June 9 — a day when the serious and the absurd stand side by side without a hint of irony. International Archives Day exists so that humanity does not forget. Donald Duck's birthday — to remind us that sometimes forgetting is also useful.
Archives: Not About Paper, But About Power Over the Past
International Archives Day was established in 2007 by the International Council on Archives (ICA). The date is not random: on June 9, 1948, the ICA itself was founded in Paris. The purpose of the holiday is to emphasize that archives are not a repository of dust, but a tool for protecting citizens' rights and preserving collective memory.
For Ukraine, this issue has concrete dimensions. During the full-scale invasion, Russia deliberately destroys cultural and archival sites — from the Mariupol Museum of Local History to local archives in temporarily occupied territories. What is not documented before or during the war may disappear forever.
Donald Duck: 91 Years of Anger, Failures, and No Pants
On June 9, 1934, Disney's short film "The Wise Little Hen" was released on screens — and with it came Donald Fauntleroy Duck. The full name with "Fauntleroy" is a reference to the costume of a little lord, popular at the time among upper-class children. What exactly Disney means by dressing a duck in a sailor shirt without pants was never officially explained.
"In some countries, people vote for him in elections"
Chas.News on the phenomenon of Donald Duck in world pop culture
The most famous episode of public affection is Finnish. In 1978, the Helsinki Youth Committee voted to ban Donald Duck comics from city libraries. Official reason: the duck doesn't wear pants and lives with nephews without parents — a bad model for children. The Finns' reaction was predictable: the comics became even more popular, and the ban itself became a city legend.
Peter's Fast and Saint Cyril: Two Calendars, One Date
In the Orthodox Church calendar, June 9 is the commemoration day of Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (5th century), theologian and participant of the Third Ecumenical Council. Not to be confused with Saint Cyril — the creator of the Slavic alphabet, who is commemorated on a different day.
As for Peter's Fast — here 2025 brings an important clarification. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), which switched to the new Julian calendar, celebrates Pentecost on June 8, and therefore Peter's Fast by the new style will begin only on June 16 and last until June 28. By the old style — until July 11. That is, on June 9, parishioners of the OCU are not yet subject to the fast, whereas parishioners of churches living by the Julian calendar have already been observing it for the second week.
International Accreditation Day and International Day of Friendship
Two lesser-known, but real dates. International Accreditation Day — a joint initiative of ILAC and IAF that promotes standards for laboratory measurements and certification: every time you read "meets ISO standard," there is an accredited body behind it.
International Day of Friendship — an unofficial holiday that first appeared in the United States in 1935. The UN supported the idea in 1958, but never settled on a date. June 9 remains one of the options alongside the official one — July 30.
If archives are a memory of what was, then the question is practical: are there digitized copies of documents in Ukrainian state archives from cities that are currently under occupation — and are they accessible to citizens who need these documents today?
