World Culture Day. International Day of Culture: the meaning and history of the holiday. Information about the holiday International Day of Culture

The date is associated with the signing April 15, 1935 Washington Treaty "On the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments" , known in international legal practice as the Roerich Pact. The initiative to celebrate the day of signing the Pact as International Day of Culture was taken by a public organization in 1998 International League for the Defense of Culture, established in 1996 by the International Center of the Roerichs.


N.K. Roerich

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 its creator "Roerich Pact".

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 ah peace.

Within the framework of the Pact, Roerich also proposed distinctive sign , which was supposed to mark protected cultural sites, – "Banner of Peace" , a kind of Banner of Culture, is a white cloth on which three touching amaranth circles are depicted - the past, present and future achievements of humanity, 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 should flutter over cultural objects as a guardian of the true spiritual values ​​of humanity.

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. 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 .

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

Raising the Roerich Banner of Peace and the state flags of Russia and India

In 2012, an international exhibition project dedicated to the history of the Roerich Pact was launched at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The exhibition project worked in 17 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and in 2014 it began its march through the cities of Russia.

By decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in order to attract public attention to issues of cultural development, preservation of cultural and historical heritage and the role Russian culture all over the world 2014 in Russia was declared the year of culture .

Over 1.5 thousand events took place as part of the Year of Culture. Exhibitions of Russian centers were organized in 46 countries around the world.

Based on materials from RIA Novosti

The date is associated with the signing on April 15, 1935 in Washington of the agreement “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 day of signing the Pact as the International Day of Culture was taken in 1998 by the public organization International League for the Defense of Culture, founded in 1996 by the International Center of the Roerichs.

Since that time, in many cities of Russia and around the world, on April 15, a solemn celebration of Culture Day is taking place with the raising of the Banner of Peace. In some Russian cities, International Day of Culture has been celebrated since 1995.

In December 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.

The proposal to hold World Culture Day was put forward by the artist Nicholas Roerich in 1931 in the Belgian city of Bruges at a conference dedicated to promoting an international treaty on the protection of cultural values. Roerich considered culture to be the main thing driving force on the path of improvement human society, saw in it the basis of unity of people different nationalities and religions. At the same time, the main task of the Day of Culture was named - a broad appeal to beauty and knowledge.

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.”

Roerich proposed the first international legal act on the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments.

The idea of ​​the need to conclude a special agreement on the protection of cultural monuments during wars arose and was expressed by him in 1904-1905 during the Russian-Japanese War at a meeting of the Russian architectural society. In 1929, Roerich came up with a draft Pact and addressed the peoples and governments of all countries.

In the 1930s it developed social movement supporters of the conclusion of the Pact, Roerich Pact societies were created in a number of countries. In 1931-1932, two international conferences dedicated to the Pact were held in the Belgian city of Bruges; in 1933, a third conference was held in Washington, which recommended that the governments of all countries sign the document.

The signing of the Roerich Pact took place on April 15, 1935 in Washington at the White House by representatives of 21 states of the American continent. Franklin Roosevelt, Romain Rolland, Bernard Shaw, Rabindranath Tagore, Herbert Wells, and Albert Einstein came out in support of the Pact.

Various events are annually dedicated to the International Day of Culture - exhibitions, round tables, conferences, etc.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

Roerich Pact

Modern humanity is distinguished from its ancient ancestors by a higher level of development. In principle, this difference can also be characterized by using the term “civilization.” However, it is wrong to think that people who lived long before us had completely wild ideas about certain things. For example, in the same Ancient Egypt, ancient Greece there was a concept of culture, and in the 19th century the development of the latter reached, one might say, its apogee. However, today every effort is being made to preserve cultural values ​​and traditions. One of the steps taken in this direction is the annual celebration of April 15 International Day culture.

Information about the holiday April 15 International Day of Culture

This date was established in 1998. The initiative to include it in the calendar of public events with international status belongs to representatives of the International League for the Defense of Culture. This public organization began its functioning two years earlier, having been established by the International Center of the Roerichs.

