What kind of holiday is this?

On March 28, historians around the world celebrate their professional holiday – World Historian Day. Many people underestimate this profession. However, it is the historians who truly know our past who can influence our future.

How did the idea of ​​celebrating the World Historian Day come about?

If it does not sound strange, but the history of the introduction of the same World Historian Day definitely unknown. However, we can learn about the origins of this science and about the first historians, thanks to whom today humanity learns from the mistakes of the past.

How did history develop in ancient times?

One of the first historians known to us, who collected and recorded the information of past days, so that they would not over time, was Herodotus – a Greek scientist who lived in the 5th century BC. His work “History”, where he recorded the great deeds of the Hellenes (Greeks) and barbarians, and also told about the wars that were fought between them, has reached our days.

Another historian and contemporary of Herodotus began to use methods of history close to modern ones – Thucydides, author of the work “History of the Peloponnesian War”. This historian not only resorted to the description of historical events, he tried to reveal the cause-and-effect relationship between them.

Historical research methods were also developed in ancient China. Thus, he is considered the founder of Chinese historiography Sima Qian, who lived in the II-I centuries BC. His work “Historical Notes” became a true model for the descendants of the historian. It was on this work that historians of subsequent centuries focused on writing new historical works.

Western historiography developed under the influence of a famous Christian theologian Aurelius Augustina. He presented history as a linear process of successive events foreseen and planned by the Creator. The idea of ​​such linearity later “migrated” to Hegel’s philosophical works.

He is considered the founder of Arabic historiography (the science of history). Ibn Khaldunwho was very scrupulous about the study of the past and criticized the credulity of his contemporaries, who made mistakes due to their bias.

The first Ukrainian historian

The first Ukrainian historian and the founder of historiography in Russia is considered to be an outstanding philosopher and scientist – chronicler Nestor. Nestor was born in 1056. He was a monk of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and devoted his entire life to writing. His pen includes the famous biographies “Life of Feodosius Pecherskyi” and “Life of Boris and Hleb”. These works, devoted to the lives of the first Russian saints, create a certain cult of saints and spread ideals important to Christians.

However, the chronicler Nestor is known not only on the territory of his Motherland – our state. He received worldwide recognition after he made considerable efforts to create a comprehensive history of Russia and became the author of the important historical, legal and philosophical work “The Tale of Bygone Years”. Nestor devoted his whole life to this work.

History as a science

History is a science that requires a specialist to be extremely thorough, accurate, objective, broad-minded, etc. The task of the historian is to study not only the events of the past years, but also to delve into the present in order to understand the relationship between the past and the present and to predict what will happen in the future. In their research, historians rely on information provided in archival documents. The results of the work of these specialists are works about the past life of entire peoples and individuals. The purpose of historical research is to find patterns in the development of society.

Historical science is divided into different groups. For example, general science studies events in the world from primitive people to modern times. Ancient history is devoted to the study of information about ancient civilizations and cultures. Historians can separately study the periods of the Middle Ages, the New Age, and historical events of recent years (recent history).

There are many sciences that are inseparably connected with history. Among them, archeology allows studying the past with the help of things found through excavations. Ethnography allows you to delve deeper into the study of the roots of each nation and ethnic group.

But historians they study not only the events of the past, they determine how they affected the current development of events, and also engage in forecasting future events based on past experience.

How to celebrate World Historian Day?

Special attention is paid to the celebration of this day in educational institutions and among specialists in this field. Concerts and interesting quizzes dedicated to history, historians and historiography are held in schools. Conferences, competitions, etc. are held in higher educational institutions. On this day, historians who have made a great contribution to the development of science are awarded prizes.

If there is a historian in the family, then he must be congratulated. A historian is not necessarily a scientist who attends symposia and conferences. He can be an ethnographer, archaeologist, tour guide, employee of an archive, exhibition hall, art gallery, museum, etc.

It is customary to give interesting thematic gifts to loved ones for a professional holiday. For any historian, it will be nice to receive such a present as a book on a historical topic or an archive issue of a famous newspaper. You can also give a wrist or table clock, a table lamp, interesting things from the past.

When will we celebrate World Historian Day?