplane at the South Pole.

1961 - The largest thermal power plant in the USSR, the Prydniprovska GRES, was put into operation.

1968 - U.S. President Lyndon Johnson announced the end of the bombing of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

1973 - The Council of Bishops of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Church adopted a resolution on the unity of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

1984 - A Sikh terrorist assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

1992 - Pope John Paul II announced the decision to ecclesiastically rehabilitate the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who claimed that the Earth was not the center of the universe and was forced to recant his views under pressure from the Inquisition.

1995 - Ukraine completes the fulfillment of the terms of the Conventional Arms Treaty by eliminating the last T-62 tank provided for by the treaty.

1995 - The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law of Ukraine on Accession to the Charter of the Council of Europe.

Celebrities born on October 31

1632 - Jan Vermeer, Dutch portrait painter ("Girl with Wine", "Glass of Wine").

1705 - Clement XIV, Pope who dissolved the Jesuit order.

1760 - Katsushika Hokusai, Japanese painter, illustrator, engraver.

1795 - John Keats, English poet ("Endymion", "To Autumn").

1815 - Carl Weierstrass, German mathematician.

1843 - Henri Regnier, French artist, son of French chemist and physicist Henri Victor Regnier.

1853 - Mykola Kybalchych, Ukrainian nationalist, inventor. Organizer of printing houses and a dynamite workshop, developed a project for a jet aircraft.

1876 - Nathalie Barney, French playwright, poet, and novelist of American descent.

1883 - Marie Laurencin, French painter and engraver, theater artist, sculptor. A representative of Cubism and Art Deco.

1886 - Marko Bezruchko, Ukrainian military leader, Chief of Staff of the Sich Riflemen Corps, Chief of Staff of the UPR Army.

1887 - Chiang Kai-shek, Chinese military and political leader, President of the Republic of China.

1922 - Anatoly Papanov, actor, People's Artist of the USSR.

1961 - Peter Jackson, New Zealand film director, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

1963 - Rob Schneider, American comedian.

1982 - Tomas Plekanec, Czech ice hockey player.

1988 - Sébastien Buemi, Swiss motor racer, Formula 1 pilot.

2005 - Leonor, Princess of Asturias.

Subscribe to OBOZ.UA's Telegram and Viber channels to keep up with the latest developments.