International Children's Day
The International Children's Day is observed on the first Monday of October.
A "Children's Day", as an event, is celebrated on various days in many places around the world, in particular to honor children.
The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland proclaimed June 1 to be International Children's Day in 1925. It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the International Children's Day: one theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA) gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in 1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with the conference in Geneva.
The holiday is celebrated on 1 June each year. It is usually marked with speeches on children's rights and wellbeing, children TV programs, parties, various actions involving or dedicated to children, families going out etc.
It was adopted mostly by former and current Communist and Socialist countries
SRILANKA
Universal Children's Day is celebrated on the first Sunday in Easter, this day was a holiday because it coincided with Ramazan., a Muslim festival. In Sri Lanka, it is a custom to take children somewhere special on this day. In schools, children are given sweets, and in nurseries and Grades 1 and 2, they are given presents. At home, various delicacies are made, and presents are given. Some Children's Parks will be free for children on October 1 in Sri Lanka. In 2008, Peter Hayes, the British High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, hosted a party, an event complete with free rides, a magic show and food for over a hundred children from nearby orphanages and from the streets. They were given gifts as well.
United States of AmericaChildren’s Day observations in the United States predate both Mother’s and Father’s Day, though a permanent annual single Children's Day observation is not made at the national level. Many parents claim that "every day is Children's Day."
The celebration of a special Children’s Day in America dates from the 1860s and earlier.
In 1856, Rev. Charles H. Leonard, D.D., then pastor of the First Universalist Church of Chelsea, Mass., set apart a Sunday for the dedication of children to the Christian life, and for the re-dedication of parents and guardians to bringing-up their children in Christian nurture. This service was first observed the second Sunday in June.
The Universalist Convention at Baltimore in September 1867, passed a resolution commending churches to set apart one Sunday in each year as Children’s Day.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at the Methodist Conference of 1868 recommended that second Sunday in June be annually observed as Children’s Day.
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in 1883 designated the “the second Sabbath in June as Children’s Day.”
Also in 1883, the National Council of Congregational Churches and nearly all the state bodies of that denomination in the United States passed resolutions commending the observance of the day. About this time many other denominations adopted similar recommendations.
Chase’s Calendar of Events cites Children’s Sunday and notes that The Commonwealth of Massachusetts issues an annual proclamation for the second Sunday in June.
Numerous churches and denominations currently observe the second Sunday in June including the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Church of the Nazarene.
Children & Youth Day in Hawaii started in 1994, when the Hawaii became the first Legislature to pass a law to recognize the first Sunday in October as "Children's Day." In 1997, the Legislature passed another landmark law designating the entire month of October as "Children and Youth Month."
Children's Day was proclaimed by President Bill Clinton to be held on October 8, 2000, in response to a letter written by a four year old girl inquiring if he would make a Children's Day for her.
"National Child's Day" was proclaimed by President George W. Bush as June 3, 2001 and in subsequent years on the first Sunday in June.
Nowhere in any of the proclamations did the President refer to the United Nations or the UN Resolution about Universal Child Day.
In 2009, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn issued a proclamation proclaiming the second Sunday in June as Children's Day as had the previous governor in 2007 and 2008. The mayors of Aurora and Batavia, Illinois, also have issued proclamations .
In May 2009, International Children's Day was celebrated at the Washington DC National Harborplace Hosted by the Ariel Foundation International and the Ariana-Leilani Children's Foundation.
Germany
Burning of "dirt and trash literature" at the 18th Elementary school in Berlin-Pankow (Buchholz), on the evening of International Children's Day, June 1st, 1955In Germany, during the Cold War, Children's Day (Kindertag) was handled quite differently in West Germany and East Germany. They were held on different dates in these two states. East Germany celebrated Children's Day on June 1 while West Germany celebrated it on September 20. The official names of Children's Day were also different. In East Germany, it was known as "International Children's Day" (Internationaler Kindertag), whereas in West Germany, it was called "World Children's Day" (Weltkindertag).
The customs of Children's Day were also significantly different in West and East Germany. In East Germany, the holiday was introduced in 1950, and was from then held on a yearly basis for the children. On this day of the year, children would typically be congratulated and would receive presents from their parents and did special activities in school, such as field trips and the like. In West Germany, Children's Day did not have such meaning to the children, and was even mostly unknown to many people.
After the reunification of East and West Germany occurred in 1990, the date and name of the event used in the West have become the official ones for the former East as well. This however was not accepted by large parts of the former East German population. Most parents still celebrate Children's Day on the former date of June 1, and public events pertaining to Children's Day take place on September 20.
EVENTS
Celebrations in Schools.
Celebrations bv Governments..
Celebrations by Unicef
