If the planet was a man, I would tell him many years!

Since 1970, our planet has been celebrated annually on April 22, through two important events: the Planet Earth Day and the International Mother’s Day.

International Mother-Earth Day, established by the UN by resolution 63/278 in 2009, is recognized by all Member States. The concept of « mother-earth » comes from ancient traditions and expresses the deep connection between people and the planet that supports their lives.

The earth, the one who holds us all, holds us and will keep us, « the one who nourishes us, endures our nonsense and wickedness and endures the sufferings we cause, certainly deserves the » mother « qualities with which the old civilizations have endowed and which we sometimes attribute, or not. And it is certainly worth a day – although our care for the mother should be one everyday. But at least once a year, a day of the 365/366 as it has, we can think of the planet as a superior body, whose existence also allows our existence, of the people who are part of it. Therefore, a day for the planet: in 2009, the United Nations declared April 22 as the International Day of Mother Earth.

Greek mythology made a goddess, Geea or Gaia, the primordial divinity that gave rise to all the other gods, and the concept is one of the most durable and constant in the history of mankind, manifested in hundreds of variants, from the Earth Mater of the Romans, to the Mame-gods-which personifies the earth, the most of the land, space.

The Planet Earth Day was first marked in 1970, when 20 million Americans participated in events dedicated to environmental protection. The initiative belonged to the American Senator Gaylord Nelson and was initially celebrated only in the US.

Then, Nelson, a convinced environmentalist, wanted to organize a big event dedicated to the environment, to make young Americans aware of the existing problems and the need to get involved in solving them.

The impression produced by a terrible ecological accident of 1969 (a massive oil spill on the California Coast) and the lack of involvement of the Washington government caused Nelson to call to organize as many colleagues in the United States.

And he set up this day of the Earth, choosing April 22 for reasons in the objective and practical reasons: it was in a Wednesday (in 1970), so the young people were at school, not busy with weekends; He did not overlap with a religious holiday, he did not fall during the exam period, nor during the spring and students’ spring vacation and it was expected that at that time it would be beautiful time. It was like that everywhere, sometimes it rained all day, but you can’t even foresee everything.

And, also from the category « you cannot foresee everything », one and louder: Senator Nelson had no idea that, by chance, April 22, 1970 was the centenary of Lenin’s birth; Others, however, thought about it and worried everything. In the 1970s, few things feared the Americans louder than communism, and the most paranoids saw in the call, launched by Nelson, a hidden and treacherous intention. According to some sources, the FBI would have been involved in the problem, discreetly supervising the demonstrations that took place in honor of Mother Earth, for fear of being in honor of Lenin.

However, the first day of the Earth, April 22, 1970, enjoyed a large and enthusiastic participation: over 20 million Americans took part, and the event is considered to mark the beginning of the modern ecological movement.

Over the years, in 1990, an organization established by Denis Hayes, who had been coordinator of the event in 1970, led to a new level: he organized the International Celebration of Earth Day, with 141 participating nations.

Today, the Earth’s « anniversary », coordinated by Earth Day Network, is celebrated in over 175 countries, many communities extending the celebration duration up to one week of the Earth – a whole week of environmental activities.

And in 2009, the UN was involved in what had been, until then, the « apanage » of non-governmental organizations and, reviving, over the millennia, the vision of the planet as a « mother » of life, proclaimed the day of April 22 as the anniversary of the Planet Earth Day.

Sources: https://www.descopera.ro/galerii/8180395-terra-zeita-mama-su-Sururorganism?pic=10; https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/ziua_planetei_p%C4%83m%C3%A2nt; https://climate.nasa.gov/adopt-the-planet/.