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I wanted to write an essay or give a speech in college (I can’t remember which) on the ridiculous amount of holidays and observances the country/world has. My professor advised otherwise noting that I might offend someone if I argued that a particular cause or group should not have its own holiday.

I retain my opinion nonetheless.

April 16, 2011. The Vatican weighed in on the second annual celebration.

Some might say that World Circus Day, observed April 16, might have been cited in my speech or essay. It was the second annual celebration.

Federation Mondiale du Cirque, a Belgium-based group posted the following about the holiday:

In 2011, more than 160 circuses, festivals, circus professionals, circus schools, museums, social organisations, and circus friends around the world carried out celebrations in 39 countries to mark the Second World Circus Day and to publicise the role of Circus as part of our shared cultural heritage.

Apparently three countries didn’t see the need to observe World Circus Day annually. Last year’s inaugural World Circus Day counted 183 participating groups in 36 countries. There’s even a map, if you’re curious who participated.

This year, the Vatican weighed in on it:

• Carnivals and circuses offer special opportunities for people to break out of their shell, be awed by the beauty of the shows and the skills of the artists and acrobats, and be filled with “hope that brings inner peace even amid the suffering, worries, and frustrations in life,” Archbishop Antonio Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, said
• Governments have a “duty to safeguard the rights of circus workers, so that they, too, may feel they are a full-fledged part of society.” the archbishop said.
• In the case of circuses that use animals in their shows or exhibitions, the archbishop asked that circus owners make sure the animals are “treated properly, keeping in mind their well-being.”

The Vatican holds regular meetings to promote the pastoral care of circus and carnival workers around the world, according to Catholic News Service.

In 2009, U.S. delegation  addressed the National Directors of the Pastoral Care of Circus and Carnival People at the Vatican during a two-day conference. The Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers sponsored the meeting. The hope was to exchange ideas among chaplains who serve “people on the move,” as the pontifical council calls its constituency, and to plan for a larger international convention of circus and carnival chaplains that was to take place in December 2010 in Rome, CNS reported.

If you’d like to learn more about life in the circus, PBS aired a six-part series within the last year or so. There are also web exclusives and a “by the numbers” article.