Masseur Day in Ukraine Date in the current year: February 7, 2024

Massage is the manipulation of the soft tissues of the body (skin, muscle, tendons, ligaments, etc.) to relieve body stress or pain. Professionals who are trained to give massages are typically referred to as masseurs (male) or masseuses (female) in Europe and as massage therapists in the United States, since most U. S. states have licensing requirements for massage practitioners.

Humankind has practiced massage since ancient times. There is archaeological evidence of massage being practiced in many ancient civilizations including China, Egypt, Greece, India, Japan, Korea, Mesopotamia, and Rome. Mentions of massage can be found, for example, in the Iliad and the Odyssey, as well as in Hippocrates’s writings.

However, massage wasn’t very widespread in Medieval Europe because Christian theologians regarded it as a remnant of paganism. Present-day massage therapy began to emerge in the late 18th century, when Jean Joseph Marie Amiot and Pierre-Martial Cibot, French Jesuit missionaries to China, translated excerpts from the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing (Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor) that introduced Europeans to Chinese medical practices, including massage.

The person referred as the father of modern massage is Pehr Henrik Ling, a Swedish poet, physical therapist and educator. The founder of the Royal Central Gymnastics Institute in Stockholm, Ling is also credited with developing Swedish massage, also known as classic massage. Swedish massage with its five basic styles of strokes (effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and shaking/vibration) is the world’s most widely recognized massage technique.

Other popular types and methods of massage include ashiatsu (barefoot massage), Ayurvedic massage, Burmese massage, biodynamic massage, deep tissue massage, lomilomi (indigenous Polynesian massage), manual lymphatic drainage, shiatsu, sports massage, Thai massage, traditional Chinese massage, Turkish bath massage, and more.

When performed properly, massage has many health benefits. It can reduce muscle soreness and tension, pain and joint stiffness, improve blood circulation, relieve stress and help to relax, lower blood pressure and heart rate. Massage has been found helpful in the treatment of a number of health conditions, ranging from back and joint pain to headaches. However, it should be noted that some conditions, such as weakened bones, fever and bleeding disorders, are contraindications to massage.

Ukrainian Masseur Day was established by the Ukrainian Massage Federation in 2018 and has been observed annually since 2019. The holiday is observed by the Professional Association of Masseurs of Ukraine, medical centers, sport clubs, and individual masseurs and masseuses from all over the country. The main goal of Masseur Day is to educate the general audience about the health benefits of different types of massage and highlight the importance of the profession.