Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: Official website of the State –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Kindness has always been a value that inspires people to great deeds. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 12th century, taught: by giving, we receive. Two hundred years earlier, Saint Simeon the New Theologian asserted that doing good is natural to us, and today, the Dalai Lama emphasizes: doing good is always possible. Today, the planet celebrates World Kindness Day, reminding us all that simple acts can brighten the lives of others and make us happier.
World Kindness Day was born from the World Kindness Movement, a volunteer movement founded in Japan in 1997. A volunteer conference held in Tokyo in November 1998 became the official date for the observance. The open heart, created by French artist Orel, became the symbol of World Kindness Day.
The movement declared that kindness belongs to no religion and is not dependent on politics—it is universal and accessible to everyone. Volunteers strive to unite people, creating a world full of compassion and support.
In Russia, the holiday has been celebrated since 2009: a flash mob was organized on Manezhnaya Square in Moscow, where people joined hands to form a "circle of solidarity" around a globe clock.
Today, Kindness Day is celebrated in more than a dozen countries: from India and France to the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, South Korea, and Nigeria. Every year, the list grows as people strive to live among responsive, open, and kind neighbors.
There are no specific traditions for this holiday, but acts of kindness can take many forms. In Singapore, volunteers give bouquets of daisies and gerberas to passersby. In the UK, thousands of chocolates were once given to people on the subway, and in Australia, people hug beachgoers on this day. But kindness begins with simple acts—smiling at a passerby, thanking a cashier at a store, helping a young mother carry a stroller up the stairs. No act is too small; any act of attention fills both the recipient and the giver with joy. Kindness transcends language and cultural boundaries, and its biological effects are scientifically proven: smiling stimulates the production of endorphins, the "happiness hormone." It has also been established that kind people live longer, are less likely to get sick, and are less prone to depression. Volunteering reduces the risk of early death by 24%, which is comparable to the benefits of eating six or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
World Kindness Day reminds us that even small acts matter. Today is a reason to smile, offer a helping hand, and make the world around us a little brighter, and the stories of kindness are striking in their diversity. Actor Jim Cummings, who voiced Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh, regularly calls sick children on behalf of his character, helping them take their minds off their suffering, and actors from the Tver Youth Theatre and the Krasnoyarsk Puppet Theater read bedtime stories to children over the phone. Swedish billionaire Johan Elias purchased over 150,000 hectares of rainforest in Brazil, creating a nature reserve.
Entire countries are fostering kindness in their youth. In Italy, the state gives every 18-year-old citizen €500 for theater, museum, and concert visits, engaging over 600,000 young people in cultural and charitable activities. In Russia, the "Pushkin Card" project offers a similar opportunity, which our colleagues proposed extending to international students studying in Russia during the second in-person session of the "Managing International Activities in the Academic Environment" program, part of the "Academic Reserve: International Track" project.
And finally, it has been scientifically proven: the desire for kindness is passed down genetically, and the kind habits of parents influence their children.
So be kinder for the sake of your children and – Happy Holidays!
Subscribe to the "Our GUU" Telegram channel. Publication date: November 13, 2025.
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