February 21 - Wednesday
The Festival of the Fragrant Pagoda is held annually and begins on the 6th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, ending at the very end of the third lunar month. This is the longest holiday in Vietnam; it will last more than two months. The fragrant pagoda is one of the oldest Buddhist sanctuaries in Vietnam. It is located in the province of Khatai, 70 km south-west of Hanoi. Annually for three spring months it becomes the center of pilgrimage of Buddhists from all corners of Vietnam. Having visited it at the beginning of the Lunar year, one should raise in this sacred place prayers to the Most High for himself and his relatives. It is believed that in this way a person will be able to protect his family from evil spirits and for a whole year enlist the support of the good forces. The pagoda was founded in the 15th century. Now it is not just a temple, but a whole complex of mountain and cave sanctuaries and tombs, considered one of the main historical monuments of Vietnam. Besides pilgrims, thousands of tourists visit the pagoda. Every year, the complex is visited by 500 thousand people.
International Mother Language Day
World Day of Guides
1784 The port and fortress in the Crimea were called Sevastopol
1848 Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published the Manifesto of the Communist Party
1920 The State Commission for the Electrification of Russia (GOELRO)
1931 The release of a remedy against nausea and hangover "Alka Seltzer"