Sunday, the 15th of February, 2015 is the 46th day in 2015 and in the 7th calendar week
General Events:
International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day
February 15, 2015 in the World
International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is a global collaborative campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer. It spotlights the need for more equitable and better access to treatment and care for all children with cancer.
The event aimed to raise awareness on the challenges faced by children and adolescents with cancer and those who take care of them, and to advocate better health and research legislation.
Where is International Childhood Cancer Awareness Day?
Worldwide
Flag of Canada Day
February 15, 2015 in Canada
National Flag of Canada Day is observed on February 15, 2015. Flag Day, officially named National Flag of Canada Day, commemorates the inauguration of the Flag of Canada on that date in 1965. The day is marked by flying the flag, occasional public ceremonies, and educational programs in schools. It is not a public holiday, although there has been discussion about creating one.
The Maple Leaf flag replaced the Canadian Red Ensign, which had been, with various successive alterations, in conventional use as a Canadian national flag since 1868. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Lester Pearson, resolutions recommending the new flag were passed by the House of Commons on December 15, 1964, and by the Senate two days later. The flag was proclaimed by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on January 28, 1965, and took effect “upon, from and after” February 15.
National Flag of Canada Day was instituted in 1996 by an Order in Council from Governor General Roméo LeBlanc, on the initiative of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. It was decided National Flag Day would not be an acceptable name for the date, given the multiple uses of the word “nation” or “national” in Canada. The resulting inclusion of the words “of Canada” disambiguated exactly what nation was being referred to, but created a title that could be interpreted as suggesting there is a national flag for Canada Day.
Where is National Flag of Canada Day?
Nationwide Canada
Statehood Day in Serbia
February 15, 2015 in Serbia
Statehood Day (Serbia) takes place on February 15, 2015. Statehood Day is a holiday in Serbia to commemorate the outbreak of the Serbian revolution against Ottoman rule. The revolution ultimately resulted in the recognition of Serbia’s statehood by Ottoman Empire
Where is Statehood Day in Serbia?
Nationwide Serbia
Lupercalia
February 15, 2015 in the World
Valentine’s Day derives from a Christianized version of a pagan holiday. The name “Valentine” comes from one of two Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. One describes a Roman Christian martyred during the persecution of Claudis II, the other, a bishop of Terni who got martyred in Rome. There occurs several versions of the Christian legend but no one knows the truth for sure.
In pre-Christian Rome, people celebrated Lupercalia, a Roman holiday that took place during the ides of February (the 15th). They believed that the goddess Juno Februata (where the name February comes from) inflicted her “love fever” on the young and unwary. The fertility festival of Lupercalia (in honor of the pastoral god Lupercus) involved sexual excesses such as running around nude. The festival included the sacrificing of a goats whereupon women would be whipped with the hides of the animals just slain. Women would line up for the men to hit them, believing that it would make them fertile.
For years the Christian church tried to suppress the festival of Lupercalia. Interestingly, the Church did not object to the festival for its love celebrations but for the pagan beliefs that rejected the Christian god. In 496 C.E., Pope Gelasius abolished Lupercalia, and later the celebration of Valentine, named after the legendary St. Valentine, was established. Cupid was recast into a cherub, and the Lupercalia festival continues much as it had before, but without the sexual excesses.
Where is Lupercalia?
Worldwide
Susan B. Anthony Day
February 15, 2015 in the USA
Susan B. Anthony Day is a commemorative holiday to celebrate the birth of Susan B. Anthony and women’s suffrage in the United States. The holiday is February 15—Anthony’s birthday. This holiday is not celebrated at a national level. In 1985, The Seattle Times reported on a campaign to establish the holiday as one celebrated nationally.
In the state of Wisconsin, Susan B. Anthony Day is an established state holiday, which was enacted into law April 15, 1976, from the 1975 Laws of Wisconsin, Chapter 307, section 20. Likewise, this holiday is also commemorated in Florida as a legal state holiday. In West Virginia, this day is celebrated on Election Day on even years. The U.S. state of California has also made this day a legal holiday as of 2014. In 2004, New York governor George Pataki signed legislation that made this a holiday in the U.S. State of New York.
On February 11, 2011, Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York introduced the “Susan B. Anthony Birthday Act” (H.R. #655) to the 112th session of Congress to honor the birthday as a U.S. national holiday on the third Monday of February. The bill was not enacted and its current status is “dead”.
Where is Susan B. Anthony Day?
Nationwide USA
Parinirvana Day
February 15, 2015 in Asia
Parinirvana Day is observed on February 15, 2015. Parinirvana Day, or Nirvana Day is a Mahayana Buddhist holiday celebrated in East Asia. By some it is celebrated on the 8th February, but by most on the 15th February. It celebrates the day when the Buddha is said to have achieved Parinirvana, or complete Nirvana, upon the death of his physical body. Buddhists celebrate the death of the Buddha because they believe that since he was Enlightened, he was free from the pain of physical existence.
Where is Parinirvana Day?
Nationwide Asia
National Gumdrop Day
February 15, 2015 in the USA
National Gumdrop Day is celebrated on February 15, 2015. If you like gumdrops, you can honor them on that day by eating it Gumdrops are a type of candy. They are usually brightly colored gelatin- or pectin-based pieces, shaped like a truncated cone and coated in granulated sugar. This makes them very sweet.
Gumdrops come in fruit and spice varieties; the latter are also known as spice drops. Gumdrops, spice drops, and their variations are used in baking, candy crafting, decorating, and for eating out of hand. They are often used for decorating cakes and cupcakes. Around Christmas time, this candy is an ingredient used in making gingerbread houses.
In the United States, three other “old fashioned” gumdrop candies are also popular: Orange Slices, Licorice Babies, and Spearmint Leaves. All are larger in size than spice drops or gumdrops, are fruit slice, kewpie-doll, or leaf shaped, sprinkled with sugar, and are typically sold by the bag.
Where is National Gumdrop Day?
Nationwide USA
Historical Events on 15th February:
399 – Philosopher Socrates sentenced to death by the city of Athens for corrupting the minds of the youth and of impiety
1763 – Austria, Prussia & Saxony sign Treaty of Hubertusburg, marking the end of the French and Indian War and of the Seven Years War
1764 – St. Louis, Missouri founded as a French trading post by Pierre Laclade Ligue
1852 – Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits 1st patient
1900 – British troops relieve Kimberly, South Africa, a city under siege by the Boers since October 1899, during the Boer War.
1922 – Marconi begins regular broadcasting transmissions from Essex
1939 – German battleship Bismarck was launched
1948 – Mao Zedong’s army occupies Yenan
1965 – Canada replaces Union Jack flag with Maple Leaf
1971 – After 1,200 years Great Britain abandons 12-shilling system for the decimal currency
1989 – Israel attacks border strip Taba near Egypt
1995 – Population of People’s Republic of China hits 1.2 billion
2001 – First draft of the complete Human Genome is published in Nature
2005 – YouTube, the popular Internet site on which videos may be shared and viewed by others, is launched in the United States.
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