Every year on September 24, an interesting professional holiday is celebrated — International Day of Caravan. It is celebrated by caravan leaders and other participants in transport convoys and ship caravans, truckers, merchant ship crews and escort ship crews.
This professional holiday was established in 1995 by the International Cargo Handling Co-ordination Association (ICHCA).
The date chosen for the holiday was September 24, —, the birthday of the famous British navigator and navigator of the 16–17th century, William Adams (September 24, 1564 — May 16, 1620). He is considered the first European to reach the shores of Japan. After his sea voyage in 1597-1600, William Adams lived in the Land of the Rising Sun for 20 years, playing a large role in the development of Japan's trade relations with England and Holland.
According to another version, International Caravan Day is timed to coincide with the end of the Hijri — holiday in honor of the resettlement of the Prophet Muhammad and the first Muslims from Mecca to Medina.
The word «caravan» itself originally meant a group of people traveling together, as well as their pack animals: camels, horses, donkeys. As a rule, traders united in this way for mutual assistance in dangerous areas. The most famous caravan route was the Great Silk Road, which connected China with the countries of Central Asia and has been known since the 2nd century BC.
The word «caravan» itself originally meant a group of people traveling together, as well as their pack animals (Photo: Mikadun, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
Subsequently, the name «caravan» spread to a convoy of transport ships transporting goods over long distances. Such caravans were actively used, for example, by the Venetian Trade Republic. Currently, ships follow the icebreaker — in — caravans along the Northern Sea Route. River caravans are also common. This is the name given to several barges or rafts that are driven by one tug.
Postcard «September 24 — International Caravan Day»