International Day of Culture. International Day of Culture: the meaning and history of the holiday International Day of Culture April 15 in the library

At school, my history teacher, in order to clearly explain to students what culture is, once said that culture is what remains after a person. And indeed, in most cases, culture is understood as human activity in its most varied manifestations, including all forms and methods of human self-realization and self-knowledge, the accumulation by man and society of various skills and abilities.

So what is culture?

The word "culture" translated from Sanskrit literally means "veneration of light", expressing the desire for knowledge of beauty, ideals and self-improvement. Translated from Latin cultura - cultivation, later - upbringing, education, development and veneration. Culture is the subject of study of philosophy, cultural studies, history, art history, linguistics, political science, ethnology, psychology, economics, pedagogy and other fields.

In a word, culture is a set of sustainable forms of human activity, without which it cannot be reproduced, and therefore cannot exist. Simply put, culture is a set of codes that prescribe certain behavior for a person with characteristic experiences and thoughts. Finally, the source of the origin of culture is considered to be only human activity, cognition and creativity.

On the part of humanity, studying and appreciating culture, preserving and protecting it is the main duty. After all, it is the consumer attitude towards the gifts of nature, inattention and neglect of historical monuments, the lack of spirituality in society, the veneration of exclusively material values - all these are clear signs of a lack of culture or simply lack of culture. And to educate and develop conscience, empathy and responsibility in a person - only culture is capable of this. Therefore, in order to emphasize the significance and value of all spheres of activity of the cultural world, this holiday was established on earth - International Day of Culture, which is celebrated annually in many countries around the world on April 15.

History of the holiday

The holiday was established on April 15, 1935 in honor of the adoption of the international treaty “On the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments,” which became known in international legal practice as the Roerich Pact.

The idea of creating organized protection of cultural property belongs to the outstanding painter and figure of Russian and world culture Nicholas Roerich, who saw culture as the main driving force on the path to improving human society, considered it the source and basis of unity of people of different nationalities and religions. At the beginning of the twentieth century, during the period of wars and redistribution of territories, while studying the monuments of Russian antiquity, Roerich understood how vitally important it was to preserve them. Therefore, in 1914, the artist turned to the Russian government and the governments of other warring countries with a proposal to ensure the safety of cultural property by concluding an appropriate international agreement. Unfortunately, his appeal remained unanswered at that time.

However, Roerich did not stop there, and in 1929 he prepared and published a draft treaty on the protection of cultural property, accompanying it with an appeal to the governments and peoples of all countries. The draft treaty immediately gained worldwide fame and wide response among the world community. And in support of the idea of Nicholas Roerich, Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein, Herbert Wells, Maurice Maeterlinck, Thomas Mann and Rabindranath Tagore spoke out. Moreover, committees in support of the Pact were founded in many countries. As a result, the draft Pact was approved by the Committee on Museum Affairs of the League of Nations, as well as the Pan American Union.

So it was Nicholas Roerich who became the ideologist and creator of the document on the protection of world cultural heritage, which was conceived as an international legal act of a universal nature. And on April 15, 1935, on the eve of World War II, in the White House in Washington, the heads of 21 states signed the first ever international treaty “On the protection of institutions serving the purposes of culture, science and art, as well as historical monuments,” named after its creator "Roerich Pact".

It is noteworthy that the Covenant contains general principles regarding the protection of cultural property and the respect due to it. The provision for the protection of objects is unconditional in the Pact and is not weakened by clauses on military necessity, which reduce the effectiveness of the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts.

As part of the Pact, Roerich also proposed a distinctive sign that was supposed to mark protected cultural objects - it became the Banner of Peace, a kind of Banner of Culture. This is a white cloth on which three touching amaranth circles are depicted, symbolizing the past, present and future achievements of mankind, surrounded by a ring of Eternity. This sign is international in nature and is found in works of art from different countries and peoples of the world from ancient times to the present. According to Roerich's plan, the Banner of Peace was to fly over cultural objects as a guardian of the true spiritual values of humanity.

"Banner of Peace" - a gift from the Nicholas Roerich Museum in New York

The Pact was destined to play an important role in the further formation of international legal norms and public activities in the field of cultural heritage protection. This treaty has been used as the basis for many documents of modern international cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection, including in a number of UNESCO acts.

How is Culture Day celebrated?

International Day of Culture is celebrated around the world with various festive cultural and educational events and promotions: in many countries, gala concerts, exhibitions of national cultures of the world, conferences, symposiums and lectures on various cultural topics, musical and poetry evenings, as well as theatrical performances and much more are organized.

