The day which people dedicate to planting trees is called the Arbor Day. Nowadays, this holiday is celebrated in different countries. Usually, the celebrations are held in spring. However, the celebration date depends on the climate and season, which is the most appropriate for planting trees.
Historical Facts
The mentioned day was first celebrated in 1594 in Mondoñedo - a Spanish village. This place is still planted with different trees. There is even a monument that reminds of that event. In 1805, the celebrations on the occasion of planting trees were held in Villanueva de la Sierra, a small village in Spain. The initiative was set up by the priest. He tried to persuade people that trees played a very important role in their lives. He said that trees were essential for a healthy life. In this way, a firm Arbor Day foundation was laid. The priest decided to make such a day a happy one. Thus, a big festival was organized. It started with a Mass. Then, the priest and a large number of people planted the first tree. The festivities lasted for three days. The priest suggested undertaking the initiative to all the neighbor towns.
Root of the Holiday in the USA
In the United Stated, the day devoted to planting trees was celebrated in Nebraska in 1872 for the first time. The founder of this holiday was J. Sterling Morton – a politician and journalist. His aim was to introduce innovative technique in the agricultural industry. However, most of all, he was famous for introducing such a great day.
Morton understood that planting trees is beneficial for the state of Nebraska and its economy. He started planting different types of trees on his farm by giving a good example to others. Morton said it was necessary to choose a day for planting trees and providing people with useful information about the significance of participating in such activity. The planting trees celebration that was held in Nebraska for the first time was successful. It was planted more than a million of trees. In 1884, such a day was celebrated for the second time. Finally, in 1885, it was decided to make this day an annual holiday which would be celebrated on April 22, i.e. on Morton’s birthday. By the way, there is an informative web resource called https://www.arborday.org where one can find a wealth of valuable information about celebrating such a day. After celebrating this holiday in Nebraska, other states started celebrating their own festivities. Now, the day devoted to planting trees is celebrated in each state on a different date.
In 1970, the President of the USA, Richard Nixon declared the day dedicated to planting tress celebrated on the last Friday in April a National Holiday. It should be noted that such a holiday is celebrated all over the world. Such countries as Australia, Belgium, China, Brazil, and others organize festivities on the occasion of this day. Each country has their own name for the day when they plant trees.
Celebrating the Holiday in Canada
The history of Arbor Day in Canada goes back to the time when Sir George W. Ross was the Minister of Education in Ontario. The celebration of this day was combined with that of the Empire Day. The reason for that was arousing children’s interest in making school grounds beautiful and evoking the feeling of patriotism. Canada celebrates the National Forest Week the last week of September. It should be admitted that the National Tree Day, which is equivalent to the discussed holiday, is celebrated on Wednesday of the mentioned week. In Ontario, the Arbor Week is celebrated from the end of April to the first Sunday in May.
If you own a house, celebrating such a day is a great chance to plant different trees and care about the future. Mind that trees have to be planted in the right way. Do not forget to examine the trees you are going to plant. Check whether there are some broken branches or insects on the trees. Just imagine how amazing your house surrounded with trees will look like. Moreover, the planted trees will protect you from heat and wind. What else can you do on your first Arbor Day? You may go to the local library and see whether it is possible to plant trees there. In addition, you may inspect the territory of your neighborhood to see whether there are some areas where you can plant trees to make your community more attractive.
