While we are all locked in our homes for our safety and safety of those we love, we will share you some simple ways you can celebrate International Day of Families 2021 with your family during the pandemic. International Day of Families is celebrated each year on May 15 as a day to celebrate the importance of family and to educate one and all about the issues families are facing in this evolving world.
International Day of Families 2021: History & Origin
In the 80s, the UN started to shift its attention to family related issues. Due to the cold war and Iranian revolution, the US and its allies were facing one if its biggest recession period known as the Great Depression. A major consequence of the recession was families across the countries were facing economic and psychological challenges.
To combat such issues, the Commission for Social Development gave recommendations to the Economic and Social Council to pass a resolution on the role of family in development process. The resolution requested the UN Secretary-General of that time to create awareness among stakeholders and public policy makers of the problems of families and crucial ways to find a solution to those problems.
Finally in 1989, the UN General Assembly marked the year as the first International Year of the Family. 4 years later in 1993, the UN General Assembly passed another resolution which stated that every year May 15 will be considered the International Day of Families.
Why Celebrate International Day of Families?
Like most international days, this day is also an opportunity to educate the masses on issues of families and to make them aware of the importance of the concept of families. Through days like these, public forums are used for debates and eventually, if an issue is of importance, these debates are introduced in public policy formation.
International Day of Families 2021 Theme: Families and New Technologies
The 2021 edition of the day will focus on the positive and long-lasting impacts of new technologies on the betterment of the families and the societies these families collectively form. These technologies include radical innovations such as cloud computing, algorithms, big data, AI and more. These technologies are drastically making positive impact on other issues such as urbanization, migration, climate change, etc.
3 Simple Ways You Can Celebrate International Day of Families with your Family
1) Binge a movie, play a game
This one is a no brainer, we must say. Since the onset of the pandemic, almost all of us are forced to coop inside our homes. But that shouldn’t stop us from having a great time with our families. Celebrate the day of families by binging on some classic family centric films like Piku, English Vinglish, an action-packed thriller like Baby, Uri or a comedy from 70s like Khatta Meetha or Gol Maal.
Take a break and prepare some popcorn, sandwiches or some pakoras together. End the day with a fun-filled session of board game like monopoly, or old card games, or even charades.
2) Work on a family tree project
This one will involve all your family members and will help them know your family members much better. Get your family together and ask them to mark their place on your family tree. Go further back and tell the youngest members of your family about a great-grand uncle who they have never met, or a cousin that they never knew about. This will help the members of family to understand the rich history of their family.
3) Take a vacation (without taking an actual vacation)
Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 forced pandemic, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that vacations are unsafe and at some states, impossible to take due to the lockdowns. But that in no way means that you can’t take a vacation while you stay home.
Get your family together and decide on an exotic destination like Italy, Australia or England. Once decided, figure out the cuisine of that particular place and get started with cooking together.
While having the food, you can read on together about the rich heritage of those locations, take a stroll at those spots thanks to Google Street View, and even learn the basic phrases in the language of the destination.
