March 1 is the “Day of Gratitude” in Kazakhstan

The Day of Gratitude, established in 2016, is a symbol of Kazakhstani patriotism, unity and friendship.Kazakhstan’s multinational family is the result of several migration waves. In different years entire ethnic groups were deported to the country. Their representatives were unloaded from wagons right in the bare steppe, and Kazakh families, who were themselves in dire need, took them into their homes.1.1 million people from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine arrived in Kazakhstan in the early XX century, 250,000 dekulakized peasants were exiled in the distant 1930s during collectivization, and about 1.2 million more people came to build industrial facilities.All of them were able to decently settle down and survive in Kazakhstan. There is great merit in this for all the people of the republic. Therefore, the establishment of a special holiday is a tribute and gratitude to the people of Kazakhstan for the caring attitude they have shown towards people in difficult times.One of the goals of this holiday is to foster a sense of tolerance, respect, and friendliness toward one another among the growing generation, as well as to strengthen inter-ethnic harmony and cross-national relations in Kazakhstan. The Day of Gratitude bears a great semantic meaning: the values of friendship and mutual help, which are shared by the whole country, unite all the people of Kazakhstan.