National Youth Day is a holiday dedicated to the
youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. Yo ...
s of a country. It is observed by 18 countries, on many dates throughout the year. The
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
agreed on the date of 12 August in 1999 in South Africa.
[
]
National Youth Day
International Youth Day
International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August, 2000.
Back ...
is an international observance
Lists of holidays by various categorizations.
Religious holidays
Abrahamic holidays (Middle Eastern)
Jewish holidays
* Chag HaMatzot (Feast of Unleavened Bread – 7 days of consumption of matzo with wine and avoidance of leavened food ...
on August 12 officially recognized by the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.The UN General Assembly agreed on this date in 1999.[International Youth Day]
UN.org, Retrieved 11 August 2016
Country wide list
Angola
On April 14, Angola
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observes Youth Day in memory of Hoji-ya-Henda, who was killed on that day during the Portuguese Colonial War
The Portuguese Colonial War ( pt, Guerra Colonial Portuguesa), also known in Portugal as the Overseas War () or in the former colonies as the War of Liberation (), and also known as the Angolan, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambican War of Independence, ...
br>
Cameroon
National Youth Day is a Public holiday, national holiday in Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
on February 11.
Greater China
Taiwan
Youth Day (青年節) in the Republic of China has been celebrated on June 16 since 1954. It commemorates the Huanghuagang Uprising
The Second Guangzhou (Canton) Uprising, known in Chinese as the Yellow Flower Mound Uprising or the Guangzhou Xinhai Uprising, was a failed uprising took place in China led by Huang Xing and his fellow revolutionaries against the Qing dynasty i ...
of 1911, during which 72 young revolutionaries sacrificed their lives to overthrow the Qing Dynasty. The Uprising took place on April 27 (the 29th day of the 3rd month in Chinese Calendar), 1911 and is subsequently known as 3.29 Guangzhou Uprising. This event also marked the last unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Qing before the Wuchang Uprising
The Wuchang Uprising was an armed rebellion against the ruling Qing dynasty that took place in Wuchang (now Wuchang District of Wuhan), Hubei, China on 10 October 1911, beginning the Xinhai Revolution that successfully overthrew China's last ...
overturned millennia of dynastic rule in China to establish the Republic of China.
Mainland China
In the People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, Youth Day (青年节) celebrated on May 4. It was established in December 1949 by the Government Administration Council to commemorate the patriotic May Fourth Movement
The May Fourth Movement was a Chinese anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement which grew out of student protests in Beijing on May 4, 1919. Students gathered in front of Tiananmen (The Gate of Heavenly Peace) to protest the Chines ...
in 1919, in which many young intellectuals protested against imperialists.
India
Youth Day in India is celebrated on 12 January on the birthday of Swami Vivekananda.
In 1984, the Government of India declared and decided to observe the Birthday of Swami Vivekananda (12 January, according to the English calendar) as National Youth Day every year from 1985 onwards. To quote from the Government of India's Communication, ‘It was felt that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth.’
Swami Vivekananda's Birthday, according to Indian Almanac (Vishuddha Siddhanta Almanac) is on Pausha Krishna Saptami tithi, which falls on different English Calendar dates every year. This is observed in various centres of Ramakrishna Math and Mission in a traditional Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
manner which includes mangalarati, special worship, homa
Homa may refer to:
Places Ethiopia
* Homa (woreda), a district in Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Kenya
* Homa Bay, a town and a bay on the shore of Lake Victoria in Kenya
* Homa Mountain, a volcano near Homa Bay, Kenya
Iran
* Chal Homa, Mark ...
(fire-ritual), meditation, devotional songs, religious discourses, sandhyarati (versper service in the evenings), and so on.
The National Youth Day is observed all over India at schools and colleges with processions, speeches, recitations, music, youth conventions, seminars, Yogasana presentation, competitions in essay-writing, recitations, speeches, music, sports, and other programs on 12 January every year dunce.
Iran
Youth Day is celebrated in Iran on 11th Shaban
Shaʽban ( ar, شَعْبَان, ') is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar. It is called as the month of "separation", as the word means "to disperse" or "to separate" because the pagan Arabs used to disperse in search of water.
The fiftee ...
(Hijri Ghamari) on the birthday of Hazrat e Alie Akbar (first son of Imam Hossein).
After Iran revolution in 1979 the Muslim government endeavored to replace most of the national days with religious events.
Kiribati
Youth Day is celebrated on the first Friday of August in Kiribati
Kiribati (), officially the Republic of Kiribati ( gil, ibaberikiKiribati),[Kiribati]
''The Wor ...
.
Morocco
Youth Day is a public holiday in Morocco on August 21, the birthday of the reigning monarch, Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس; born 21 August 1963) is the King of Morocco. He belongs to the 'Alawi dynasty and acceded to the throne on 23 July 1999, upon the death of his father, King Hassan II.
Upon ascending to the throne, Moh ...
.
Nigeria
President Muhammadu Buhari
Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015.
Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...
established National Youth Day in 2020 to find solutions to the issues that affect young people. It is held on November 1.
Pakistan
Youth Day is celebrated on March 11 in Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
Paraguay
Youth and Spring Day (''Día de la Primavera y la Juventud'') is celebrated on September 21 in Paraguay
Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...
