October 27 is a date that combines several important meanings at once: church memory, Ukrainian linguistic identity, and folk signs about winter. Believers today remember Nestor the Chronicler. According to the new church style, it is on October 27 that the figure of a man who left behind key texts about the history of Kyivan Rus and the lives of early Ukrainian saints is honored. It is thanks to Nestor's works that we know a lot about the formation of ancient statehood, princes, civil strife, the first baptisms, and spiritual practices. In the old style, this date was the date of honoring Saint Nicholas the Holy One, a prince who renounced worldly life, and the Chernihiv and Kyiv righteous, as well as the martyrs Protasius and Paraskeva of Serbia. These names continue to live on in local church traditions, especially in northern Ukraine.
For Ukraine, this day has another dimension - linguistic. October 27 is the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language. This holiday is dedicated to the development of the Ukrainian language, education, culture and media. On this day, people usually talk about the history of the transition to Ukrainian, how public speech changed after the start of a full-scale war, and the responsibility of journalists, educators and bloggers for the quality of speech. A radio dictation is also traditionally held: anyone can join in writing a text live, and then send their work for verification. Authors of error-free texts receive gifts and public recognition. This is not just a game, but a way to show that Ukrainian is alive, modern and unites people around the world.
The world is not empty either. At the international level, October 27 is celebrated as World Audiovisual Heritage Day — a reminder of the importance of preserving film archives, television and radio recordings, historical videos and sound, because without this, the memory of entire eras is quickly lost. Also, in many countries today, school libraries are honored: they emphasize the role of librarians, open access to books, and the fact that reading in childhood directly affects a child's success in adulthood. In unofficial calendars, several more lighter dates are mentioned — Occupational Therapy Day, Teddy Bear Day, Beer Day, and even Pit Bull Day. They belong more to entertainment or professional communities, but are also actively spread on social networks.
October 27 is also the birthday of a number of famous historical figures. In different years, this day was the birthday of the navigator and explorer James Cook, the virtuoso composer Niccolò Paganini, the inventor of the sewing machine Isaac Singer, US President Theodore Roosevelt, actors Roberto Benigni and John Cleese, and the philosopher Francis Fukuyama. In the Ukrainian context, they talk about the composer Ivan Kyprian, the artist Leia Krasner (Krasner Lee), the historian Ivan Lysiak-Rudnytskyi, and the athlete Ruslana Taran. These names are often mentioned in schools and the media precisely as a reminder that Ukrainian culture and science are intertwined in the global context.
In folk tradition, October 27 is the day of promises. In ancient customs, it was believed that this was the right moment to make an internal agreement with oneself: to swear to quit a bad habit, to correct one's behavior, to do a good deed, to help someone close to one. The main thing is not to delay and to fulfill one's word as soon as possible. It was believed that the one who kept the promise would receive "permission from fate" to fulfill one's desire. Because of this, it was considered strictly forbidden to make empty, insincere promises or lie about one's intentions. A person who breaks his word on this day "breaks" his own luck.
Folk signs are tied to the weather and winter. If there is no rain, but the ground is wet, they expected an early winter. The north wind was interpreted as a sign of impending frost. If the birds fell silent and stopped singing, it meant the approach of gloomy and damp days. If there were many berries on the mountain ash, they said that December would be snowy. It was also noted that the day was favorable for any learning, learning new skills, baptizing children, and simply doing household chores.
What you can't do today: don't show off, slander, and refuse help. It's also undesirable to "throw words to the wind" — that is, to promise something that you definitely won't do. Traditionally, it was believed that such frivolity could return with conflicts in the family and prolonged misunderstandings.
