What holiday is celebrated on March 3: interesting facts

On March 3 , Orthodox believers honor the memory of the martyrs Eutropius, Cleonikos, and Basilisk. This day also marks the beginning of Lent, which will last until Easter. Kuzma, Lev, Viktor, Vasyl, Agapia, Dorofia, and Oleksandr celebrate their name days today.

The world celebrates World Writer's Day, World Wildlife Day, Life Simplification Day, International Irish Whiskey Day, World Hearing Day, and Global Omega-3 Day. OBOZ.UA tells about the holidays and notable events of this day.

What holidays are celebrated on March 3

Orthodox holidays

On March 3, 2025, Lent begins - the most important and strictest of the year. It lasts 48 days and precedes the Easter holiday. The fast was established in memory of Jesus Christ's 40-day fast in the desert. During Lent, believers adhere to strict food restrictions, as well as pray fervently and repent of their sins.

The Orthodox Church also honors the memory of the holy martyrs Eutropius, Cleonikos, and Basilisk. They lived in the third century in the city of Amasia in Pontus (Asia Minor). Eutropius and Cleonikus were brothers, and Basiliskus was their friend and nephew of the holy great martyr Theodore Tyrone. They were warriors and professed the Christian faith.

During the time of the Emperor Maximian, when Christians were persecuted, they were subjected to severe torture in an attempt to force them to renounce their faith, but the men remained steadfast. They bravely endured the suffering and were executed around 308. The holy martyrs are venerated as symbols of loyalty and courage in the Christian faith.

Writer's Day

World Writer's Day is a professional holiday for writers, which is celebrated every year on March 3. The holiday was established in 1986 at the 48th Congress of PEN International, an organization that brings together writers from around the world.

World Wildlife Day

World Wildlife Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2013 to raise awareness of wildlife and its importance to our planet. The date of March 3 was chosen because it was on this day in 1973 that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted.

International Irish Whiskey Day

International Irish Whiskey Day is dedicated to honoring the rich history, diverse styles and unique production methods of this drink. The holiday was founded by whiskey aficionado Stuart McNamara.

World Hearing Day

World Hearing Day is celebrated annually on March 3. This day was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness of the importance of hearing and disease prevention.

Global Omega-3 Day

Global Omega-3 Day is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids for human health. Omega-3 fatty acids are important for the health of the heart, brain, eyes and other organs. They have anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases. Omega-3s are essential for proper brain development in children.

Notable historical events on March 3

• 1645 - the first map of the Moon, drawn by Michael van Langren, was published on this date.
• 1861 - Russian Emperor Alexander II signed a manifesto abolishing serfdom in the empire.
• 1866 - A public library (now the National Parliamentary Library of Ukraine) is opened in Kyiv.
• 1875 - the "birthday" of Canadian hockey. The first organized hockey game took place in Montreal.
• 1917 - The Ukrainian Central Rada (UCR) is organized in Kyiv on March 3-4.
• 1918 - Soviet Russia recognizes Ukraine's independence under the Brest Peace Treaty.
• 1923 - the first issue of the New York magazine Time is published.
• 1924 - Turkey abolished the Ottoman dynasty, the caliphate, and other religious authorities and began secular reforms.
• 1931 - US President Hoover approved the decision of the US Congress to consider the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner", written in 1814 by Francis Key under the influence of the events of the Anglo-American War of 1812 and later set to the melody of the popular English song "To Anacreon in Heaven", the official anthem of the United States.
• 1938 - Standard Oil Company (California) drillers discovered a large source of crude oil in Saudi Arabia.
• 1947 - the first unit of the Dnipro hydroelectric power plant, which had been blown up by the NKVD in 1941, starts producing electricity.
• 1991 - Referendums were held in Latvia and Estonia, where the majority of citizens voted in favor of secession from the USSR.
• 1994 - Ukraine and the United States signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation.
• 2005 - Steve Fossett makes the first solo non-stop flight around the world on a Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer.
• 2020 - The first confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 in Ukraine is announced.
• 2022 - Georgia officially applied to join the European Union.

Who was born on March 3

• 1831 - George Mortimer Pullman, American inventor, designer of sleeping cars.
• 1845 - Georg Cantor, German mathematician, founder of set theory, which became the cornerstone of mathematics.
• 1847 - Alexander Graham Bell, American inventor (telephone) of Scottish descent.
• 1851 - Yakiv Shulgin, Ukrainian historian and public and cultural figure.
• 1899 - Yuriy Olesha, novelist, playwright, poet, satirist, and screenwriter. One of the key figures of the Odesa literary circle of the 1920s.
• 1911 - Jean Harlow, American film actress, star of the 1930s.
• 1919 - Oleksiy Pogorelov, Ukrainian mathematician.
• 1995 - Eloise Smith, British actress and model.

Died on this day:

• 1703 - Robert Hooke, English physicist, chemist, mathematician, astronomer, biologist, inventor and architect.
• 1855 - Robert Mills, American architect, builder of the White House and the Washington Monument.
• 1960 - Ivan Grave, artillery scientist, Doctor of Technical Sciences, inventor of the smokeless gunpowder missile.
• 1983 - Arthur Koestler, Hungarian-born English writer and philosopher.
• 1991 - William George Penney, British physicist, head of the British atomic bomb program.
• 1993 - Albert Bruce Sabin, American physician of Polish descent, microbiologist and virologist, creator of the live polio vaccine.
• 1996 - Marguerite Duras, French writer, actress, director and screenwriter.
• 2003 - George Edwards, British aviation engineer, designer, one of the main developers of the supersonic passenger airplane Concorde (born 1908).
• 2011 - James Elliot, American astronomer who discovered the ring system of Uranus and the atmosphere of Pluto.

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