This famous Romantic poet of Slovenia wrote many poems, sonnets and garlands of sonnets. He is most remembered for his poem “Zdravljica” (A Toast), the seventh stanza of which became Slovenia’s national anthem. In remembrance of Prešeren, cultural events and open houses take place throughout the country, while on the eve of the holiday, the Prešeren Awards, the country’s most prestigious awards for cultural achievement, are given out. Feb. 8 was declared a national holiday in 1945, and the Prešeren Awards were first handed out in 1947.
Martin Buber (1878-1965), a German-Jewish religious philosopher, was born in Vienna on this day. Buber’s philosophy was centered on the encounter, or dialogue, of man with other beings, particularly the relationship with God. Buber’s “Chassidischen Bücher” (1927) retold Hasidic tales. Buber later deserted the notion of a mystical union between man and God and embraced instead the notion of their encounter, which presupposes and preserves their separate existence. This was expressed in his famous work “I and Thou” (1923).
Also born on this day was famous French author and pioneer of the science-fiction genre Jules Verne (1828-1905). Verne is best known for novels such as “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea” (1870), “Journey To The Center of the Earth” (1864) and “Around the World in Eighty Days” (1873). Verne is known for writing about space, air and underwater travel before air travel and submarines were actually invented and before practical means of space travel had been devised.
On this day in 2004, Turkish pop musician and artist Cem Karaca (b. 1945) passed away. The child of an Armenian-Azerbaijani intermarriage, Karaca was a distinctive rock ‘n’ roll singer who lived for several years as a political refugee in Germany. He returned a few years later to confront the criticism of his former left-wing friends.
Today is Parinirvana in Mahayana Buddhism. Also known as Nirvana Day, this is an annual festival celebrating Buddha’s passing when he reached total Nirvana at the age of 80. Mahayana is one of the three major Buddhist traditions and the form most widely adhered to in China, Korea, Vietnam and Japan. Emerging around the first century from the ancient Buddhist schools as a more liberal and innovative interpretation of Buddha’s teachings, Mahayanists differ from the conservatives in their views of Buddha and related figures and in the goal that they set forth for Buddhist practitioners.
Gregorian Calendar: 08 february 2010 C.E.
Hijri Calendar: 24 Safar 1431 A.H.
Hebrew Calendar: 24 Sh’vat 5770
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