According to tradition, on this day the Banner of Peace is also raised and all cultural workers are congratulated on their professional holiday.

By the way, the Banner of Peace can now be seen everywhere - in the UN buildings in New York and Vienna, in the State Duma of the Russian Federation, in cultural institutions of different countries, on the highest peaks of the world and even at the North and South Poles. And it was also lifted into space.

Today, in the era of globalization, when the earth is acutely experiencing serious economic and environmental crises, natural disasters and military conflicts, caring for culture is extremely important and relevant. After all, it is its increase and preservation that is still capable of uniting people regardless of their nationality, age, gender, status, and finally ending military conflicts and making politics and economics moral. Only the acceptance by states of culture as the only true and necessary force is the guarantee of peace on Earth.

The main difference between modern people and their ancestors is their higher degree of development. But it is a mistake to believe that a person who lived long before we were born had completely wild ideas about certain things. For example, in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece the development of culture was already observed. And currently, much effort is being made to preserve traditions and values that are significant to the world community. One of the clearest examples of this is the regular celebration of International Culture Day on April 15. The date was established in 1998 on the initiative of members of the World League for Cultural Preservation, founded in 1996.

For the first time, the idea of establishing this holiday was proposed by Nicholas Roerich. This event took place in 1931 in Belgium at a congress dedicated to the promotion of an interethnic pact for the protection of culture. At the conference, the key goal of the solemn date was announced - propaganda calling for the knowledge of all that is beautiful. In the spring of four years later, at the Roosevelt residence, the international agreement “Roerich Pact” on the protection of cultural property was adopted. Nicholas Roerich himself always called culture the only effective tool for the improvement of humanity, seeing in it the basis for the unification of all people, regardless of religion and affiliation with any one. or nation.

The decision to establish official protection of culture came to him in the first half of the last century, during the study of ancient Russian monuments. The Russian-Japanese military conflict, which occurred in 1904, forced the painter to seriously worry about the safety of cultural property.
In 1914, he approached Russian officials and the governments of the remaining warring states with the idea of ensuring the protection of ancient monuments through the conclusion of an appropriate treaty. However, the call was ignored. After 15 years, the artist drew up and published a draft agreement, supplementing it with a message to the residents of all countries. This document caused a wide resonance and found a response among the world community. Committees have been formed in individual states that strongly support the project. As a result, the Pact was approved.

Every year on April 15, many countries around the world celebrate this holiday. The list of events organized on this day all over the world, in particular in Russia, officially recognized as one of the most cultural states on Earth, is as diverse as the concept of culture itself.

The program includes:
- exhibitions dedicated to the culture of various nationalities;
- scientific congresses dedicated to this topic;
- educational lectures about the culture of different nations;
- holiday concerts;
- evenings of poetry and classical music;
- performances and stage performances.

An obligatory attribute of the event is the ceremonial raising of the Banner created by Roerich - a white canvas depicting three circles (symbols of the past, present and future).

How to help the Museum named after N.K. Roerich

Museum named after N.K. Roerich is public, which means that in many respects its activities are carried out thanks to the support of public assistants, patrons and benefactors. We will be grateful for any help! Only together with you will we be able to preserve the largest public Museum in Russia and the world, dedicated to the Roerich family, outstanding figures of world culture!

From January 14, the “Roerich Cultural Creative Association” resumes meetings on cultural and philosophical topics in the House of Culture named after. Gorky every Monday, at 18 o'clock at the address: Irkutsk, st. Klara Zetkin, 13 A. Stop for Griboyedov trams and Sverdlovsky Market buses. Everyone is welcome. Free admission. Tel. for inquiries: 8-964-105-38-10

Lecture plan 2018-2019

April 15 - World Culture Day

In recent years, on the initiative of the public organization International League for the Defense of Culture, Culture Day has been held in many cities in Russia and other countries. The date chosen for this Holiday, April 15, is associated with the signing on this day in 1935 of the world's first International Treaty for the Protection of Culture - the Peace Pact, or Roerich Pact.
Nicholas Konstantinovich Roerich belongs to the galaxy of brilliantly educated, comprehensively gifted figures of Russian and world culture and art of the 20th century. One of his most important contributions to the cultural development of mankind was the implementation of the “Treaty for the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments.”
The main idea of this document, which was signed in 1935 by 21 states, is the obligation of the parties to the treaty to protect cultural property in times of peace and during war, which was taken as the basis for the development of the 1954 Hague Convention.