, which marks the start of the spring season.
Singapore
Youth Day is celebrated on first Sunday of July every year in Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
.
The next day will normally be a scheduled school holiday. (Original date: 4 July)
South Africa
Youth Day on 16 June is a public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday, or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year.
Sovereign nations and territories observe holidays based on events of significance to their history ...
in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
and commemorates a protest which resulted in a wave of protests across the country known as the Soweto uprising of 1976.[June 16]
SAHistory, Retrieved 11 August 2016 It came in response to multiple issues with the Bantu Education Act
The Bantu Education Act 1953 (Act No. 47 of 1953; later renamed the Black Education Act, 1953) was a South African segregation law that legislated for several aspects of the apartheid system. Its major provision enforced racially-separated educati ...
and the government edict in 1974 that Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans gra ...
will be used as medium of instruction for certain subjects in black schools. The iconic picture of Hector Pieterson
Zolile Hector Pieterson (19 August 1964 – 16 June 1976) was a South African schoolboy who was shot and killed at the age of twelve during the Soweto uprising, when the police opened fire on black students protesting the enforcement of teach ...
whose sister now works at a museum which honours Hector Peterson and his family claim that the apartheid regime spelled his name wrong, a black schoolchild shot by the police, brought home to many people within and outside of South Africa the effect of the struggle during the Apartheid government's reign. It is celebrated as a public holiday across South Africa to remember the brave students who protest against Afrikaans as the only medium of language for education.
Thailand
On 20 September each year in Thailand, National Youth Day (, ''Wan Yaowachon Haeng Chat'') commemorates the birth dates of Kings Chulalongkorn and Ananda Mahidol
Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...
.
Thailand celebrates Youth Day on this date because of the many births in the month of September.
Turkey
Youth and Sports Day (''Gençlik ve Spor Bayramı'') on May 19 in Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
is dedicated to the youth. This day is also Atatürk Day (''Atatürk'ü Anma''), a day of commemoration of Kemal Atatürk Kemal may refer to:
;People
* Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a Turkish politician and the first president of Turkey
* Kemal (name), a common Turkish name
;Places
* Kemalpaşa, İzmir Province, Turkey
* Mustafakemalpaşa, Bursa Province, Turkey
;See als ...
, the "Father of Turkey", and the commemoration of the beginning of the national liberation movement initiated by Atatürk in 1919
The day is celebrated in honor of the arrival of Kemal Atatürk to Samsun
Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun recorded a population of 710,000 people. The cit ...
on May 19, 1919, when the Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...
began.
Tunisia
Youth Day is celebrated on March 21 in Tunisia
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just after celebration of their independence.[Youth day]
anydayguide.com, Retrieved 11 August 2016
Ukraine
Youth Day is celebrated in Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
on August 12.[In Ukraine, the date of celebration of Youth Day has been changed]
Ukrayinska Pravda – Zhyttia ("Life") (29 July 2021) Before 2022 it was celebrated on the last Sunday of June. The date was moved in 2021 "in order to support the desire of Ukrainian youth to integrate into the European community, affirm the values of democracy and freedom, as well as taking into account the initiative of youth organizations and movements." August 12 is the day International Youth Day
International Youth Day (IYD) is an awareness day designated by the United Nations. The purpose of the day is to draw attention to a given set of cultural and legal issues surrounding youth. The first IYD was observed on 12 August, 2000.
Back ...
is observed.
Venezuela
Youth Day is celebrated on February 12. The holiday was created to commemorate all the teenagers above 12 years old who fought and died in the Battle of La Victoria (1812)
The Battle of La Victoria occurred on 20 and 29 June 1812, in La Victoria, Venezuela. Both Spanish assaults on the city by captain Domingo de Monteverde against the forces of Francisco de Miranda were repulsed by the Venezuelan forces entrenched ...
, during the Venezuelan War of Independence, on February 12, 1814.
Yugoslavia
Youth Day was celebrated throughout the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
on May 25. This was also a celebration of Josip Broz Tito's birthday. Even though Tito was born on May 7, 1892, this date was chosen in remembrance of the Operation Rösselsprung in 1944, as well as the date of birth listed on his forged personal documents. In the weeks preceding the festival, youth ran a relay around the country, and on his birthday Tito was ceremonially presented with the baton. The baton, which had passed through all major cities, contained a symbolic birthday message, ostensibly from the youth of the whole country.
After the breakup of Yugoslavia, Youth Day continues to be celebrated in Tito's birthplace of Kumrovec
Kumrovec () is a village in the northern part Croatia, part of Krapina-Zagorje County. It sits on the Sutla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The Kumrovec municipality has 1,413 residents (2021), but the village itself has only 267 peop ...
, gathering several thousand visitors annually.
Zambia
Youth Day is celebrated on March 12.
Youth Day recalls the day in 1962 when young people were killed during the independence movement. The day celebrates young people and their contribution to development. It recognizes that the young people are the future leaders and must be treated as such.
Zimbabwe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe National Youth Day is February 21.
See also
World Youth Day
World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-L ...
– observed by the Roman Catholic Church
References
External links
National Youth Day : India
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{{South Africa Holidays
Types of secular holidays
Youth culture
Civil awareness days
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Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)