Holidays on 21st June

International Day of Yoga

On 11th December 2014, the United Nations proclaimed 21st June as the International Day of Yoga by resoluation 69/131. It aims to raise awareness of the many benefits of practicing yoga.

World Giraffe Day

This holiday was established by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation (GCF) as a way of celebrating the tallest animal in the world. It uses the day to raise funds for the conservation of the wild giraffe population across the world and raise awareness about the challenges these animals face.

Greenland Day

This was set on the longest day of the year, set by the Greenland Home Rule in 1985, and was also the day on which the Act on Greenland Self-Government came into effect in 2009. It is celebrated in various ways, many of which hold a seal hunting competition in which hunters set off in their boats with the aim of being the first one to return with a seal.

World Music Day

This day was originally launched several decades ago in France. In 1982 the Ministry of Culture in France developed a clear idea to celebrate the wonders of music. They wanted free, live music to be available to everyone no matter what their heritage or background. The first “Fete de la Musique” took place in Paris in 1982. It is now celebrated by more than 120 countries around the world.

Father’s Day

This is a day set aside aside for honouring one’s father as well as fatherhood and the influence of fathers in society. The date is celebrated on different days around the world, but the most common one is the third Sunday in June. Lyndon Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, and then it was made a permanent national holiday by President Richard Nixon in 1972. Around this time the UK decided to adopt the same date.

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice in the Northern Hempishere is when the North Pole has maximum tilt towards the Sun, meaning the longest period of daylight and the shortest night of the year when the Sun as as its highest position in the sky. At the North Pole there is continuous daylight. It usually occurs on the 20th or 21st June.

The Winter Solstice occurs in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time.

The significance of the day is different in different countries. Sweden it is one of the year’s major holidays, and in the UK thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to mark the sunset and sunrise.