It must be said that International Day of Culture is even more closely connected with this surname. The fact is that on April 15, 1935, the so-called Roerich Pact, which is officially called the agreement “On the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments,” was signed in Washington. Nicholas Roerich, whose name was named after such an important document, was famous artist. 4 years before signing it, within the framework of a conference held in the Belgian city of Bruges, the figure proposed holding a World Culture Day. Roerich admired this, as he believed, the main driving force for the improvement of society and was absolutely convinced that it was culture that was the unifying link between people, regardless of their religion and nationality. Of course, Roerich’s proposal was supported, and as a result, those present made the appropriate decision to establish a holiday. At the same time, a clear formulation of the main task appeared significant date: call of the masses to knowledge and beauty.

The Roerich Pact, based on the unofficial name of the agreement, was also proposed by the artist. First, Roerich made a corresponding appeal at the very beginning of the last century to the warring states, including Russia, with a request to do everything possible to preserve cultural values ​​through the conclusion of a specific international agreement. However, the artist was not heard then. Roerich did not abandon his idea and in 1929 he independently developed and then published a draft of the corresponding treaty. The Roerich Pact became widely known throughout the world. He was supported by many cultural figures: writers, scientists, artists. Among them were Albert Einstein, Thomas Mann, Herbert Wells, Bernard Shaw, Rabindranath Tagore and others. And in many countries committees were formed in support of the famous document.

Currently, every year on April 15, a considerable number of world powers celebrate Culture Day by raising the Banner of Peace. This is happening in Russia too. This tradition appeared in December 2008, when public organizations in our country, Latvia, Lithuania, Cuba, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Argentina took the corresponding initiative. “Banner of Peace” is a distinctive sign proposed and approved, just like the Pact, by Nicholas Roerich. The author intended them to mark protected cultural sites. The "Banner of Peace" is a banner white depicting three touching amaranth circles, representing past, present and future human achievements. The listed circles, in addition to everything else, are framed by the ring of Eternity.

The meaning and principles of the Roerich Pact

The Treaty “On the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments” subsequently served as the basis for the creation of many modern documents in the field of protection cultural heritage. For example, on the basis of the Roerich Pact, some acts of the UNESCO organization were developed: “Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict” (1954), “Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illegal Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property "(1970), "Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage" (1972), "Declaration on the Deliberate Destruction of Cultural Heritage", "Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity".

The principles and provisions of the Roerich Pact played a huge role in the continued formation of legal norms in the field of cultural heritage protection. This is explained general character basic ideas of the contract. Here they are:

The Roerich Pact is unique. In fact, it became the first international document entirely devoted to the protection and preservation of cultural property, moreover, not containing a clause on violation of the document due to military necessity. In a broad sense, the Roerich Pact should be understood as the entire range of measures to protect the cultural heritage of the planet. It turns out that in addition to the legal Pact, it also has philosophical, evolutionary and educational significance.

Concept of culture

It remains to penetrate into the meaning of the hero of the occasion. In other words, to answer a seemingly banal, but in reality, answer is enough difficult question: “What is culture?” Translated from Latin, this term, derived from the verb “colo”, “colere”, means “cultivation”. Later, this word acquired a slightly different sound, while retaining its original meaning: culture is upbringing, development, education, reverence.

As a rule, the concept of culture is applicable to human activity, expressed in various manifestations. The source of culture is creativity and knowledge. At the same time, different periods of human development had their own concepts of culture. Thus, the ancient Greeks associated the latter with a sincere attitude towards everything they did, even cultivating the land. And in Russia XVIII– XIX centuries the word “enlightenment” was synonymous with culture.

Today we are accustomed to understand by culture all the best that has been created and is being created in the field of art, classical music, literature. And we associate the word “cultured” with a person who is literate, educated, and has good manners. However, there is no doubt that scientific and technological progress has a detrimental effect on the development of culture. Confirmation of this is the words of Oswald Spengler: “Civilization arises where culture dies.” The conclusion suggests itself: incredible efforts must be made to reconcile these two powerful “engines” of human development.

April 15 is celebrated as International Day of Culture. The date is associated with the signing on April 15, 1935 in Washington of the agreement “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 day of signing the Pact as the International Day of Culture was taken in 1998 by the public organization International League for the Defense of Culture, founded in 1996 by the International Center of the Roerichs.

Since that time, in many cities of Russia and around the world, on April 15, a solemn celebration of Culture Day is taking place with the raising of the Banner of Peace. In some Russian cities, International Day of Culture has been celebrated since 1995.

