World Snake Day, held every year on July 16, aims to increase awareness regarding the over 3,500 snake species that exist across the world. Yes, that’s a lot of snakes! And, guess what? Not all of them are as scary or venomous as we believe them to be. The fascinating reptiles are often not given the recognition they deserve just because of the bad reputation they have earned over the years. For instance, a friend who is a traitor is known as a ‘snake.’ The day aims to change the negative perception surrounding snakes and promote the love for all living beings — even the ones we fear.
International Town Criers Day
While this may come as surprising news to many, International Town Criers Day, which falls on July 14 this year, is indeed a thing. It is celebrated on the second Monday of every year. Confused about what exactly a town crier is? We were too, as the term itself is one that has passed into posterity and is now archaic (much like the job itself). Also known as a bellman, a town crier was basically an officer of a royal court or public authority, whose job was to grab everyone’s attention in the streets in order to make official proclamations or announcements to the general public. While we’re not sure how effective this was, it must have been a weighty task indeed, and not for those prone to stage fright or afraid of large crowds. Who or what might be the modern equivalent of the ‘town crier’ today though? We’ll leave you to chew that over for a bit!
Shark Awareness Day
Shark Awareness Day on July 14 celebrates the wondrous sea creatures that have had a bad rep for quite a while now. When you think of the dangers of the sea, sharks definitely make it on the list because of the way they are depicted in movies and cartoons. However, Shark Awareness Day is not a day to cry foul at said innocent fish, but instead, it is a day of crying foul FOR them. The strong and extremely resilient predators are, in fact, more scared of humans than the other way around. There’s a bigger chance of being struck by lightning than being killed or attacked by a shark. From being killed because humans are scared of them to being harvested for their meat and fins, sharks have made it on the list of endangered species, which is bad news for them as well as the environment.