Prague Journal

Wednesday, June 1, 2005.

Today is International Children’s Day here and in Slovakia, Russia, Poland and the Baltics. (In other parts of the world International Children’s Day is celebrated in the fall.) Allegedly, celebrating children’s day on the first of June was initiated by the International Federation of Democratic Women during their meeting in the fall of 1949. However, its origin may date back to 1925 with the World Conference for the Wellbeing of Children in Geneva. It coincides with the beginning of summer and, since it takes place near the end of the school year, is usually treated as a holiday. Children attend schools on this day, but schools usually organize for them some special activities, like outdoor plays or the field trips. This day, and also the whole first week of June, is marked by festivities organized in the parks and entertainment centers. The parents usually buy some small gifts to their kids – the smaller the children the bigger the gifts. There are several children’s festivals in Prague this weekend, most of which have crafts, hikes and outdoor games for children. There are also some children’s concerts.
For me, it was a quiet day at home. Rick worked on math and I got sucked into a mystery novel. Rick went to his Czech lesson in the evening; I made a short run to the grocery store for apples, veggies, and ice cream bars. It’s been overcast most of the day, but the forecast is for warmer weather tomorrow and through the weekend.

posted by JWinn @ 8:47 PM