World Music Day 2025: Date, Theme, History & Global Significance of the Celebration
Theme for World Music Day 2025
The official theme for this year is "Healing Through Harmony." It underscores the powerful role music plays in emotional wellbeing, stress relief, and fostering unity. Whether you're playing an instrument, singing, or simply listening, this year's message is clear: music has the power to heal, connect, and inspire.
A Look Back: History of World Music Day
The idea for World Music Day was first introduced in 1981 by Jack Lang, then the French Minister of Culture, and Maurice Fleuret, a music journalist and composer. The inaugural celebration took place in Paris in 1982, where over 1,000 musicians performed across streets, parks, and public spaces. This movement coincided with the summer solstice, a symbolic day celebrating nature and light—perfectly mirroring music's uplifting spirit.
What began as a local celebration in France quickly evolved into a global phenomenon. Today, over 120 countries celebrate World Music Day, highlighting its universal appeal and deep cultural impact.
Why World Music Day Matters
More than a festive event, World Music Day serves as a reminder that music transcends boundaries, languages, and generations. It promotes community engagement, cultural exchange, and creativity. The day also helps make music more accessible, encouraging people of all backgrounds to share their passion and talent.
In 2025, the emphasis on healing through music takes on new importance, offering a collective space for reflection, emotional recovery, and joy.
How It's Celebrated
Traditionally, cities organize free live performances in open spaces—parks, plazas, and street corners—where musicians perform voluntarily. These gatherings turn urban landscapes into vibrant concert venues filled with rhythm and melody. With the rise of digital platforms, many now also participate in virtual concerts and global livestreams, making the celebration even more inclusive.
Whether you're attending a live street jam or tuning into a virtual set from another part of the world, World Music Day invites everyone to "Make Music" (Faites de la musique) and be part of something greater.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
Historic! R Praggnanandhaa becomes new World No. 3 after beating D Gukesh at Sinquefield Cup chess tournament
Indian chess sensation R Praggnanandhaa has achieved another historic milestone, climbing to World No. 3 in the live rankings after defeating reigning World Champion D Gukesh in the opening round of the prestigious Sinquefield Cup in St. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Louis. With this victory, the 20-year-old Grandmaster moved up to a live rating of 2784.1 points. Only (2839) and Hikaru Nakamura (2807) are ahead of him, while he now sits among the sport's true elite. Praggnanandhaa also shares the tournament lead with American veteran Levon Aronian, who outwitted Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Exclusive Interview: How Aarini Lahoty, 5, Leads India's Youngest Chess Talents Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. The remaining first-round matches saw Fabiano Caruana draw with Poland's Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Samuel Sevian split the point with Wesley So, and French stars Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja cancel each other out. The Sinquefield Cup, featuring a prize pool of USD 350,000, still has eight rounds left. At this stage, six players are tied just behind Praggnanandhaa and Aronian, while Gukesh and Abdusattorov are yet to open their accounts. The clash between the two young Indian superstars drew special attention. Gukesh, with the black pieces, chose the Queen's Gambit Accepted, but his early queen exchange left him on the back foot. Spending significant time in a familiar position, he slipped into a dubious structure. Praggnanandhaa capitalised with the bishop pair, gained a clear advantage, and pressed relentlessly. As Gukesh's clock dwindled, mistakes crept in, and Praggnanandhaa forced a pawn win before converting smoothly in just 36 moves. "I don't really know what happened today. I think he was a bit off," said Praggnanandhaa after the match. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The win also balanced their classical head-to-head record. "Last year, I messed up some good positions against him, I think I did not beat him (in classical) for almost two years now, so finally it's good to get a win," he noted. With momentum on his side, Praggnanandhaa now stands on the cusp of making Indian chess history.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