Within the framework of the Pact itself, the proposed N.K. Roerich, a distinctive sign that was supposed to mark protected cultural objects. This sign was the “Banner of Peace” - a white cloth on which three touching amaranth circles are depicted - the past, present and future achievements of mankind, surrounded by a ring of Eternity.
On the basis and in development of the ideas of the Roerich Pact, the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954), the Convention on the Preservation of the Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003) were signed. ), Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005).
In December 2008, on the initiative of public organizations in Russia, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Latvia, Lithuania, the International Movement was created to establish April 15 as World Culture Day under the Banner of Peace.
At the XXII International Congress of Space Flight Participants in Prague, held in October 2009, the world's cosmonauts signed an appeal for the approval of World Culture Day.
On the initiative of the Irkutsk regional branch of the International League for the Defense of Culture, the regional festival “Day of Culture under the Banner of Peace” is being held in the Irkutsk region.
“Day of Culture under the Banner of Peace” is the annual celebration of the solemn Day of Culture, on the day of the adoption of the world’s first International document “On the protection and protection of cultural values” - the Pact of Culture of Nicholas Roerich, namely on April 15. Day of Culture, as a form that unites the creative participation of workers in education, culture, leisure, social and educational work, public organizations, enterprises, and all people in the matter of cultural construction.
Many educational institutions in the Irkutsk region responded to the call for events dedicated to World Culture Day.
An exhibition of reproductions by N.K. opened at school No. 9 in Bratsk. Roerich "Pages of Creativity".
At the Cultural and Exhibition Center on Lake Baikal, as part of the 2nd rally of the Planet of Kindness, library workers and students of school No. 50 in Slyudyanka held the “Banner of Peace” event for the participants of the rally. “We, people of our time, are trying to rethink the symbol of the Banner of Peace,” said their speech. Then, a teacher from the same school held a master class for the children on making a Banner of Peace badge.
An exhibition of reproductions of the Samara Center for Spiritual Culture “Women’s Portraits” opened in the exhibition hall of the Irkutsk Energy College under the Banner of Peace.
In Ust-Ilimsk, kindergarten No. 24 hosted a number of events dedicated to the Day of Culture: “Visiting Gorodets masters”, “Visiting Nastya”, “Russian Fair”.
On April 14, a Gala concert of the winners of the 2nd regional competition for young performers “Musical Spring”, dedicated to the Day of Culture, took place at the Angarsk Palace of Children and Youth Creativity.
On April 14, at the Cultural and Exhibition Center on Baikal, on the eve of the International Day of Culture under the Banner of Peace, an exhibition of children's drawings “Inspiration” opened, the participants of which were students and teachers of children's art school No. 2 in Irkutsk.
On the occasion of the Day of Culture, an exhibition of reproductions of the artist and humanist N.K. opened at the Bolshegoloustnenskaya primary school. Roerich.
On April 16, in the reading room of the Irkutsk Aviation College there will be a presentation on the topic: “April 15 is World Culture Day. The evolutionary significance of the Roerich Pact."
At school No. 42 in Irkutsk, a number of extracurricular activities and class hours are dedicated to Culture Day.
From April 9 to April 30, in kindergarten No. 7 “Brusnichka” in Shelekhov, as part of the Day of Culture under the Banner of Peace, the festival “Fairy-Tale World of Goodness and Beauty” will be held.
In the Ust-Udinsky district of the Irkutsk region, teachers from the Atalan and Svetlolobov schools will conduct classroom hours as part of the regional festival “Day of Culture under the Banner of Peace.”
The permanent exhibition “Roerich Pact. Banner of Peace" at the Cultural and Exhibition Center on Lake Baikal in the village of Staraya Angasolka, which everyone can visit.
Nicholas Roerich wrote: " Let us also affirm the World Day of Culture, when in all churches, in all schools and educational societies at the same time, we will be reminded of the true treasures of humanity, of creative heroic enthusiasm, of the improvement and beautification of life".
« I hope that the future is not too far off when Culture Day will become one of the most important holidays on Earth.“- said academician D.S. Likhachev.
This call is especially relevant today, when the Planet and the human community are experiencing ever new global economic and environmental crises, ongoing natural disasters and military conflicts. Only the rise of Culture can unite the people of the Earth, regardless of their nationality, age, gender, social and financial status, stop military conflicts and make politics and economics moral. Only the adoption of Culture by states as a national idea is a guarantee of Peace on Earth.

