Holidays on 12th June

Anne Frank Day

This day marks the birthday of Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl who was murdered during the Holocaust. The day reflects and honours her life, making people learn about the prejudices in life. Anne lived in Amsterdam with her Jewish family, and had to go into hiding in July 1942 to avoid being taken to the Concentration Camps. She got an autograph book for her 13th birthday, and she kept a diary in there of her time in hiding. Unfortunately on 4th August 1944, she was found along with her family and other people hiding there, and took to the Auschwitz concentration camp. A couple of months later she was transferred to the Belsen-Bergen camp. She became weaker and caught diseases, dying of Typhus in February 1945, a few weeks before it was liberated by the British.

National Cougar Day

This day is celebrated to conserve this species from extinction and raise awareness about this.

Russia Day

This day has been celebrated since 1992 to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic on 12th June 1990. This marked the beginning of constitutional reform in the Russian Soviet state. There are concerts and fireworks that take place in many cities, as well as State Awards awarded to prominent Russian writers, scientists and humanitarian workers.

Nigeria Democracy Day

This is a national public holiday in the country. It marks the day the military handed over power to an elected civilian government in 1999, marking the beginning of the longest continuous civilian rule since Nigeria’s independence from colonial rule in 1960. It used to be celebrated on 29th May, marking the day when the newly elected Olusegun Obasanjo took office as President of Nigeria in 1999. On 6th June 2018, the President Buhari-led Federal Government of Nigeria declared 12th June to be the new Democracy Day. This was done to commemorate the democratic election of MKO Abiola on 12th June 1993, in what was adjudged to be Nigeria’s freest and fairest elections.

Philippines Independence Day

This commemorates the declaration of Philippine Independence from Spain in 1898. The Philippine Revolution began in 1896. The Pact of Blak-na-Bato signed on 14th December 1897 established a truce between the Spanish colonial government and the Filipino revolutionaries. Under its terms, Emilio Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders went into exile in Hong Kong. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, Commodore George Dewey sailed from Hong Kong to Manilla Bay leading the U.S. Navy Asiatic Squadron. On 1st May 1898, Dewey defeated the Spanish in the Battle of Manilla Bay, which put the U.S. in control of the Spanish colonial government. Later that month, the Navy transported Aguinaldo back to the Philippines. On 5th June 1898 he issued a decree at his house proclaiming that 12th June 1898 as a day of independence. But America and Spain didn’t recognise their independence, the Spanish government later ceding the Philippine archipelago to the United States in the 1898 Treaty of Paris. The Philippines Revolutionary Government did not recognise the treaty and the two sides fought the Philippine-American War. The USA granted independence to the Philippines on 4th July 1946, the date chosen as it was USAs independence day. That day was observed until 1962, when, on 12th May, President Diosdado Macapagal, issued Presidential Proclamation No.28, which declared 12th June as a special public holiday throughout the country, with the 4th July becoming Republic Day. 12th June used to be the country’s flag day, but this was moved to 28th May in 1965.