How social media reinvented the charcuterie board
Once upon a time, a charcuterie board was a rustic French spread: cured meats, aged cheeses, a bit of bread, maybe some olives. It was elegant but predictable, the kind of thing you would see in wine bars or European kitchens. Fast forward to today, and thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, the charcuterie board has transformed into a cultural phenomenon, far beyond its traditional origins. Social media did not just popularize the charcuterie board, it reinvented it. What was once a niche gourmet platter has now become a blank canvas for creativity, a viral aesthetic, and a new kind of food performance. The rise of the 'Instagrammable' board A turning point came when food styling met social media. People realized that arranging foods in vibrant, geometric, or whimsical patterns was not just tasty, it was instantly shareable. A wheel of brie with honey drizzled across it, strawberries fanned out like petals, and salami folded into roses? That is not just food; that is content. The hashtag #charcuterieboard has amassed millions of posts, each one pushing the boundaries of design. Some boards look like mosaics, others resemble landscapes. The board is no longer only eaten; it is photographed, admired, and then consumed. Beyond meat and cheese Another way social media has reinvented charcuterie is by loosening its definition. Online, you will find entire themed boards that barely resemble the French original. There are: Breakfast boards filled with pancakes, fruits, syrups, and coffee shots. Dessert boards stacked with cookies, truffles, and chocolates. Vegan boards featuring hummus, roasted veggies, and nut cheeses. Even candy boards and fast-food boards have had their moment. The trend shows how social media democratizes food culture. You do not need access to imported cured meats to make a charcuterie board. You just need a cutting board, some creativity, and an eye for presentation. A new kind of hosting Charcuterie's reinvention also reflects the way we gather today. The modern board is all about abundance and inclusivity. It is casual enough for friends who just want to graze, but chic enough for dinner parties. Social media taught us that food does not always have to be plated in individual portions. Instead, a board invites people to come together, share, and interact, making it as much about the experience as the flavors. Viral aesthetics: the board as art What makes charcuterie boards so addictive on feeds is their visual appeal. Bright fruits against creamy cheeses, glossy olives nestled beside rustic crackers, edible flowers sprinkled like confetti — it is a color palette designers dream of. Food influencers have leaned into this, offering tutorials on how to fold meat into roses or arrange cheeses in perfect diagonals. The process itself has become satisfying content. People watch time-lapse videos of boards being built, enjoying the calm, ASMR-like precision of it all. The business of boards It did not take long for entrepreneurs to catch on. Across cities, charcuterie stylists now offer curated boards and grazing tables for weddings, parties, and events. Small businesses promote their boards on social media, often selling out through nothing more than carefully styled posts. For many, this side hustle has turned into a thriving business. It is proof that social media is not just influencing what we eat but creating entirely new industries around it. The future: from trend to tradition? The charcuterie board may have started as a rustic French tradition, but in the social media era, it has become something larger — a cultural shorthand for creativity, community, and abundance. Whether it is a butter board going viral or an elaborate grazing table at a wedding, the evolution shows no signs of slowing down. What is next? Possibly more playful, hyper-specific boards: ramen boards, dosa boards, even regional Indian snack boards. The beauty of the charcuterie trend is its adaptability. There is no single right way to do it anymore. Social media did not just reinvent the charcuterie board, it turned it into an idea. A board is now a stage, a story, a shared moment. And in an age where food is photographed as much as it is eaten, the charcuterie board is the perfect star.
Economic Times
6 hours ago
- Economic Times
Is the Ukraine summitry all reality TV, zero substance?
Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and French President Emmanuel Macron. So much has happened in recent days, it's easy to overlook how little has happened. To wit: Nothing material. Not when it comes to matters of war and peace in Ukraine, where Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to bomb civilians, to detain children (for which he is wanted by the International Criminal Court) and more generally to terrorize a sovereign nation that he considers an errant satrapy. That, however, is not the impression you may have formed if, like me, you've been following the summitry and pageantry on YouTube, TikTok, X, Truth Social or your medium of choice. In the endless scroll of our screens, one meme chases another while all orbit around the bright yellow-orange star of the show, Donald Trump. The medium is the message, the philosopher Marshall McLuhan observed six decades ago. And the message today is that this US president — for better or worse — is shaping world affairs. Here is Trump applauding Putin as the Russian leader approaches on a red carpet in Alaska. There he is again, receiving the rehearsed gratitude of the Ukrainian president and seven European allies, who rushed impromptu to the White House to contain whatever damage the KGB-trained Putin may have wreaked in Trump's mind. There he'll soon be again, if and when Trump gets both Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, into the same room, in what would be a 'trilat' made for Reality TV — and specifically The Apprentice — was of course the medium that, starting in 2004, catapulted Trump from relative obscurity onto the memetic platform from which he ultimately stepped into the Oval Office not once, but twice. Like so much in our zeitgeist, everything about this medium is sort of real and sort of not, kind of jocular and kind of serious, not quite substantive but always is a universe in which Trump's meeting in the Oval Office with Zelenskiy in February — when the American host berated and humiliated the Ukrainian guest — counted within the White House as a success because, as the president put it, it made for 'great television.' Trump ran that script again during another visit to the Oval Office, when he trapped South Africa's president in an ambush as devastating as it was riveting. A virtuoso of the craft, Trump also incorporates voluntary or involuntary extras, bit players and cameos into his show. He mused about whether or not he would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities not at the Resolute Desk but on the White House lawn, where a work crew was erecting a flagpole and unexpectedly became the supporting cast in this particular episode. When weighing air strikes, or anything, Trump's first question to his advisers isn't about his options or strategic consequences. It is: 'How is it playing?'None of this would have surprised McLuhan, who analyzed (without judging) the role of media in the creation of reality, and did so when print and radio were old and television was new. Content, he understood, was subservient to the vectors in which it reaches human brains. A text-based culture rewards linear and logical thinking. Video (already in McLuhan's time) instead turns politics into theater, shortens attention spans and favors appearance over media change accelerated in the 1980s and 90s — during Trump's formative years — other theorists elaborated on McLuhan. Jean Baudrillard, a French sociologist, saw that the media increasingly reflected not reality but what he called hyperreality, a world of 'simulacra,' or copies without originals. In one memorable phrase, he said that 'the map precedes the territory,' by which he meant that narratives trump (sorry) truth. That popped into my mind this week as Trump presented Zelenskiy with a map of Ukrainian territories now apparently up for writing before the rise of Fox News or TikTok, the American media theorist Neil Postman came closest to predicting the moment we are in today. In Amusing Ourselves to Death , he argued that the new media would increasingly turn everything — from news to politics and war — into mere entertainment and spectacle. He foresaw a dystopia not unlike Brave New World , in which Aldous Huxley's Soma takes the form of Insta feeds or Trump's Truth here we are, with two summits down and several more to go. We parse things such as, say, wardrobes. In the Oval Office in February, Zelenskiy was roasted for wearing the military-style garb he has donned since Russia invaded; this time he showed up in all black, and Trump agreed that he looked 'fabulous.' A positive sign? Days earlier, the Russian foreign minister arrived at his Alaskan hotel with a sweatshirt that, in Cyrillic, advertised the 'USSR.' Code for Putin's imperialist treachery?And all the while a tragedy is unfolding for those who dare to see it. The reality — yes, there still is one — includes these facts: The war that Trump once promised to end in 24 hours rages on. Trump keeps toggling between blaming Putin and Zelenskiy for it. By being ambiguous about US support, he has hurt Ukraine's effort to defend itself. By ending Putin's diplomatic isolation, Trump has made the Russian side stronger than it would be. And by giving Putin a deadline for a ceasefire, then letting it expire without the 'severe consequences' he promised just a week ago, Trump forfeited the pressure he needs to exert new is that there are suddenly lots of meetings about meetings. What remains is that people are bleeding, crying and dying, all because of the decisions made by one man, Putin. In the minds of Trump and most of us in our brave new world, the map may seem to precede the territory. But that is not a luxury which people have, say, in Luhansk or Donetsk. Ukrainians and their friends are right to turn off their phones for a while, in the sad knowledge that nothing meaningful has changed.
