News
1 August: what is celebrated today
1 August is a date that is especially dense with meaning. It speaks of joy as an everyday choice, of the ancestral bond with the Earth, of the science that sustains life in the invisible and of the most basic form of care: feeding. Emotion, tradition, knowledge and body are interwoven in a single day, reminding us that living also means knowing how to give thanks, to understand and to protect.
World Day of Joy
Established in 2010 at the initiative of Colombian cultural manager Alfonso Becerra, this day proposes something as simple as it is revolutionary: taking joy seriously. Not as permanent euphoria, but as an emotion that gives meaning, energy and resilience to everyday life.
Joy is not universal in its forms, but it is in its effects. It improves health, strengthens bonds and is contagious. Sometimes it appears in shared laughter, on a walk, in a simple meal or in contact with nature. Celebrating it means recognising its transformative power, even—or especially—in difficult contexts.
Pachamama Day
In many regions of Latin America, 1 August is a sacred day: Pachamama, Mother Earth, is honoured. Rooted in Quechua, this concept brings together spirituality, territory and community. Through ancestral rituals, offerings and ceremonies, Andean peoples give thanks for the harvests and ask for balance in the time to come.
Beyond the ritual, Pachamama Day is an urgent call to rethink our relationship with the planet. Deforestation, fires, pollution and extractivism threaten not only ecosystems, but entire cultures. Honouring the Earth today also means changing habits and taking on collective responsibility.
World RNA Day
Science also has its place on this 1 August with World RNA Day, celebrated since 2018. The date plays on a scientific nod: August 1st and the AUG codon, which initiates protein synthesis in cells. RNA is an essential molecule, a bridge between DNA and life in action.
Giving RNA visibility means recognising that much of what we are happens on a microscopic scale. Thanks to it, proteins are made, vital processes are regulated and the complexity of organisms is sustained. A reminder that life depends as much on the visible as on the imperceptible.
World Breastfeeding Week
From 1 to 7 August, World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated, promoted by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, and coordinated by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action. Although in some European countries it is moved to October, its symbolic start coincides with this day.
Breastfeeding is an intimate and, at the same time, social act. It provides unquestionable benefits for the health of the baby and the mother, reduces inequalities and has a positive environmental impact. Celebrating this week means defending the right to breastfeed with support, information and environments that make it possible.