DAY 1042 RUSSIAN AGGRESSION - ДЕНЬ 1042 РОССИЙСКАЯ АГРЕССИЯ
On December 31, the World Hour of Peace, New Year's Eve, Champagne Day, and Decision-Making Day are celebrated.
The Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Melania the Righteous; the Feast of the Nativity of Christ is observed.
World Hour of Peace
Traditionally, on the last day of the year, many countries participate in a mass event - Meditation for Peace Worldwide, or the World Hour of Peace.
This year, every Ukrainian and the entire civilized world will dedicate this meditation to peace in Ukraine. May the wishes and aspirations of millions hasten Ukraine's victory!
Prayer is also a form of meditation. Engage in it in a way that is acceptable and comfortable for you, and support the Armed Forces of Ukraine with donations, aid for displaced persons, and kindness.
The first global meditation was held in October 1995, conceived by Dr. Barbara O'Guinn Condron from the School of Metaphysics in Missouri, USA. The following year, the mass event was moved to noon GMT on January 1. Since then, the organizers of the peaceful gathering have decided to mark the World Hour of Peace from 11:30 PM on December 31 to 12:30 AM on January 1.
The mass immersion into consciousness is organized for a unified purpose - to stop the war and eradicate cruelty.
Decision-Making Day
Decision-Making Day is celebrated on December 31 - a call to action for those prone to indecisiveness. It is dedicated to making decisions, big or small, and adhering to them. This day is not only for making resolutions for the New Year but also for taking control of one's life through decisive actions, finishing the year with a sense of clarity and purpose.
Champagne Day
This event is associated not so much with the alcoholic beverage itself as with its use worldwide to celebrate the New Year. The holiday originated in the USA but has a global character, given the popularity of champagne on New Year's Eve.
Also on this day:
1904 - The New Year was celebrated for the first time at Times Square (then Longacre) in New York City;
1938 - The first breathalyzer was presented in Indianapolis, a device for measuring blood alcohol content in drivers through air analysis;
1942 - "The Battle in the Barents Sea" or "New Year's Battle" between British ships of the Arctic convoy JW-51B and German raiders. The weaker British forces (2 cruisers, 5 destroyers, and several lightly armed vessels) repelled the German squadron (1 battleship, 1 heavy cruiser, 6 destroyers). As a result, Adolf Hitler dismissed Admiral Raeder;
1968 - The first flight of the world's supersonic passenger aircraft Tu-144;
1989 - In Kyiv, the first section (1.9 km) of the 3rd (Syrets-Pechersk) line of the capital's metro was opened with three stations: "Golden Gates," "Sports Palace," "Mechnikova" (now "Klovska");
1992 - The joint state of Czechs and Slovaks - Czechoslovakia - ceased to exist. From January 1, 1993, two new sovereign republics appeared in Europe - the Czech Republic and Slovakia;
2004 - The Taipei 101 skyscraper was officially opened in Taiwan, the tallest in the world at that time - 509 m;
2009 - The Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania was shut down after operating since 1983.
Born on this day:
125 years since the birth of Vasily Limnichenko (real name - Vasily Ivanovich Melnik) (1899-1949), Ukrainian writer, publicist, translator, priest, and public cultural and church figure (Germany);
120 years since the birth of Nathan Mironovich Milstein (1904-1992), Ukrainian and American violinist. The date is reported according to UME, ESU; according to other sources, he was born on December 31, 1903, or January 13, 1904;
100 years since the birth of Nikolai Antonovich Maximienko (1924-2016), Ukrainian artist;
75 years since the birth of Lyubov Vasilyevna Golota (1949), Ukrainian writer and journalist.
Church holiday:
Generous Evening
On the evening of December 31, New Year's Eve is celebrated as Generous Evening, Vasily's Evening, or Malanka. The tradition of Generous Evening dates back to pre-Christian times. According to pagan customs, on the first day of the New Year, Slavs honored the gods Vasilych and Malanka. According to legend, the god Lado had a daughter named Malanka, who was kidnapped by a serpent and imprisoned in a dungeon. Malanka's fiancé, the Moon god, was out hunting, so the hero Vasilych saved her.
With the advent of Christianity, the interpretation of the holiday changed. The Orthodox Church associated this day with the memory of two saints: Basil the Great of Caesarea and Melania the Roman. Basil the Great was an outstanding church figure, one of the Church Fathers, and the Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Asia Minor. He is credited with the invention of the iconostasis and authorship of many sermons. Melania was a nun known for building churches, helping the needy, and caring for the sick during the decline of the Roman Empire.
Name day: Mikhail, Pyotr, Melania.