World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day is on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO (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 5th, but in the latter part of the 20th Century the world community celebrated it on 15 October, the birthday of Virgil, 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. Alternately, a different October or even November date is celebrated.

See also

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, also on 21 March
• National Poetry Day 2008 was on 9 October Javed Iqbal Daha Jampur
• National Poetry Month, held in April in the United States and Canada

External links

• UNESCO World Poetry Directory