Among the holidays that do not have official status, there are also those where the date of celebration remains open so far. One of these holidays was International Bath Day.
The history of the appearance of this holiday is associated with the desire of workers, as well as builders of baths to establish their professional holiday, which is also associated with the deep cultural Slavic tradition – bath days.
The Russian tradition of bath days – is a whole ritual, for many modern people incomprehensible, and sometimes even frightening for foreigners. However, the bath tradition is not just about washing. The bathhouse was once upon a time in Russia a place of bathing, akin to purification. Therefore, it is not surprising that the bath day fell on Saturday, when people woke up clean not only with their bodies, but also with their souls.
After all, the bath allowed not just to wash the body. She gave a feeling of calm and relaxation. Exiting the bathhouse and traditional tea party in the evening gave the person an incredible sense of relaxation, similar to peace. From ancient times, the bathhouse was also a place of healing, when there was a park of different species of brooms in the decoctions and infusions of herbs. In a paired man, he could be cured of a cold, relax the muscles that were strained after hard work, calm the nervous system, cleanse the skin, etc. In fact, the bathhouse was one of the means of hardening, prevention of respiratory diseases, skin diseases and musculoskeletal system, and a means of relaxation. The culture of visiting the bathhouse has been instilled since childhood and contraindications to bath procedures were rare.
Different points of view go on the Internet regarding the date of the celebration of International Bath Day. According to one, it is proposed to celebrate it annually on June 14, timed to coincide with the memory day of the holy doctor Agapit Pechersky, who used, according to legend, as one of the means of treatment, including a bathhouse. Another point of view is that the bath day should be celebrated on July 6 on the day of Agraena Kupalnitsa ( Kupalsytsy ). On this day, in Russia, among other things, the harvesting of brooms for a year began.
In 2007, the Union of Russian Bans even appealed to the State Duma with a proposal to establish a professional holiday – Banser's Day with the aim of reviving the bath tradition and popularizing it among Russians. However, at the moment this initiative remains unresolved, despite the fact that it was supported by the leader of the LDPR V.V. Zhirinovsky.
In 2009, on October 11, an attempt was made in Odessa to establish a bathing day as part of the then rally of representatives of the banking business of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova. Despite the fact that the then-created International Association of Banner Arts ( MABI ) currently does not exist in fact, another date remains, established by the decision of this association as International Ban Day – October 11.
So it turns out that until the official day of the banquet appears, it can be celebrated three times a year: June 14, July 6 and October 11. Well, and this unofficial international status, obviously, will be worn for a very long time.