13 February: what is celebrated today

World Radio Day

UNESCO chose 13 February to celebrate World Radio Day, recognising a medium which, despite the technological changes of the last century, remains irreplaceable. Radio kept people company on nights of war, bore witness to the sinking of the Titanic, was the unwitting protagonist of the panic unleashed by The War of the Worlds, and was an essential tool for coordinating rescues and emergencies. Today, when the 2025 motto links it to climate change, its role is once again crucial: having a reliable voice when the environment becomes unstable, when natural disasters cut off other channels of communication, when the urgent need is to understand what is happening.

But radio is much more than an alert channel: it is a plurality of accents, debates, music and stories that reach places where screens do not. It is a relatively inexpensive medium, accessible to rural communities, working-class neighbourhoods and listeners who need only a simple set —or a connected telephone— to join a conversation with the world. From the first experimental broadcasts disputed between Tesla and Marconi to modern community radio stations and podcasts, radio has shown that the spoken word can remain a refuge, a forum and a way of creating community amid digital noise.

Singles’ Day

One day before Valentine’s Day, Singles’ Day stands as a kind of ironic counterpoint to the exaltation of romantic love. It arose for people without a partner —single people, separated women, widows and divorced women— who find themselves surrounded by red hearts, dinners for two and advertising campaigns that seem to say that only love within a couple deserves to be celebrated. 13 February offers another perspective: that of people who enjoy their independence, build personal projects without needing a marital “we”, and find other forms of connection in friendship, work, leisure or family.

Although it does not have the commercial clout of Valentine’s Day, Singles’ Day has been gaining ground, especially on social media, among travel agencies and in proposals specifically for singles. In some countries it is experienced almost as an anti-Valentine’s Day that champions self-love over romantic expectations. Parties, getaways, group dinners or simple plans at home are organised to celebrate the fact that being alone is not a failure, but a life situation as legitimate as any other. Against the single narrative of the ideal couple, this day reminds us that happiness can also be written in the singular.

International Condom Day

International Condom Day puts at its centre something as simple and as political as a piece of latex: a physical barrier that protects lives. The observance, backed by the WHO and numerous health organisations, seeks to dismantle taboos, inform without moralising and remember that the condom remains the only method that combines protection against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. In times of information overload and fake news, relearning the basics —how it is used, why it is effective, why it should be within everyone’s reach— becomes an act of collective responsibility.

The history of the condom is long and curious: from animal intestines and fabrics in Ancient Egypt to current models, discreet, accessible and regulated. Although myths about loss of sensitivity or discomfort persist, numerous studies show that pleasure does not disappear with condom use; what does decrease dramatically is risk. On 13 February, on the eve of the great celebration of romantic love, this day reminds us that desire also needs care, information and consent, and that sexual health is a fundamental part of a full life.

World Infidelity Day or World Lovers’ Day

World Infidelity Day —also known as World Lovers’ Day— originated in the United States in connection with a dating site for people who already had a partner. Its existence makes people uncomfortable, scandalises them or prompts laughter, but it also puts on the table something that statistics confirm: around Valentine’s Day, clandestine meetings, alibis of “work meetings” and parallel stories that do not appear on romantic postcards increase. This 13 February is, for some, the date reserved for the “other” relationship: discreet gifts, anonymous hotels, messages hidden in the daily routine.

Beyond the anecdote, Infidelity Day acts as a mirror of a complex emotional reality, where the desire for stability coexists with the search for excitement, emotional voids with the need for recognition. Surveys refer to motives such as insecurity, revenge, excessive responsibilities or the feeling of being invisible within the couple. This day neither legitimises betrayal nor gives moral lessons, but it does show to what extent contemporary relationships wrestle with ideals of fidelity and far less clear-cut practices. And it compels us to talk about communication, expectations and care, even when the subject is uncomfortable.

Internet Friends Day

Internet Friends Day celebrates a form of friendship that a few decades ago would have seemed like science fiction: bonds born in forums, social networks, online video games or apps which often become as solid as those in the physical world. They are people we may never have hugged, but who know our sleepless hours, the fears we confess at dawn and the obsessions we share in endless threads. On the so-called information superhighway, these digital friends give a human face and voice to a network that could otherwise be only noise.

At the same time, the day reminds us that online friendship needs to go hand in hand with digital security. Making friends online involves learning to protect personal data, recognise fake profiles, avoid toxic dynamics and take care of our own exposure. Apps for meeting people, themed communities and global networks expand the possibilities of finding like-minded people anywhere in the world, but they also require a critical spirit. On 13 February, while some celebrate radio and others prepare for Valentine’s Day, this day champions the value of those friendships that arrive by notification and stay, conversation after conversation, as real companionship on the other side of the screen.