Today is November 20: Discover the significance of this date and the notable events that have taken place throughout history.

On November 20, 1917, the Ukrainian Central Rada adopted the Third Universal, which proclaimed the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR). In 1940, Hungary joined the Tripartite Pact. In 1945, the Nuremberg Trials began. In 2004, the court rejected the Kyiv City State Administration's attempt to ban a rally on Independence Square, which later sparked the Orange Revolution.

Holidays and Commemorative Dates on November 20

November 20 is the holiday of the Third Universal in Ukraine.

Globally, it is celebrated as Universal Children's Day and Pediatrician's Day.

Additionally, today marks: World GIS Day (observed on the third Wednesday of November), Transgender Day of Remembrance, Africa Industrialization Day, and International "Hug a Runner" Day.

November 20 in History

On November 20, 1917, the Ukrainian Central Rada declared the Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) with its Third Universal. Learn more.

On November 20, 1940, Hungary joined the Tripartite Pact, becoming the fourth country to participate in the military alliance of aggressors during World War II. On this day, the corresponding document was signed by the Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Count Pál Teleki. Six months after these events, he would take his own life.

The official joining of Hungary with Germany, Italy, and Japan was a logical continuation of the country’s long-standing movement towards collaboration with the Nazis. The foundation for this political course was laid after World War I. The Kingdom, which was part of Austria-Hungary before the war, found itself among the defeated. As a result, Hungarians were forced to sign the Treaty of Trianon, which caused the country to lose two-thirds of its pre-war territory. The subsequent history of Hungary (up to the present day) is infused with revanchist sentiments and a desire to restore its "former greatness." These sentiments intensified during certain periods and subsided during others. Between the two world wars, there was a constant escalation of drama, fueled by the kingdom's regent, Vice Admiral Miklós Horthy, who in 1919 led the army to overthrow the briefly established communist regime and was later elected regent by parliament with nearly unlimited power following the legal restoration of the monarchy. In practice, a number of prime ministers implemented right-wing state policies.

The first among those whom historians recall in the list of heads of government leading Hungary into the abyss of Nazism was Gyula Gömbös. Horthy appointed him as Prime Minister in 1932. Gömbös aimed to revise the Treaty of Trianon and withdraw Hungary from the League of Nations. Domestically, he sought to suppress opposition and establish a one-party state. This prime minister died four years later from kidney failure. However, during his tenure, he nearly cleared the political landscape and brought like-minded individuals—his own and Horthy's—into leadership positions.

Gömbös' successor, Kálmán Darányi, became the Prime Minister during whose administration Hungary enacted the "First Jewish Law." This law established a 20% quota on the maximum proportion of Jewish people in the country's workforce. Darányi also initiated a militaristic policy, declaring the need for a large-scale rearmament of the army (the so-called "Darányi Program"). However, by 1938, even such actions were not radical enough to satisfy local right-wing factions and the dictators of Germany and Italy, with whom Hungary was rapidly aligning. Thus, Darányi did not remain in power for long and resigned by spring 1938. Meanwhile, Nazi and fascist allies helped Hungary realize part of its "territorial dreams" in November 1938 through the First Vienna Arbitration. Consequently, Hungary increasingly followed the path they proposed. In spring 1939, the "Second Jewish Law" was adopted, further restricting employment and entrepreneurial quotas for the Jewish population. Additionally, this law defined Jewish identity as a race rather than a religion, thereby stripping civil rights from Jews who had converted to Christianity. At the time this law was adopted, Pál Teleki was already Prime Minister. He led Hungary at the beginning of World War II and opposed the involvement of the Hungarian army in combat. The country remained on the sidelines of the battles in Poland, not allowing German troops to use its territory for passage or operations against Poland, and permitted remnants of the Polish army, as well as civilians, to escape into its territory.

However, it was not possible to maintain a conditional neutrality for long. Hungary had to choose a side in the escalating European conflict. In November 1940, Teleki signed the agreement to join the Tripartite Pact, followed by a treaty of eternal friendship with Yugoslavia in December 1940. This ultimately led to the Prime Minister's suicide. He refused to allow the Hungarian army to participate in the aggression against Yugoslavia but was compelled to permit German troops to pass through the kingdom's territory. In response, Britain threatened Hungary with war. Teleki realized that the kingdom was in a hopeless situation. On April 3, 1941, he took his own life, condemning the aggression against Yugoslavia in his last letter. A much more radical right-wing politician, László Bárdossy, came to power. On April 11, 1941, an 80,000-strong Hungarian army crossed the Yugoslav border and joined the combat operations on the Axis side.

On November 20, 1945, the Nuremberg Trials against major Nazi criminals began. Learn more.

On November 20, 2004, the Shevchenkivsky District Court of Kyiv rejected the Kyiv City State Administration's request to limit mass gatherings on Independence Square from November 21 to 23. Learn more.

Church Holiday on November 20

November 20 is the eve of the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple. On this day, the memory of St. Gregory of Decapolis is also honored. St. Gregory of Decapolis was born in the Isaurian Decapolis in the 8th century. From childhood, he was passionate about faith and wished to lead a monastic life. To avoid marriage, which his parents insisted upon, he secretly left home. He spent his entire life wandering: he was in Constantinople, Rome, Corinth, Thessaloniki, and worked for some time in a cave on Olympus. He preached everywhere. Through his feats and prayers, he acquired the gifts of prophecy and miracle-working. To counter the heresy of iconoclasm, St. Gregory left the monastery of Saint Menas, where he had worked for a long time, and returned to Constantinople. In the capital, a severe illness weakened his strength, and he died in 816.

Folk Omens

If it snows during the day but does not stay on the ground, rivers will overflow in spring.

Ice on this day indicates prolonged frosts.

If windows are covered with frost, there will be a good grain harvest next year.

What Not to Do on November 20

Do not wash bed linen.

Do not knit.

Sick people should not go outside, as their condition may worsen.