What holiday is January 9: all about this day

Alina Milsent News09.01.2025 11:16

Winter landscape. Source: Freepik

On January 9, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the holy martyr Polyevka. Name days are celebrated by Zakhar, Petro, Pylyp, and Antonina.

The world celebrates the International Choreographer's Day, the Day of Playing God, the World Day of Corsica and the Day of Static Electricity. OBOZ.UA tells about the holidays and significant events of this day.

What holidays are celebrated on January 9

On January 9, Orthodox believers honor the memory of the holy martyr Polyevêtus. He is one of the most revered martyrs in Christianity. Polyeventus was a Roman soldier who lived in the third century in the city of Melitina (modern Malatya, Turkey). Despite his military rank, he was a deeply religious man.

Polybius had a close friend, Nearchus, who was a devoted Christian. At that time, the empire persecuted Christians. When the emperor issued a decree on the worship of pagan gods, Nearchus openly declared his faith in Christ and was arrested. Seeing the courage of his friend, Polybius also openly recognized himself as a Christian. Despite the threats and torture, he refused to renounce his faith.

Play God Day is a non-traditional holiday celebrated annually on January 9. It is a kind of challenge to society that encourages people to think about their role in the world and to show kindness and mercy. The concept is to imagine yourself for one day as a creator who has the ability to change the world for the better. Of course, this is only a symbolic idea, but it has a deep meaning.

January 9 is the International Choreographer's Day every year. This day is dedicated to talented people who create the magical world of dance, inspire us and give us aesthetic pleasure.

Few people know that there is a holiday dedicated to such a seemingly ordinary phenomenon as static electricity. January 9 is the Day of Static Electricity. This is a great opportunity to draw attention to physics, to make science interesting and accessible to everyone. By studying static electricity, we better understand the processes that take place around us.

Countries around the world celebrate January 9:

Day of the Republic of Serbia;
Day of the Peace Agreement in South Sudan;
Ballooning Day in the United States;
Connecticut State Day in the United States;
National Martyrs' Day in Panama.

Notable historical events of January 9

1431 - the trial of Joan of Arc began in Rouen.
1449 - the first written mention of a lottery organized in Milan to finance the war against Venice.
1648 - Bohdan Khmelnytsky is elected hetman of the Zaporizhzhian Sich.
1792 - The Treaty of Yassy is signed, ending the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1792; the Russian Empire annexed the lands between the Southern Bug and the Dniester and the Kuban.
1799 - The UK introduces the world's first income tax.
1920 - Nestor Makhno refused to lead his troops to the front against the Poles, for which the Bolsheviks outlawed him.

1923 - Spanish inventor Juan de La Sierra made the first flight on the gyroplane he invented. With the development of helicopters, work on gyroplanes was discontinued.
1923 - Germany defaults on its reparations obligations under the Treaty of Versailles; two days later, France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr.
1927 - 78 people die in a Montreal movie theater due to panic caused by a small movie camera explosion, including 77 children under the age of 18.
1951 - the official opening of the UN headquarters in New York City.
1960 - construction of the Aswan Dam on the Nile in Egypt begins.
1972 - the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth, the world's largest passenger ship at the time, catches fire and sinks in Hong Kong Harbor.
2007 - Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone.
2021 - Boeing 737 passenger plane crashes in Indonesia.

Who was born on January 9

1823 - Friedrich Esmarch, German surgeon. He was the first to use an elastic bandage, an anesthetic mask, and proposed the Esmarch mug.
1878 - John Broadus Watson, American psychologist, founder of behaviorism.
1889 - Percy John Daniell, British mathematician who developed a generalized theory of integration and differentiation.
1890 - Karel Čapek, Czech writer.
1908 - Simone de Beauvoir, French writer, feminist.
1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States.
1924 - Sergei Parajanov, Ukrainian and Armenian film director.
1944 - Jimmy Page, British musician, one of the best guitarists, created the rock band Led Zeppelin, played in The Yardbirds.
1982 - Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, wife of William, Duke of Cambridge.
1993 - Stepan Tarabalka, Ukrainian Air Force officer. Hero of Ukraine.