December 15, 2025 falls on a Monday and is the 349th day of the year. The date combines official, church, world and folk traditions, as well as a number of prohibitions that our ancestors advised us to observe. The holiday in Ukraine today is dedicated to employees of the judicial system, in the world - to one of the most popular drinks of humanity, and in the folk calendar this day was traditionally associated with the weather and harvest.
In Ukraine, December 15 is celebrated as Court Workers' Day, a professional holiday designed to honor the role of judges in ensuring the rule of law and citizens' trust in justice. This date is also associated with the birth of several prominent Ukrainians. Among them are artist Hanna Sobachko-Shostak, bandurist and reformer of the Ukrainian kobza Vasyl Yemets, literary critic and intellectual Solomiya Pavlychko, and football player Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The church calendar today honors Saint Stephen of Sourozh and other Crimean saints. According to the old style, which is no longer used by the OCU, the prophet Habakkuk was commemorated on this day. Believers traditionally turn to Saint Stephen with prayers for healing and strengthening in faith.
On December 15, the world celebrates International Tea Day, a holiday dedicated to a popular drink that has a centuries-old history and embodies the cultural traditions of dozens of nations. On this day, themed fairs, festivals, tea ceremonies and master classes on making different varieties of tea are held. In addition, today is Zamenhof Day - in honor of Ludwik Zamenhof, the creator of the international language Esperanto, which he conceived as a tool for simple and accessible communication between people from different countries. Other international dates include Cupcake Day, Pearl Day and Otaku Day.
In the folk calendar, December 15 has ancient weather signs. It was believed that frozen windows foreshadowed a bountiful vegetable harvest, and a large amount of snow - a good year for grain crops. Warming on this day was perceived as a sign of early spring. If crows and rooks gathered in large flocks, this meant that bad weather was approaching. Due to the traditional December frosts, people tried not to leave their homes once again, doing cleaning, needlework and preparing the household for winter. Bird feeders were hung in gardens, and their large number was considered a good omen.
Folk prohibitions on this day primarily concerned complaints. Our ancestors believed that complaints about health, lack of money, or the weather only worsened the situation. They also discouraged going fishing — the date was considered unlucky for this.
