December 21st, 2025

World Basketball Day is observed on December 21, the anniversary of the first game of basketball, played on December 21, 1891, at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian-born physical education instructor who was asked to create an indoor sport to keep students active during the winter. He nailed two peach baskets to the balcony of the gym and wrote 13 original rules. The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day on August 25, 2023, by resolution 77/324, adopted without a vote on the initiative of the Philippines and other countries, and it was first observed in 2023. Basketball is the first team sport to have its own international day at the United Nations. The day recognizes the role of basketball in promoting health, teamwork, gender equality, inclusion and peace, and its growth into one of the most popular sports in the world, played in more than 200 countries. It is marked by games, clinics, school and community events, and programs that use the sport to bring people together.

World Meditation Day is observed on December 21, around the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. The UN General Assembly proclaimed the day on December 6, 2024, by resolution 79/137, adopted without a vote on the initiative of a group of countries that included Liechtenstein, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mexico and Andorra, and it was first observed in 2024. The resolution links meditation to the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, and the day raises awareness of the benefits of meditation for well-being, stress reduction and inner peace. Meditation has roots in many cultures and spiritual traditions, and today it is also practiced in a secular way in schools, workplaces and health care. On World Meditation Day people are invited to explore different forms of meditation, such as mindfulness, breathing and guided meditation, and to take a moment of calm in their busy lives. The day is marked by group meditation sessions, workshops and talks around the world, including events at the United Nations.