June 1st seems obvious, but Children's Day is celebrated in different countries on different dates. In Poland, it was celebrated not so long ago ... in September!
The history of the Children's Day celebrations is not very long - it dates back only less than a hundred years. It is hardly surprising, since childhood itself did not exist until the middle of the 18th century. We owe the definition of this period of human life to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who described childhood in the treatise "Emil, or on upbringing" in 1762 (by the way, he gave his children to a shelter). Of course, even before they became adults, humans were children, but no great importance was attached to this stage of development. In the medieval treatise "On the proper powers of all things" we can read:
The first period is childhood when teeth are growing; it begins with the birth of the child and lasts up to seven years; at this age what is born is called a baby , and it means the same as mute, because he cannot speak well yet or properly formulate sentences, because his teeth are still disordered and not strong enough.
Children's First Day
There was still a long way from recognizing childhood as an essential part of human life to celebrating it in the form of an official holiday. Yes it was really only in 1925 that a kind of Children's Day celebration was organized for the first time . The World Conference for the Welfare of Children was then organized in Geneva, during which the International Children's Day was proclaimed for the first time.
Grassroots initiatives for the youngest appeared earlier. For example, in 1857 the American Pastor Charles Leonard instituted the Day of the Rose (later called Flower Sunday and finally Children's Day). It fell on the second Sunday in June, and its celebration included ... a special mass for kids. The celebration of Children's Day in Poland was similar. They were organized for the first time in 1929 on the initiative of the Polish Childcare Committee. On September 22 children attended a special mass, and then school academies, excursions and games. They also received sweets as a gift.
Children's Day, Nebraska (USA), before 1920
Turkey was the first country to introduce this holiday into its official calendar. In 1920, Children's Day was established there, falling on April 23 . Interestingly, the Independence Day is celebrated there on the same day. Random coincidence? Not at all. The first president of the Republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, decided to dedicate this particular day to the youngest citizens, based on the otherwise correct assumption that children are the future of the nation.
Communist holiday?
June 1 was proposed as a date for celebrating childhood only in 1949 by the World Democratic Federation of Women (Women's International Democratic Federation, WIDF). It was supposed to be the best day to demonstrate the need to protect children from the evil of this world. In the early 1950s . this date of the Children's Day was adopted by the countries of the Eastern Bloc . For the first time, official celebrations were organized in 1950 in connection with ... the campaign of collecting signatures under the so-called the Stockholm Appeal. It called on all nations to ban the production of nuclear weapons, and its text essentially focused on supporting the policy of the USSR. From 1952, Children's Day, celebrated on June 1, became a permanent holiday in socialist countries.
For the first time, official celebrations were organized in 1950 in connection with ... an action of collecting signatures under the so-called the Stockholm Appeal.
This does not mean, however, that Children's Day is a communist holiday. Two years later - on December 14, 1954 - the United Nations established by resolution 838 the Universal Children's Day, also known as the Children's Rights Day . This holiday was described as "a day of world brotherhood and understanding among children, devoted to activities aimed at the implementation of the ideals and goals of the UN Charter [...] in the interest of children around the world". Doctor Aleksandra Urban-Podolan from the University of Zielona Góra writes:
In the resolution the UN General Assembly recommended all states to organize the celebration of the Universal Children's Day, however, leaving the freedom to choose the form and date which they deem appropriate. It also called on all cultural, social, professional and other organizations. to actively support and join the celebration of this holiday.
Children's Day? Every month!
This freedom introduced a bit of confusion in the calendars. Although it must be admitted that - at least from the children's point of view - the confusion is rather pleasant. For if you decide to celebrate all the Children's Days that happen in the world, you can celebrate the holiday of the youngest practically every month!
And so the United Nations celebrates Universal Children's Day on November 20 - on the anniversary of the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. In France and Italy, Family Day falls on January 6 (the Feast of the Three Kings who came to Bethlehem to give little Jesus gifts) . In Japan, boys and girls celebrate separately on May 5 and March 3, respectively. . There are also two Children's Days in Germany:June 1 and September 20, but without any gender division. In Paraguay, this day commemorates the youngest victims of the Battle of Acosta Nu in 1869, which is why it is celebrated on August 16.
The first official celebration of Children's Day in Poland
However, there are more occasions to celebrate childhood. Dr. Urban-Podolan also lists related holidays, including:
International Day of Children-Soldiers (12/02), International Day of Street Children (12/04), International Day of Missing Children (25/05), Day of Children Being Victims of Aggression (04/06), African Children Day (16/06), Remembrance of the Children of the Unborn and the Dead (15.10), The International Day of White Orchids (first Sunday in April) and others.
Children's rights every day
As you can see, not all these occasions are joyful, but the initiators of creating this holiday were not about fun either. Yes, The Declaration on the Rights of the Child states that "humanity should give the child the best it has" and to provide him with "a happy childhood and the enjoyment, both in his interest and in the interest of society, of his rights and freedoms". However, it regulates not only the right to development or care, but also protection against neglect, cruelty, exploitation, discrimination and violence.
Poster for Children's Day, 1980s.
For this reason, the celebration of Children's Day is not only about games and gifts, but also serious talks and politics. In Poland, since 1994, the Seym of Children and Youth has been debating on June 1 (sessions were not held only in 1999, 2020 and 2021). In Sweden, it is not customary to give gifts to the youngest. Instead, Children's Day is devoted to discussing the most important issues relating to children.