July 20 – Chess Day
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Today you should not work in the field and garden
July 20th is Chess Day, International Cake Day and World Jump Day. Believers honor the memory of the holy prophet Elijah.
Chess Day
Chess is synonymous with logical thinking, strategy and patience. This game goes back to the most ancient times – those in which man received the ability to think. Thanks to the artistic imagination, chess has absorbed the features of art, and thanks to accurate calculation – the properties of science. This is one of the few ways of leisure that improves brain function, memory and cognitive abilities. Statistics claim that 70% of people in the world have played chess at least once in their lives, and for 650 million it is a constant hobby.
Such a popular game could not remain without recognition at the highest level, which is why the world annually celebrates International Chess Day on July 20. National Chess Day in Ukraine also coincides with this date.
There are many versions about the inventor of chess. Authorship is sometimes attributed to the mythical Odysseus, who thus tried to amuse himself during the siege of Troy, as well as to the founder of ancient medicine Hippocrates and the Greek philosopher Aristotle. But it is logical to believe that chess is not the invention of one person.
International Cake Day
Every year on July 20, sweet tooths from all over the world celebrate International Cake Day. The delicious event originated in 2011, the creation initiative belongs to an international community of creative people called the “Milan Club” of the Kingdom of Love.
The purpose of International Cake Day is to attract humanity to peaceful and friendly coexistence, to spread this idea through culture. A separate theme of the event is chosen annually. Until July 20, they prepare themed cakes, organize sweet fairs, competitions, flash mobs, tea parties, auctions, etc.
World Jump Day
Every year on July 20, we celebrate a little-known, but healthy and ecological holiday – World Jump Day. This event was started by an artist named Torsten Lauschmann in 2006.
The goal of World Jump Day is to change the Earth’s orbit by having millions of people jump at the same time. After all, changing the earth’s orbit helps to improve the climate, namely, it fights global warming. However, there is no evidence of the impact of jumps on the orbit.
In addition to the ecological basis, the event has a sports and health purpose: jumping has a positive effect on the health of the heart and bones, helps to increase energy, strengthen muscles, improve metabolism, etc. July 20 is a great opportunity to have fun and strengthen your body by jumping: on a trampoline, from a bungee jump, with a rope, and so on.
What a religious holiday today
July 20 in the church calendar is the day of commemoration of the holy and glorious prophet Ilya. He was born in Tezva, in Gilead (modern Jordan), lived in the 9th century BC during the reign of the Israeli kings Ahaz and Jezebel.
Ilya is known for his uncompromising opposition to idolatry and corrupt government. He often exposed the sins of the kings and the people, calling them to repent and return to the true worship of God. Elijah announced to King Ahab that God was sending a three-year drought as punishment for idolatry. During the drought, Elijah stayed with a widow in Sarepta of Sidon. There he performed a miracle, increasing the widow’s supply of flour and oil, as well as resurrecting her son.
Elijah challenged the 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. He demonstrated the power of God when fire from heaven consumed his sacrifice, while the prophets of Baal were unable to summon their god. After the destruction of the prophets of Baal, Ilya fled from the anger of Jezebel to Mount Horeb, where God appeared to him in a silent vision. Ilya exposed King Ahab and his wife Jezebel in the unjust capture of Naboth’s vineyard and prophesied their death.
Ilya did not die a natural death. According to the Bible, he was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot. This event became a symbol of immortality and direct connection with God.
Read also: Church calendar for July 2024
What can not be done on this day
- You cannot work in the field or garden.
- You can’t refuse help.
- You should not quarrel, slander.
Folk signs
- Hear thunder – there will be no rain in the near future.
- The downpour means there will be many fires next year.
- Hot weather – wait for a dry autumn.
- If there is no rain, there will be no rain for another six weeks.
Commemorative events on July 20
- 1534 – The world’s first publishing house was registered in Cambridge.
- 1585 – John Davies’ expedition reached the southern tip of Greenland, which was called the Waste Land.
- 1671 – Petro Doroshenko began the siege of Bila Tserkva and sent the commanding hetman, brother Grigory, to Podillia. The Kalnytskyi regiment went to help the khan to fight against Khanenko’s Cossacks and Zaporozhians.
- 1771 – During the Russian-Turkish war of 1768-1774, Kafa was captured by the Zaporozhian Cossacks of Colonel Opanas Kovpak. The Russian period of the city’s history began.
- 1917 – Registered trademark “BMW”.
- 1917 – Representatives of the South Slavic peoples signed the Corfu Declaration on unification into a single state – the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.
- 1924 – The International Chess Federation was founded. Now this day is celebrated as International Chess Day.
- 1944 – Mutiny of the German resistance movement to kill Hitler and carry out a coup d’état.
- 1969 – The American spacecraft “Apollo-11” made the first ever landing on the moon.
- 1976 – The landing compartment of the American spacecraft “Viking-1” made a soft landing on the surface of Mars.
- 1993 – the statement of the Chairman of the UN Security Council that the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of the Russian Federation regarding the status of Sevastopol as a Russian city has no legal force.
Name day
Anton, Ivan, Nikita, Yakiv, Yan are celebrating Angel’s Day today.
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