World Circus Day
The third Saturday in April annually hosts a worldwide holiday, International Circus Day
The history of the celebration includes European Circus Day, founded in 2008 Two years later, the date received international status and since 2010, specialists involved in the production of positive mood have their own professional holiday
The obvious similarity of the words compass, circus, circulation is dictated by the same Latin root, circus, literally translated as “circle” Indeed, in terms of shape, circus buildings evoke round associations Although the very first arenas were not strictly circles in plan, they were elongated, closer to oval, because they had a slightly different purpose than now Back then, when these buildings were called circuses, they were used as hippodromes, stands for gladiatorial competitions or baiting of animals
In the Middle Ages, the spectacles presented to the people in circuses were supplanted by theaters Round buildings fell into disrepair, were neglected, abandoned and broken down, ceasing to serve an entertainment function After all, it was impossible to adapt them for any other activity, the premises for theatrical performances and mysteries required a completely different structure, markets did not take root here, and these buildings were also not suitable for housing
Only at the end of the 18th century, around 1777 (according to other sources, 1768), the English rider Philip Astley came up with the idea of making money from the art of horse riding Being a balancing jockey, he was fond of vaulting (acrobatics in equestrian sports) and decided to popularize this spectacle He opened a school and built an entertainment venue for viewing Very quickly Astley realized that the track along which the horses were galloping must be closed
Empirically, the optimal diameter of the arena obtained inside this circle was determined It depended on the average dimensions of the horses and their speed of movement This achieved a certain angle of inclination necessary for acrobatic equestrian performances Since the average performance of circus animals and their speed characteristics are the same all over the world, the radius of the circus arena calculated in this way is used everywhere
A little later, jugglers, mimes, trainers, clowns and trapeze artists joined the equestrian balancing act acrobats This was done later by another family, the Italians Franconi It is in this form that classical circus art has come down to us Nevertheless, Philip Astley is still considered the father of the modern revived circus
Now circus art is international and it has its own headquarters It is located in the Principality of Monaco, in the Monte Carlo region The patronage of the World Circus Federation is carried out by the royal family of this dwarf state
On International Circus Day, it is customary to organize the most spectacular programs consisting of the most successful acts, conduct master classes and interactive shows in which everyone can feel involved in the empire of good mood, positive spirit and celebration