📬 When is National Postal Worker Day 2024

You’ve just ordered a pair of fashionable sneakers on eBay but you’ve already started to look from time to time at the window waiting for this person to show up at your porch with a precious delivery notice in hand. You are merely preparing your application documents but you’re already too nervous to see him – or her – shoving the reply letter into the mailbox. Sometimes you wince at seeing them because you know that their appearance brings along a pile of various ads and sales letters.

It’s all about them – the postal workers – and every their visit can’t go unnoticed. They are a cog, but a crucial one, in the large machine of delivering information in the 21st century. Of course, they can’t help being honored with a special day. Do you know when is Postal Worker Day in 2024? Anyway, enrich your mind!

History

It’s always interesting, how did it all begin, isn’t it?

History of the post is closely connected with the appearance of writing and the growth of ancient civilizations. The empires took up the large territories that had to be controlled incessantly. As the ruler resided in the capital, which was located far from the subject lands, the sort of a postal system was built to meet the needs of the constant notification on what’s happening within the empire.

The first known communication in the form of the post was organized around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia with the help of the clay plates. They were mainly used for passing the news such as the civil unrests, attacks of the enemies or the natural disasters and didn’t serve the purpose of communication between the folks. The Ancient Egypt created the system of the special people who carried the mail either by foot or riding a horse, providing the connection with the neighboring states. All the powerful empires arranged the service of the state post – the messages were delivered by the carriers in the form of relay or in the carts pulled by horses – and the interstate post – also involving horses and the ships for the oversea communication.

Moving on to the Middle Ages, in the feudal Europe there was an advanced service of the message delivery among the cloisters, churches, and abbeys. The post connected the distant complexes with the head of the Church in Rome. Keeping up with this kind of post, the university mail had numerous couriers that helped to exchange the news between the students and their families.

The further development of the science and culture, trade and crafts, resulted in the setting various systems and posts that served the related segment of the population. For example, the merchant post was established at the huge merchant houses that owned their personal messengers. The butchers’ community that travels great distances for the products concluded treaties with the cities to perform the transportation of the mail. In time, the common people could use those as well.

The 16th century was marked with the appearance of the centralized government post. In the European states, it was considered to be rather an obligation than a wish of the ruler. The building of the railways and development of the steamship travels entailed the spread of the post services within the countries and between them. Even the most remote lands could communicate at that time.

In the 19th century, people got to know the envelope and the stamp, both invented in England. As the communication lines across the world spread and grew, the letter could go round the globe for less than 80 days. The official proclamation of the post as the main way of exchanging the information internationally was made in 1874 during the conference in the city of Bern and created united postal territory.

When is Postal Worker Day 2024? It’s celebrated on July 1. Interestingly, the holiday is rather old, too, as it originated back in 1997 at the initiative of the humble postal worker who wanted to praise his colleagues.

Meaning

What does Postal Worker Day mean for the workers themselves? A day without complaints, criticism, discontented faces and threats!

Seriously, do you imagine the “real” side of the postal worker job and extent of stress they are exposed to during the day? When it comes to the mail (letter) carriers, they are under the threat of being bitten by the dogs. It’s a burning issue among the postmen, or postwomen, sometimes they even carry the gas sprays and sticks to frighten off those barking creatures and protect themselves. Add the duty of delivering the mail pieces six days a week whatever the weather is under the burden of the heaviest shoulder bag – not so simple, isn’t it? And those who sit at the postal office, they have to deal with the daily confrontation with the customers demanding their letters, notes, parcels and finally those wretched sneakers from China. Who said that delivery takes up to a month? They want them now and all the blames flow in the ears of the postal workers.

So, no matter what day Postal Worker Day in 2024 falls on, be kinder to those people as the working conditions are rather harsh!

Definition

The word itself – post – came from the French which, in its turn, adopted it from the Latin. Originally, it’s a derivative from the verb meaning “to put down”. As you probably know, the term “post” mostly used in American English while the British prefer “mail”.

Today, the post is a worldwide system of the states’ services united with the international treaty signed by 192 modern countries. Despite the fast spread of the automated systems of the telecommunications, radio, telephony and, first of all, the Internet, the postal service still maintains its significance and will retain it through the years as transporting such things as packages, parcels, packets is impossible even with the help of the most advanced ways of communication.

By the way, you might think that the question what is the date of Postal Worker Day 2024 is associated with the mail carriers only. In fact, this day relates to every person who toils at the postal office, from the postman to the head of the department.

Traditions

In what way you can celebrate July 1? As long as you are not a postal worker, it’s a usual day for you except for a small duty of getting the word out. Say sincere thanks to your neighborhood’s postman, talk about the mundane things (such attention will be pleasing, too). But first, gently ask if they know about the holiday at all.

Also, come by the nearest postal office and in case you’ve been waiting for your letter too long, take along a box of chocolates. It’s likely that the kind administrator will have mercy on you and tell where it has been mislaid.

Postal Worker Day Facts

• The oldest postal office in the world is situated in Scotland in the town of Sanquhar. It has been operating since 1712.
• In the US the post service involves around 500,000 of the population. We’re lost in guesses on how much there are postal workers on the earth… Moreover, each of them walks about 12 kilometers daily.
• The post saw a great many things being delivered but the most amazing one was a baby!

Well, tick off in the calendar, when is National Postal Worker Day in 2024, and take a few minutes to appreciate the contribution these people make to keep us all in touch without interruption.