All You Need To Know About Children’s Day …

Children’s Day is on the 27th of May in Nigeria. It is an international holiday that was first established in Nigeria in 1964. The date it is celebrated varies between different countries. The day marks a celebration of children, raising awareness for issues that affect children and helping us appreciate that they are the future leaders of our societies.
While it is not a public holiday in Nigeria and businesses stay open, children are, in many cases, given a day off school to celebrate Children’s Day with their families and friends. It is an event observed and celebrated by people and organisations across Nigeria.
What happens on Children’s Day in Nigeria?
Usually, Children’s Day in Nigeria is celebrated with lots of parades and parties. Schools can organise the parades themselves and give children the opportunity to get involved in the celebrations. The Nigerian government organises an official annual parade for the event, with local teachers, parents and children all getting involved.
Some TV and radio stations also get involved in the fun, letting children broadcast and anchor programmes for part of the day. This can give young children some valuable experience in these roles and brighten up the day for viewers and listeners. As well as this, children might be offered the chance to shadow adults at work in their jobs – for example, some governors let children shadow them in office. This can help children gain some experience and inspire them to work hard for the future.
As part of Children’s Day, many religious groups also celebrate with parties and events for less privileged children. It’s often seen as an opportunity to highlight any plights that young Nigerians might face and aims to address these to help support the children of Nigeria.
History of Children’s Day
One of the earliest examples of a children’s day can be traced all the way back to the USA in 1857, where a pastor called, Charles Leonard, held a service for children at his Church. This service eventually became known locally as Children’s Day, and is an early example of a day dedicated to celebrating children.
Similar celebrations to this have occurred across the world. For example, Turkey has celebrated a national Children’s Day since 1920. Eventually, in 1925, International Children’s Day was first declared at the World Conference on Child Welfare in Geneva. In Moscow, the Women’s International Democratic Federation declared that June the 1st should be celebrated as an International Day for the Protection of Children, with other days announced across the globe.