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15 August: what is celebrated today
There are dates that seem made to remind us that we are more than work and routine. 15 August is one of them: a day to let go of the weight we carry on our shoulders, open ourselves to new energies and, at the same time, lift our gaze to the sky at one of the most beloved religious celebrations. Relaxation, reiki and devotion… three very different ways of celebrating, but with one common thread: the wellbeing of body and soul.
World Relaxation Day
There are no records documenting its origin, but there is one obvious fact: in the height of summer, World Relaxation Day gives us permission to stop. Not as a luxury, but as silent medicine against the stress that steals our health and joy.
Relaxing is like pressing the reset button on our own system: the body reorganises its functions, the mind clears out the noise and the mood recovers. It might be a yoga session under a tree, breathing slowly and deeply on the terrace, cycling at an unhurried pace or leaving the mobile phone in a drawer for 24 hours. The idea is the same: to give our bodies the chance to remind us what it feels like to be at peace.
International Homeless Animal Day
Every 17 August, International Homeless Animal Day is observed, a day promoted since 1992 by the International Society for Animal Rights (ISAR) to raise awareness of pet abandonment and encourage responsible adoption. The date also promotes sterilisation, identification and responsible care as key measures to reduce the population of animals living on the streets. It is an opportunity to support shelters and remember that adopting an animal entails a commitment for its entire life.
World Reiki Day
In Japan, a master named Mikao Usui rediscovered more than a century ago an ancient technique of healing with the hands. Today, his birthday is celebrated around the world as World Reiki Day.
Reiki is not only “universal energy” directed through the hands; it is also a moment to close one’s eyes and let the body remember how to heal itself. Workshops, group meditations and gatherings of practitioners fill this date, whose central idea is simple: sometimes the best medicine is a calm, steady and compassionate energy.
International Geocaching Day
The third Saturday of August becomes the most eagerly awaited date for thousands of adventurers around the world: geocachers. This global community practises a kind of modern “treasure hunt”, guided by GPS coordinates.
The game is simple but addictive: someone hides a “geocache” — a small container with a logbook — and shares its location. Whoever finds it records their visit, exchanges an item for another of equal or greater value and, in some cases, moves special “travellers”, such as travelbugs or geocoins, which have assigned missions and travel around the planet.
Geocaching was born in 2000 when David Ulmer celebrated the end of restrictions on the GPS signal by hiding a chest in Oregon (USA) and posting its coordinates on a forum. What began as a challenge among friends has become a network of millions of players and millions of treasures spread across more than 200 countries. Besides being fun, it encourages teamwork, contact with nature and the use of technology.
Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin
In Spain, 15 August has an echo that rings in every church and every square. The Assumption of the Virgin commemorates the belief that Mary was taken up to heaven body and soul. It is a day that combines the solemnity of the liturgy with the joy of patron-saint festivities.
From processions with flower-covered images to open-air dances and fireworks, every region puts its own stamp on it. Marian devotion, deeply rooted in the country, turns this day into a bridge between the sacred and the popular, between prayer and dancing.
This 15 August, whether lying in a hammock, receiving healing energy or following a procession, the message is the same: live more slowly, feel more deeply and celebrate that we are here to do it.