Since 1999, at the initiative of public organizations, this day has been celebrated as an international day of culture.

In December 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.

The proposal to hold World Culture Day was put forward by the artist Nicholas Roerich in 1931 in the Belgian city of Bruges at a conference dedicated to promoting an international treaty on the protection of cultural property. Roerich considered culture the main driving force towards the improvement of human society, and saw in it the basis for the unity of people of different nationalities and religions. At the same time, the main task of the Day of Culture was named - a broad appeal to beauty and knowledge. 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.”

The first international legal act on the protection of artistic and scientific institutions and historical monuments was also proposed by Roerich.
The idea of ​​​​creating organized protection of cultural values ​​arose from him at the very beginning of the century while studying the monuments of Russian antiquity. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904 forced the artist to think seriously about the threat that lay in the technical improvement of military means of destruction. In 1914, Nicholas Roerich addressed 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, but his appeal then remained unanswered. In 1929, Roerich prepared and published in various languages ​​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 were formed in many countries in support of the Roerich Pact. The draft Pact was approved by the Committee on Museum Affairs of the League of Nations, as well as the Pan American Union.

On April 15, 1935, in Washington, the leaders of 21 states of the American continent adopted an international treaty “On the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historical Monuments,” known as the Roerich Pact.

As part of the pact, the distinctive sign proposed by Roerich was approved, which 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. The pact contains general principles regarding the protection of cultural property and the respect due to it. The provision on 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 Roerich Pact has been used as the basis for many documents of modern international cooperation in the field of cultural heritage protection.

International Day of Culture in 2018 is celebrated on April 15, Sunday. This significant day does not relate to professional or any other holidays associated with specialized human activities, but refers to such a universal sphere of human existence as culture.

The history of the holiday

The history of the emergence of this amazing holiday is very interesting and indicative. It reflects spiritual and philosophical quests outstanding artist and the thinker and Nicholas Roerich (1874-1947).

The International Day of Culture can confidently be called the fruit of his efforts and the legacy that he left to humanity. For many years Nicholas Roerich addressed governments around the world with a call for the creation of an international Treaty on the protection of cultural property. Finally, with the support of the world community, such an agreement was signed on April 15, 1935 in Washington. It was called the “Roerich Pact”.

The purpose of this international legal act is to protect and preserve the best achievements of the human spirit and mind, to create conditions for the unification of all peoples on the basis of universal cultural values.

The Roerich Pact underlies many international documents in the field of preservation of cultural property, including a number of United Nations resolutions.

The symbol of this unique document was the Banner of Peace, which also has its own symbolism:

• the white color of the panel is a symbol of purity, Light, radiance and Beauty;
• three red (amaranth) circles touching each other - a symbol of the past, present, future. In a broader interpretation, the symbol of the trinity;
• a circle enclosing amaranth circles is a symbol of Eternity.

As the author of the Banner N.K. believed. Roerich, the symbolism of the proposed flag is not limited to any religion or tradition, it has ancient origin and denotes the unity of the universe. The Banner of Peace is placed on those who have great value cultural objects, which is especially important, according to Roerich, during military conflicts.

The philosophical concept of culture created by Nikolai Konstantinovich is interesting. By it he means the basis of the cosmic evolution of humanity, the knowledge of Beauty in the process of creativity. Culture is a synthesis highest achievements in the field of religion, science, art, education.

So, the emergence of the International Day of Culture is directly related to the signing of the Roerich Pact on April 15, 1935. But this holiday began to be celebrated very soon - only since 1998.

How to celebrate International Day of Culture

The initiator of the International Day of Culture was the public organization International League for the Defense of Culture established by the International Center of the Roerichs. Of course, the followers outstanding thinker there was no doubt what date to celebrate it significant event: it could only be April 15 - the day the Roerich Pact was signed.

The International League for the Defense of Culture and other public organizations hold numerous events on Culture Day:

• conferences, seminars and symposia on the problems of cultural protection;
• musical and poetry evenings;
• exhibitions of national cultures and much more;

All these events in many countries of the world, including Russia, are accompanied by the solemn raising of the Banner of Peace.

Use of the Banner of Peace