People around the world marked two very different observances on September 15: the International Day of Democracy and Free Money Day. Orthodox Christians also honored the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God, one of several religious commemorations that fall on the date.
International Day of Democracy
The United Nations General Assembly established the International Day of Democracy in a resolution passed in 2007. The day is intended to encourage governments around the world to strengthen democratic institutions and practices within their own countries.
Free Money Day
Free Money Day is a kind of social experiment. Every September 15, people in different countries give money to strangers, with part of the money required to be passed on again to someone else.
The cash can be hidden in a public place, handed over in person, or sent electronically. Some cafe owners mark the day by offering customers free drinks and asking them to pass the cost on to another visitor or a friend instead.
According to the organizers behind the event, Free Money Day is meant as an experiment in generosity, designed to help people rethink their relationship with money.
Other observances marked on September 15
Several other unofficial holidays fall on the same date in Russia and around the world, including:
- Weight Loss Day
- Day of Unity of the Peoples of Dagestan
- Russian Day of Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance
- World Lymphoma Awareness Day
- Day of Dream Coincidences
- International Dot Day
Orthodox Christians honor the Kaluga icon
According to church tradition, the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God appeared in 1748 near Kaluga, in the home of a local landowner. Two servants were sorting through old belongings in the attic when one of them began using foul language and refused to stop despite her devout friend's pleas.
The woman spotted a portrait of a woman in dark clothing among the discarded items and mistook her for a nun, warning her friend that the abbess would be angry. Her friend laughed and spat on the portrait, and moments later she collapsed in a fit, according to the tradition.
The next day, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to the girl's parents and told them how their daughter had mocked her image. The family held a prayer service in front of the damaged icon and sprinkled the girl with holy water, after which she recovered, according to the tradition.
The icon was later placed in a village church. Tradition credits it with healing the sick on multiple occasions and with helping residents of Kaluga repel Napoleon's forces in 1812.
Other Orthodox commemorations
The Orthodox calendar also marks the memory of Saint John the Faster; the martyr Mamant along with his father, Theodotus, and mother, Rufina; the 3,628 martyrs of Nicomedia; and the finding of the relics of Venerable Theodosius of Totma.
Folk weather signs for September 15
Traditional folk sayings tied to the date include the belief that a sunny, cloudless day promises a warm autumn, while a scarlet sunset points to cold weather ahead. Low, hanging clouds are said to signal that conditions will worsen in the coming days, while rain on this day is thought to mean autumn will be dry. If the wind dies down and heavy dew falls, the sayings hold, autumn will be a pleasant one.
Prince Harry and Tom Hardy mark their birthdays
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, turned 42 on September 15. He is the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is fifth in line to the British throne, behind his older brother, Prince William, William's two sons and his daughter.
In 2018, Harry married the American actress Meghan Markle, a union that led to a public rift within the royal family. The couple later stepped back from royal duties and moved to the United States.
Harry and Meghan went on to star in a Netflix documentary series in which they discussed being bullied at Buckingham Palace. Harry also wrote about the experience in his memoir, "Spare."
British actor Tom Hardy turned 49 the same day. Hardy built his career playing tough, hard-edged characters, including roles in "Mad Max: Fury Road," "Warrior," "Inception" and "The Dark Knight Rises."
He has also appeared in the television series "Peaky Blinders" and "Taboo," the latter based on a story Hardy wrote himself.
Other birthdays on September 15
Other notable people born on September 15 include Kirill Lavrov (1925-2007), a Soviet and Russian actor and People's Artist of the USSR; American actor Tommy Lee Jones, 80; American film director Oliver Stone, 80; and Letizia, 54, Queen consort of Spain.
