World Book Day

World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day, or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. The first World Book Day was celebrated on 23 April in 1995, and continues to be recognized on that day. A related event in the United Kingdom and Ireland is observed in March.

World Book Day
UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day 2012 poster
Official nameNational World Book Day
Also calledWND
Observed byAll UN Member States
TypeInternational
DateApril 23
Frequencyannual

Date selection

The original idea was of the Spanish writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, first on 7 October, his birth date, then on 23 April, his death date. In 1995 UNESCO decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on 23 April, as the date is also the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.[1] (In a historical coincidence, Shakespeare and Cervantes died on the same date — 23 April 1616 — but not on the same day, as at the time, Spain used the Gregorian calendar and England used the Julian calendar; Shakespeare actually died 10 days after Cervantes died, on 3 May of the Gregorian calendar).

World Book Day by region
Forum on reading aloud held outside the campus library at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City for the occasion

Spain

In Catalonia, Spain, St. George's Day (Diada de Sant Jordi), the patron saint of Catalonia, has been commemorated since 1436, and involves the exchange of gifts between loved ones and respected people. St George's Day in Catalonia is celebrated with giving loved ones books and roses, and is an opportunity for Catalans to honour their patron saint and show their love of culture.[2]

Sweden

In Sweden, the day is known as Världsbokdagen ("World Book Day") and the copyright aspect is seldom mentioned. Normally celebrated on 23 April, it was moved to 13 April in the year 2000[3] and 2011 to avoid a clash with Easter.[4]

United Kingdom and Ireland
Main article: World Book Day (UK and Ireland)

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, World Book Day is a charity event in March, held annually on the first Thursday and coinciding with the release of special editions.[5] The annual celebration on 23 April is World Book Night, an event organized by independent charity The Reading Agency.[6]

United States

In Kensington, Maryland, the International Day of the Book is celebrated with a street festival on the Sunday closest to 26 April.[7]

This year 15th Annual Kensington Day of the Book Festival was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.[7]

  • Modern Book Printing“, fourth sculpture (from six) of the Berliner Walk of Ideas. Unveiling: 21 April 2006
  • Tunisian students perform reading on the street, on the 2012 World Book Day
  • Book fair in Helsinki, Finland on World Book Day 2011
  • "5-minute reading" campaign (rather, the 5-minute reading content just printed one sheet of paper) at Łódź, Poland in 2013

See also

References
  1. "World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April". Un.org. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  2. Finnigan, Christopher (23 April 2016). "Boys, girls, books and roses: a literary love affair in Catalonia". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  3. Världsbokdagen flyttas Archived 2012-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, Svensk Bokhandel, 22 October 1999
  4. Världsbokdagen "flyttas", Dagens Nyheter, 11 November 2010.
  5. "Frequently Asked Questions". World Book Day (UK & Ireland). 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  6. "World Book Night". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  7. "KENSINGTON DAY OF THE BOOK FESTIVAL". ok.md.gov.

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