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We invite you to take part in the VIII Baikal Pedagogical Readings “Ideas of cosmic philosophy in pedagogy and education”, which will be held at the Cultural and Exhibition Center on Lake Baikal from July 18 to July 21, 2019. Teachers, educators, heads of educational institutions, specialists from educational authorities, methodologists, teachers of vocational education institutions, additional education teachers, students, parents, psychologists, librarians, and medical workers are invited to participate in pedagogical readings.

“Culture” translated from Sanskrit literally means “reverence for light,” expressing the desire for knowledge of beauty, ideals and self-improvement. It is necessary to study culture, remember it and protect it constantly. After all, it is the consumer attitude towards nature, the destruction of historical monuments, the crisis of spirituality in society, the pursuit of material values - all these are the first signs of lack of culture. And conscience, compassion, pride... - these feelings are inherent only to man, and they can be nurtured and developed only with the help of true culture. Therefore, in order to once again emphasize the importance of all spheres of activity of the cultural world, a special holiday was established - the International Day of Culture, which is celebrated in many countries around the world annually on April 15.

It was established in honor of the adoption on April 15, 1935 of the international treaty “On the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments,” which became known in international legal practice as the Roerich Pact. The initiative to celebrate the date of signing the Pact as the International Day of Culture was taken in 1998 by the International League for the Defense of Culture, founded two years earlier by the International Center of the Roerichs. This is a public organization whose activities are aimed at protecting and enhancing the achievements of culture, art, science, and religion. Later, proposals were also made to establish this holiday, and it was even celebrated in a number of countries. And in 2008, on the initiative of public organizations in Russia, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Latvia, and Lithuania, the International Movement was created to establish April 15 as World Culture Day under the Banner of Peace. And today this holiday is celebrated in different countries of the world.
Although Culture Day was established not very long ago, it has a centuries-old history. The idea of creating organized protection of cultural property belongs to the outstanding artist and figure of Russian and world culture Nicholas Roerich, who considered culture the main driving force on the path to improving human society, saw in it the basis for the unity of people of different nationalities and religions.

At the very beginning of the 20th century, during the period of wars and redistribution of territories, while studying the monuments of Russian antiquity, he understood how important it was to preserve them, and in 1914 he turned to the Russian government and the governments of other warring countries with a proposal to ensure the preservation of cultural values by concluding an appropriate international agreements. However, this appeal then remained unanswered. In 1929, Roerich prepared and published a draft treaty on the protection of cultural property, accompanying it with an appeal to the governments and peoples of all countries. The draft treaty received worldwide fame and wide response among the world community. Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein, Herbert Wells, Maurice Maeterlinck, Thomas Mann, Rabindranath Tagore supported the idea of Nicholas Roerich. Committees in support of the Pact were formed in many countries.

The draft Pact was approved by the Committee on Museum Affairs of the League of Nations, as well as the Pan American Union. By the way, the idea of holding World Culture Day also belongs to Nicholas Roerich - back in 1931 in the Belgian city of Bruges, at a conference dedicated to promoting an international treaty for the protection of cultural property, he made a proposal for this and outlined the main task of the Day - a broad appeal to beauty and knowledge , a reminder to humanity of true values. And in subsequent years, the artist called on the world community to take concrete actions in the name of preserving Culture. He consolidated the progressive public, became an ideologist and creator of a document on the protection of world cultural heritage, which was conceived as an international legal act of a universal nature. And on April 15, 1935, on the eve of World War II, in the White House in Washington, the heads of 21 states signed the first international treaty in the history of the Earth “On the protection of institutions serving the purposes of culture, science and art, as well as historical monuments,” named after him creator of the Roerich Pact.

The Covenant contains general principles regarding the protection of cultural property and the respect due to it. The provision for the protection of objects is unconditional in the Pact and is not weakened by clauses on military necessity, which reduce the effectiveness of the protection of cultural property in armed conflicts. The universality of the Pact lies in the fact that it contains general, fundamental provisions on the protection of cultural property, and also in the fact that it could be put into effect through the conclusion of both global and regional treaties. As part of the Pact, Roerich also proposed a distinctive sign that was supposed to mark protected cultural objects - the “Banner of Peace”, a kind of Banner of Culture - a white cloth depicting three touching amaranth circles - the past, present and future achievements of mankind, surrounded by a ring Eternity. This sign is international in nature and is found in works of art from different countries and peoples of the world from ancient times to the present.

