Holidays Calendar for February 27, 2017

The Dominican Republic celebrates its Independence Day on February 27. On this day in 1844, the Dominican Republic declared its Independence from Haiti.

Shrove Monday (the Monday before Ash Wednesday) is the highlight of the Shrovetide season in Germany, Denmark, the Faroe Islands, and some other countries. It is also known as Collopy Monday in the UK, Rosenmontag (Rose Monday) in the German-speaking countries, and as Fastelavn in Denmark.

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International Polar Bear Day was founded by Polar Bears International, the world's largest polar bear conservation organization. It is observed annually on February 27.

World NGO Day is an annual international observance held on February 27. It was established by Marcis Skadmanis, a Latvian-born UK social entrepreneur who is passionate about creating organizations that make a positive contribution towards sustainable innovation and technology.

Pokémon Day is celebrated annually on February 27 to commemorate the birthday of a popular Japanese media franchise that consists of video games, animated series and films, a live-action film, a trading card game, manga, and other related media.

Special Operations Forces Day is a professional holiday in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation celebrated annually on February 27. It was established by President Vladimir Putin in 2015.

Vietnamese Doctors' Day is a professional observance in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam that has been held annually since 1955. It is celebrated on February 27.

Marathi Language Day is celebrated in the state of Maharashtra, India on February 27. It commemorates the birth anniversary of Kusumagraj (pen name of Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar), an eminent Marathi author.

Islamic Education Day is a holiday celebrated in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 8 Esfand in the Solar Hijri calendar, which corresponds to February 27 in the Gregorian calendar. It focuses on the importance of Islamic upbringing and education for the country and its citizens.

Celebrated on February 27 every year, National Khachapuri Day was created by the Gastronomic Association of Georgia. It is dedicated to one of Georgia’s signature dishes, which was even added to the Registry of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Georgia in 2019.

Majuba Day (Majubadag) used to be a major national holiday in South Africa. Today, however, it is only celebrated by some Afrikaners (South Africans descended from Dutch settlers), especially in the semi-autonomous town of Orania.

Strawberries are the most popular berries in the world. Today, on February 27, we pay homage to strawberries and celebrate National Strawberry Day.

National Kahlúa Day is celebrated annually on February 27. This holiday is dedicated to a delicious coffee liqueur that can be consumed neat, used to make a number of cocktails, and as an ingredient in various desserts.

February 27 is Anosmia Awareness Day. This awareness campaign was launched by Daniel Schein, an anosmia sufferer from Woodmere, New York, United States.

National Protein Day is observed in India on February 27. It was created to educate the general audience about protein as an essential macronutrient and raise public awareness of the dangers of protein deficiency.

Carnival is a Western Christian festive season that occurs during February or early March, culminating just before Lent. It usually involves parades, street parties, masquerade balls, and consumption of foods that are to be abstained from during Lent. In some countries, there are traditional foods consumed during the festive season. For example, in Iceland Carnival is associated with cream-filled buns. Icelanders love their buns so much that they even refer to Shrove Monday as Bun Day (Bolludagur).

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This Day in History

  • 2015 Russian physicist, liberal politician, and opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was assassinated on a bridge near the Kremlin in Moscow. The only eyewitness was his partner Anna Durytska.
  • 2015 Died: Leonard Nimoy, American actor, film director, singer, poet, and photographer best known for his role as Spock in the Star Trek franchise.
  • 2013 A fire broke out at an illegal street market in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, killing 19 people, who were mostly laborers and shopkeepers.
  • 2013 Died: Van Cliburn, American pianist who won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958 at the age of 23.
  • 2010 An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the moment magnitude scale occurred off the coast of central Chile, killing 525 people in about three minutes.
  • 2007 The Shanghai Stock Exchange fell 9%. It was the largest drop in 10 years which wiped out hundreds of billions of market value.
  • 1998 Died: George H. Hitchings, American doctor who was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (shared with James Black and Gertrude Elion).
  • 1993 Died: Lillian Gish, American stage, screen and television actress, director and writer. Her film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987.
  • 1989 Died: Konrad Lorenz, outstanding Austrian zoologist, ornithologist, and ethologist who was awarded the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
  • 1987 Died: Joan Greenwood, English actress who is best known for her role as Sibella in the 1949 black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.
  • 1983 Born: Kate Mara, American actress known for her television roles such as Zoe Barnes on House of Cards, Shari Rothenberg on 24, and Hayden McClaine on American Horror Story.
  • 1981 Born: Josh Groban, American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer whose first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum.
  • 1973 Born: Li Bingbing, Chinese actress and singer known for her roles in Hollywood blockbusters such as Resident Evil: Retribution, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and The Meg.
  • 1957 Born: Timothy Spall, English actor and presenter who gained recognition for his character actor roles on stage and screen. One of his best-known roles is Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter films.
  • 1957 Born: Adrian Smith, English guitarist and songwriter who is best known as a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden. His current side project is Primal Rock Rebellion.
  • 1951 The Twenty-second Amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified. It sets a term limit for the election to the office of President of the United States.
  • 1943 Died: Kostis Palamas, Greek poet who co-founded the so-called New Athenian School. He is also known as the author of the words to the Olympic Hymn.
  • 1937 Died: Emily Malbone Morgan, social and religious leader in the Episcopal Church in the U. S. who founded the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross.
  • 1936 Died: Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist who was awarded the 1904 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. He is known primarily for his work in classical conditioning.
  • 1933 The Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire. This event is considered to be one of the pivotal events in the establishment of Nazi Germany.
  • 1932 Born: Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress who is considered one of the greatest screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age and one of the world's most famous film stars of all time.
  • 1926 Born: David H. Hubel, Canadian neurologist who was awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (co-received with Torsten Wiesel, shared with Roger W. Sperry).
  • 1923 Born: Dexter Gordon, American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. His studio and live performance career spanned over 40 years.
  • 1912 Born: Lawrence Durrell, British novelist, playwright, biographer, and poet. His best known work is the tetralogy The Alexandria Quartet.
  • 1902 Born: John Steinbeck, outstanding American novelist and short story writer, Pulitzer Prize winner. He was also awarded the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature.
  • 1900 Fußball-Club Bayern München (FC Bayern Munich) was founded in Munich, Bavaria. It is the most successful club in German football history.
  • 1892 Died: Louis Vuitton, French designer and businessman who founded the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH.
  • 1887 Died: Alexander Borodin, Russian composer and chemist who is best known for his opera Prince Igor. He was a member of the group of composers called The Five.
  • 1887 Born: Pyotr Nesterov, Russian pilot, aircraft technical designer, aerobatic pioneer. In 1912, he became the first pilot to fly a loop.
  • 1860 Abraham Lincoln delivered the Cooper Union address in which he elaborated his views on slavery. It is considered one of his most important speeches.
  • 1831 Born: Nikolai Ge, Russian realist painter famous for his works on religious and historical motifs. His best known works include The Last Supper and Christ and the Thief.
  • 1617 Russian and Sweden signed the Treaty of Stolbovo that ended the Ingrian War. England is officially credited with brokering this peace.
  • 1594 Henry IV was crowned King of France at the Cathedral of Chartres. He was the first French monarch of the House of Bourbon.
  • 1560 England and the Lords of the Congregation of Scotland signed the Treaty of Berwick, which would expel occupying French troops from Scotland.
  • 272 Born: Constantine the Great, also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. He was first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.