Children's Day is a holiday in many countries around the world.

Contents

1 International Children's Day 2 Japan 3 Germany 4 India 5 Turkey

International Children's Day

The International Children's Day is celebrated in numerous countries, usually (but not always) on June 1 each year.

The ICD had its origin in the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva, Switzerland in 1925. It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the ICD: 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.

June 1 has since been observed as the ICD by numerous countries, especially by Communist countries; in the Western world the ICD is usually celebrated on other days of the year (if at all), and there are often little public awareness about these celebrations. (See the section on Germany below for further discussions.) Consequently there is sometimes a misperception that June 1 as the ICD was a Communist invention. Nonetheless, in recent years even some groups within the United States started observing the ICD on June 1.

Japan

Childeren's Day (こどもの日, Kodomo no hi) is one of the holidays in Japan. It is celebrated on May 5 each year, when Japan celebrate their children's growth on that day. Before World War II, it was called as "Tangonosekku" (端午の節句) and it was a festival for boys. But in 1948, when the festival became an official holiday, it became a holiday for wishing all children's happiness and welfare.

Children's Day is commemorated in Japan by flying flags in the shape of carps against the wind, symbolizing a child's determination to thrive against adversities.

Germany

During the cold war, the Children's Day (Kindertag) was handled quite differently in the two states. So, the date was different (GDR: Juni 1st, FRG: September, 20th), the name was slightly different (GDR: "International Children's Day" ("internationaler Kindertag"), FRG: "World Children's Day" ("Weltkindertag")), and most notably: the customs were different.

In the GDR, the holiday was intruduced in 1950, and was from then on a yearly highlight for the children. On this day of the year, one typically received congratulations and presents from one's parents, did special activities in school, such as field trips and the like. In the FRG, Children's day did not have such meaning to the children, and was even mostly unknown to many people.

Since the affiliation in 1990, the date and name used in the FRG have become the official ones for the former GDR as well. This however was not accepted by large parts of the former GDR population, so that still many parents celebrate with their kids on the former date, June 1st, and even Child's Day public events take place on the old date.

India

In India, the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru is celebrated as Children's Day every year, on November 14.

Turkey

April 23 is the "National Sovereignity and Children's Day" in Turkey. The date commemorates the opening of Turkish National Assembly in 1920 during the Turkish Independence War. The designation of Children's Day came in 1929 upon the recommendation of the Institution of Children's Protection. Since 1986 the turkish government organizes an international children's festival on April 23.