What a week! Not only do we have the first day of Spring, there’s a long list of other great reasons to celebrate!
First Day of Spring on March 19
No sooner have we returned to amber-colored beer and natural-colored rivers after St. Patrick’s Day than it’s time to celebrate another green event: the arrival of Spring! The spring equinox, which takes place on March 19 at 11:06 PM (EDT) this year, marks the moment when the sun sits directly over the equator. On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world.
International Day of Happiness on March 20
About International Day of Happiness
The General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed March 20 the International Day of Happiness in July of 2012, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives. The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, which has recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. https://www.un.org/en/observances/happiness-day
The World Happiness Report 2024 launches March 20, 2024, and it’ll be fun to see who “wins” this year. I find it interesting that all the Scandinavian countries made the top 10 list in 2023, and only 2 countries were outside of Europe. Finland topped the list, followed by Denmark as No. 2, Iceland was No. 3, Sweden No. 6, and Norway No. 7. Other European countries were the Netherlands at No. 5, Switzerland at No. 8, and Luxembourg at No. 9. Israel was No. 4 and New Zealand No. 10.
UPDATE: The World Happiness Report 2024 was just launched and Finland is once again the happiest country in the world! The rest of the list is also very similar to last year (my Sweden moved up a spot! 🎉):
- 1. Finland
- 2. Denmark
- 3. Iceland
- 4. Sweden
- 5. Israel
- 6. Netherlands
- 7. Norway
- 8. Luxembourg
- 9. Switzerland
- 10. Australia
Congratulations to all these happy countries! 😃
International Color Day on March 21
About International Color Day
This day celebrates color, and was established by the International Colour Association (abbreviated as AIC for its French name, Association Internationale de la Couleur), which is composed of national color organizations and members in over 30 countries. The adoption of a worldwide day of color was first proposed in 2008 by the Portuguese Color Association. The proposal was agreed upon in 2009 and March 21st was chosen as the official date. Events on this day include art exhibitions, architectural projects, workshops on the use of color and light, contests on color and light design, and more. https://aic-color.org/icd
World Water Day on March 22
About World Water Day
World Water Day is an annual United Nations (UN) observance day that began in 1993. The theme in 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’. From UN’s website: “When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon the realization that water is not a resource to be competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life. This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow.” https://www.un.org/en/observances/water-day
Walk in the Sand Day & World Meteorological Day on March 23
About Walk in the Sand Day
Walk in the Sand Day is observed on the Saturday after the March Equinox. It was founded by Patti Jewel in 2012 to celebrate the healthy activity of walking barefoot in the sand, and has now expanded to a day to gather at the beaches around the world and take a walk in a global effort to raise awareness of the problems facing our beaches and the need to protect this beautiful natural land. https://walkinthesand.com/day/
About World Meteorological Day
World Meteorological Day was established in 1951 to commemorate the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization on 23 March 1950. WMO is the United Nations authoritative voice on the state and behavior of the Earth’s atmosphere, its interaction with the land and oceans, the weather and climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources. Their goal is a world where all nations, especially the most vulnerable, are more resilient to the socioeconomic consequences of extreme weather. https://wmo.int/about-wmo/our-mandate
Do you celebrate the first day of Spring? Or any of the other special days here? I celebrate almost everything with a walk on the beach, weather permitting, which seems extra fitting this week. I know these can be considered “made up holidays”, but I think every opportunity to celebrate is a good thing. And these are some really good reasons! 🙂