According to Roerich's plan, the Banner of Peace should flutter over cultural objects as a guardian of the true spiritual values of humanity. And Nicholas Roerich devoted his entire subsequent life to uniting countries and peoples under the Banner of Peace and educating the younger generation on the basis of culture and beauty. And the Pact played an important role in the further formation of international legal norms and public activities in the field of cultural heritage protection. This treaty has been used as the basis for many documents of modern international cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection. Including in a number of UNESCO acts.

Today, when the world community is experiencing ever new global economic and environmental crises, natural disasters and military conflicts, caring for Culture is especially relevant. Only its rise and preservation can unite people regardless of their nationality, age, gender, social and financial status, stop military conflicts and make politics and economics moral. Only the adoption by states of Culture of the national idea is a guarantee of Peace on Earth. On the International Day of Culture itself, various festive events are held in many countries. Thus, in Russian cities, gala concerts, exhibitions of national cultures, conferences and lectures on various cultural topics, musical and poetry evenings, dance and theatrical performances and much more are held. Also on this day, the Banner of Peace is raised and all cultural workers are congratulated on their professional holiday. By the way, the Banner of Peace can now be seen everywhere - in the UN buildings in New York and Vienna, in the State Duma of Russia, in cultural institutions of different countries, on the highest peaks of the world and even at the North and South Poles. And it was also lifted into space, marking the beginning of the implementation of the International public scientific and educational space project “Banner of Peace”, in which Russian and foreign cosmonauts took part

“Culture” translated from Sanskrit literally means “reverence for light,” expressing the desire for knowledge of beauty, ideals and self-improvement.

It is necessary to study culture, remember it and protect it constantly. After all, it is the consumer attitude towards nature, the destruction of historical monuments, the crisis of spirituality in society, the pursuit of material values - all these are the first signs of lack of culture. A conscience, compassion, pride... - these feelings are inherent only to man, and they can be nurtured and developed only with the help of true culture.

Therefore, in order to once again emphasize the importance of all spheres of activity of the cultural world, a special holiday was established - the International Day of Culture, which is celebrated in many countries around the world annually on April 15.

Later, proposals were also made to establish this holiday, and it was even celebrated in a number of countries. And in 2008, on the initiative of public organizations in Russia, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Mexico, Cuba, Latvia, and Lithuania, the International Movement was created to establish April 15 as World Culture Day under the Banner of Peace. And today this holiday is celebrated in different countries of the world.

Although Culture Day was established not very long ago, it has a centuries-old history.

The idea of creating organized protection of cultural property belongs to the outstanding artist and figure of Russian and world culture Nicholas Roerich, who considered culture the main driving force on the path to improving human society, saw in it the basis for the unity of people of different nationalities and religions.

At the very beginning of the 20th century, During the period of wars and redistribution of territories, when studying the monuments of Russian antiquity, he understood how important it was to preserve them, and in 1914 he turned to the Russian government and the governments of other warring countries with a proposal to ensure the safety of cultural values by concluding an appropriate international agreement. However, this appeal then remained unanswered.

In 1929, Roerich prepared and published a draft treaty for the protection of cultural property , accompanying it with an appeal to the governments and peoples of all countries. The draft treaty received worldwide fame and wide response among the world community.

Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Albert Einstein, Herbert Wells, Maurice Maeterlinck, Thomas Mann, Rabindranath Tagore supported the idea of Nicholas Roerich.

Committees in support of the Pact were formed in many countries. The draft Pact was approved by the Committee on Museum Affairs of the League of Nations, as well as the Pan American Union.

He consolidated the progressive public, became an ideologist and creator of a document on the protection of world cultural heritage, which was conceived as an international legal act of a universal nature.

And on April 15, 1935, on the eve of World War II, in the White House in Washington, the heads of 21 states signed the first international treaty in the history of the Earth “On the protection of institutions serving the purposes of culture, science and art, as well as historical monuments,” named after him creator of the Roerich Pact.

The universality of the Pact lies in the fact that it contains general, fundamental provisions on the protection of cultural property, and also in the fact that it could be put into effect through the conclusion of both global and regional treaties. This treaty has been used as the basis for many documents of modern international cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection. Including in a number of UNESCO acts.

On the International Day of Culture itself, various festive events are held in many countries. Thus, in Russian cities, gala concerts, exhibitions of national cultures, conferences and lectures on various cultural topics, musical and poetry evenings, dance and theatrical performances and much more are held. Also on this day, the Banner of Peace is raised and all cultural workers are congratulated on their professional holiday.