International Thank You Day
What day is it?
Every year on January 11, the world celebrates a pleasant holiday – International Thank You Day. Often in a hurry we forget to say this word, and it is extremely necessary. With the help of “thank you” you can not only express gratitude to everyone who makes our life better and happier, but also demonstrate your upbringing and good manners. Some people give thanks simply out of duty, and not out of a movement of the soul. But just one sincere “thank you” can change a lot – relationships become warmer, and the world around becomes kinder. So when, if not on this day, to thank your relatives, friends, neighbors and colleagues from the bottom of your heart? After all, there are actually a lot of reasons to be grateful.
How did the idea to celebrate the International Thank You Day come about
It is impossible to establish exactly who was the initiator International Thank You Day. There are different versions – from the establishment of the event by UNESCO or the UN (but there is no such holiday in the calendars of these organizations) to an unknown company producing greeting postcards, which thus tried to improve its profits. The date of the very first celebration is also not documented, but approximately it happened in the early 2000s.
The very tradition of speaking in response to any pleasant word of gratitude appeared in ancient times. Back in the days of Ancient Rome, the philosopher Cicero considered gratitude not just the greatest human virtue, but also the mother of all other virtues. And the plot of the well-known fairy tale “About the Goldfish” teaches from childhood that ingratitude is the path to a “broken trough”.
thank you
For the first time in history, people recorded the word gratitude in a dictionary published in Paris in 1586. But in fact, the refined French “merci” appeared much earlier. From the very beginning, it meant earnings or wages, because it came from the Latin word “merces” – price. Since the 12th century, with the help of this word, they began to ask for mercy from God and at the same time thank him – “Dieu merci”, but over time the phrase was shortened to one word.
Danke
On the other hand, the German “thank you” – “danke” never had a religious background. It is related to the verb “denken”, which means to think, as well as to words meaning “thought” and “memory”. So it turns out that to thank means to remember, to think, which in itself is quite symbolic.
Gracias
In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, grateful people say “gracias”. This word comes from the Latin “gratia”, which means not only gratitude and favor, but also grace, charm and beauty. In Ancient Rome, the goddesses of joy, beauty and youth were called graces. So, gratitude in Spanish is always something sweet and beautiful.
thank you
Ukrainians use words to express gratitude “thank you” and “thank you”. “Thank you” is a Russian word in the Ukrainianized version.
Ukrainian “thank you” appears in documentary sources since the 16th century. But in fact, this word is much older – it was used even by our distant ancestors – the Proto-Slavs. The origin of this word is still a subject of controversy among scientists. Some linguists claim that our “thank you” is derived from the German word “danke”, which in turn underwent changes in the pronunciation of our close neighbors – the Poles.
Other researchers consider this version superficial and note the much wider spread of this word throughout Europe, of course, in slightly modified forms. There is a similar word not only in the German language, but also in Dutch, English, the languages of the Scandinavian countries, all the languages of the Western Slavs, and in the language of our neighbors, the Belarusians. There are also folk dialects in Russia where a similar word is used to express gratitude.
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The kinship of the word “thank you” with the verb “give” and with its counterparts in other Slavic languages is also noted. Even a version of the origin of this expression of gratitude from ancient Sanskrit is not excluded. Therefore, our “thank you” can truly be considered one of the most ancient words that will be understood without translation in almost all European countries.
In the end, it is not so important what words to express your gratitude. The main thing is not to forget to do this, because sincere feelings warm the soul and dispel sadness, give hope and simply improve the mood.
Frequent Questions and answers on the International Day of “Thank You”
In order to say thank you, a reason is not necessary. For example, you can tell the child that you thank the universe for having him. Or, in response to criticism of the manager at work, unexpectedly thank him for his attention and care.
There are various reasons for this. It can be ordinary bad manners, or there can be hidden psychological complexes, dissatisfaction with life, depression.
There is a philosophical opinion that all the people we meet on the path of life are our teachers. Therefore, even for negative emotions, we sometimes have to be grateful – this is how we gain our human experience. Of course, in such a case, it is worth giving thanks only mentally.
Psychologists believe that the best time to give thanks is early in the morning. As soon as you wake up, you should thank God or the universe for your health, family, cozy home – everyone has many reasons to be grateful.
It will be appropriate to thank the friends with whom we are temporarily staying for their hospitality by giving sweets or an interesting souvenir. If you are invited to a party, you should bring a bottle of good wine or candy as a sign of gratitude. And to thank a loved one for their warmth, any gifts are not prohibited.
Postcards for the International Day “Thank you
How to celebrate International Thank You Day?
Despite the fact that the International Day of “Thank you” began to be celebrated not so long ago, this holiday managed to become a favorite for many people in different countries. Ukrainians also join the celebration of January 11, and how to do it, everyone can choose to their taste.
Someone just tries to take advantage of the opportunity and thank relatives or friends, and someone gladly participates in flash mobs, which are often held in thank you day. On January 11, in the cities of our country, you can meet cheerful youth companies with posters displaying the word “thank you” and with colored balloons, which they give to the people they meet.
The idea of this good holiday is used in schools and even kindergartens. Children learn the importance of politeness and education from thematic theatrical productions, games and competitions. Also, interesting master classes are organized for children – how to write “thank you” on a tea cup, or on learning this word in different languages of the world.
For adults who want to have fun on this day, a themed party is a great solution. Especially since it is customary for us to express gratitude not only with words, but also with sweets or small souvenirs. Therefore, everyone can bring chocolate, cookies or cake with them to the party. A warm atmosphere and friendly jokes will not be superfluous on this day either. And the main thing is to remember that you should always thank for good deeds, then there will be many more people willing to help.
Why do we love this day?
Unfortunately, in our time, some people are not in the habit of using the word “thank you” in everyday life, and for nothing – expressing sincere gratitude can help in a wide variety of situations and change the attitude of other people for the better.
“Thank you” is a sign that we not only noticed, but also appreciated someone’s good deed. After all, people are happy to know that their efforts were necessary and valuable. On the other hand, gratitude acts as a logical conclusion to any matter, and if it is not expressed in any way, there is a feeling of discomfort and regret.
People who are generous with gratitude always have more friends and just good acquaintances, because communication with them evokes positive emotions. On the other hand, those people who are not used to thanking for a good service are perceived as ill-mannered and are unlikely to be able to count on help in the future.
Words of gratitude, if you say them often enough, contribute to the improvement of relationships in the family or in the work team. Thanks to them, people feel more significant to other people and simply kinder. Having made it a habit to express gratitude, on a subconscious level we begin to appreciate all that we have and get pleasure from it.
Thank You Day reminds us how important the feelings we express with this word are for us. Therefore, it is worth not only on a holiday, but also every day to express your gratitude to people, because this feeling is a sign of a kind and noble soul.
When will we celebrate International Thank You Day?
| Year | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | January 11 | Monday |
| 2022 | January 11 | Tuesday |
| 2023 | January 11 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | January 11 | Thursday |
| 2025 | January 11 | Saturday |
