Lei Day is celebrated on May 1. A lei is a beautiful string or necklace of flowers native to the tropics, notably the islands of Hawaii. Lei Day honors a popular custom of presenting visitors with leis as soon as they arrive. A distinct variety of lei represents each island. The pink lokilani rose is the name of Maui’s lei. Whether you’ve visited the Pacific’s crown gem or not, Lei Day is a chance to daydream about the islands and plan a trip (or a return!) to the islands’ beautiful green coastlines. Big events mark the festivities across the islands including, as always, food and live music!
International Donor Conception Awareness Day
International Donor Conception Awareness Day, observed on April 27, aims to bring attention to families formed in a variety of ways as a result of medical infertility, genetic abnormalities, childhood or young adult cancer, and other factors. It is celebrated to remove the stigma and secrecy surrounding egg and sperm donation and conception. It also helps in creating awareness about the challenges and dilemmas regarding assisted reproductive technology and the expectable tensions between positive and negative feelings that can arise during this journey.
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day
International Chernobyl Disaster Remembrance Day is observed annually on April 26. It is a day that forever remembers the tragic day that The Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, officially named the Vladimir Lenin Nuclear Power Plant, experienced a malfunction during a systems test. The malfunction led to the release of massive amounts of radioactive material into the surrounding environment. As a result, parts of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus were left unsafe, and a 30-kilometer radius around the plant — the exclusion zone — uninhabitable. April 26 is a day that forces us to remember what happened and consider the implications of nuclear energy and the risks involved.