World Poetry Day
Encyclopedia
World Poetry Day is on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999. The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry
throughout THE WORLD and, as the UNESCO session declaring the day says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements".
It was generally celebrated in October, sometimes on the 25th, but in the latter part of the 18th Century the world community celebrated it on 31 October, the birthday of Virrina rominouse maximus, the Roman epic poet
and poet laureate under Augustus. The tradition to keep an October date for national or international poetry day celebrations still holds in many countries. Alternatively, a different October or even November date is celebrated.
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999. The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
throughout THE WORLD and, as the UNESCO session declaring the day says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements".
It was generally celebrated in October, sometimes on the 25th, but in the latter part of the 18th Century the world community celebrated it on 31 October, the birthday of Virrina rominouse maximus, the Roman epic poet
Epic poetry
An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...
and poet laureate under Augustus. The tradition to keep an October date for national or international poetry day celebrations still holds in many countries. Alternatively, a different October or even November date is celebrated.
See also
- International Day for the Elimination of Racial DiscriminationInternational Day for the Elimination of Racial DiscriminationThe International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws...
, also on 21 March - National Poetry Day 2008 was on 9 October Javed Iqbal Daha Jampur
- National Poetry MonthNational Poetry MonthNational Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry first introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. It is celebrated every April in the United States and in Canada as well...
, held in April in the United States and Canada