What do we
celebrate on 21st March?
21 March
is not only the first day of
Spring or the equinox day, that is to say the beginning of the spring season in the
Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere, but it is
much more: it is a day where a
lot of national and international
celebrations take place .
This spring day has been chosen to celebrate or
remember important events and issues as the fight against racial discrimination or to remember all
the innocent victims of mafia.
International
celebrations
The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
The International Day
for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is celebrated every year on March 21 since 1967. This
date was chosen to remember the tragic event
of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, perhaps the bloodiest day in the terrible
history of apartheid in South Africa. During a peaceful demonstration against
the laws of racial discrimination, white policemen killed 69 unarmed black
people who protested against the Urban Areas Act, which required black South
Africans to show special permission “the pass laws”, if they were stopped in
areas reserved for whites. This action was officially condemned by the UN,
which six years later in 1966 established this day as the international day against racial
discrimination to redouble its
efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
Against the alarming rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance that has been diffusing recently in different countries of the world, the UN Human Rights Office has launched its #FightRacism campaign to foster a global culture of tolerance, equality and anti-discrimination. During the week are organized campaigns, manifestations in various countries and continents of the world.
The International Day of Forests
The International Day of Forests was proclaimed on 21 March the
International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the
importance of all types of forests. Countries are encouraged to undertake
local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving
forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.
Forests still cover a third of
the Earth’s surface, performing vital functions. About 1.6 billion people,
including over 2000 indigenous cultures, depend on forests for their
livelihoods, medicines, energy, food and shelter. Forests give us so much to our health. They purify
the water, clean the air, capture carbon to fight climate change, provide food
and life-saving medicines, and improve our well-being.
Yet deforestation continues to be alarming and accounts for 12-20% of global greenhouse
gas emissions, which contribute about 4.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide to
climate change.
It’s up to us to safeguard these precious
natural resources.
National celebrations (Italy)
Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the
innocent victims of mafias
In Italy on 21 March
Libera , Don Ciotti’s Associations, names and numbers against mafias celebrates
the Day of Remembrance and Commitment
in memory of the innocent victims of mafias. established on 1 March 2017, with a unanimous vote in the
Chamber of Deputies.
The initiative was
born from the pain of a mother who lost her son in the massacre of Capaci,
where was killed the judge Falcone and his wife and his security men, and
has never heard his name. For this reason the victims’ names are read out one by one in thousands of public
locations across Italy. People who do not wish to be simply remembered, but ask
to see the realization of the ideals and hopes for which they sacrificed their
lives.
Since 1996, every
time in a different city, in Palermo and
in many other places of the country, the long list of victims is read in public
events to mark the memory and make daily commitment: recite those names and
surnames as an endless civil rosary, to make them live again, to never let them
die; embrace all together sincerely the families of the innocent victims of the
mafia, not forgetting the victims of massacres, terrorism and duty.
World
Poetry Day
Every
year, on March 21st, World Poetry Day
is celebrated to promote linguistic diversity through poetic expression for
both this wonderful human expression but also to honour poets and oral
tradition and to promote writing and reading.
This
anniversary was wanted by UNESCO in 1999 to claim the power and importance of
poetry for our lives. especially in hard times.
There
are many ways to celebrate it, including online sharing of your favourite
poems, both personal and other authors, or participating in poetry events.
So what
will you celebrate the next 21 March?
AGNESE, 4sc
