Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

"Copyright Day" redirects here. Not to be confused with Public Domain Day.

World Book Day
Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day 2012 poster

Official nameWorld Book and Copyright Day
Also calledWND
Observed byAll UN Member States
TypeInternational
Date23 April
Next time23 April 2023
Frequencyannual

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.[1] On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO along with the advisory committee from the major sectors of the book industry, select the World Book Capital for one year. Each designated World Book Capital City carries out a program of activities to celebrate and promote books and reading.[2]

Date selection[edit]

The original idea was conceived in 1922 by Spanish writer Vicente Clavel Andrés as a way to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes. It was first celebrated on 7 October 1926, Cervantes' birthday, before being moved to his death date, 23 April, in 1930.[3] The celebration continued to enjoy great popularity in Spain, especially in Catalonia, where it coincides with the Diada de Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia. The Diada usually involves the exchange of gifts between loved ones and, since the 1931 Book Fair in Barcelona, the gifts are a book and a rose.[3]

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 William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, as well as that of the birth or death of several other prominent authors.[4] (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[edit]

World Book Capital[edit]

The World Book Capital (WBC) is an initiative of UNESCO which recognises cities for promoting books and fostering reading for a year starting on April 23rd, World Book and Copyright Day.[2] Cities designated as UNESCO World Book Capital carry out activities with the aim of encouraging a culture of reading in all ages and sharing UNESCO's values.[5]

UNESCO adopted the 31c/Resolution 29, in 2001, establishing the World Book Capital programme and naming Madrid as the first WBC city in 2001. The advisory committee is composed of UNESCO, the International Publishers Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, the International Authors Forum and the International Booksellers Federation.[5]

Spain[edit]

In Spain, Book Day began to be celebrated since 1926 every October 7,[6] the date that Miguel de Cervantes was believed to have been born. But, it was considered more appropriate to celebrate this day in a more pleasant season for walking and browsing the books in the open-air. Spring was much better than fall. So in 1930 King Alfonso XIII approved the change of celebration of the Book Day on April 23, the supposed date of the death of Cervantes.[7]

Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

Sweden[edit]

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[8] and 2011 to avoid a clash with Easter.[9]

United Kingdom and Ireland[edit]

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.[10] The annual celebration on 23 April is World Book Night, an event organized by independent charity The Reading Agency.[11]

United States[edit]

In Kensington, Maryland, the International Day of the Book is celebrated with a street festival on the Sunday closest to 26 April.[12] In 2020, the 15th Annual Kensington Day of the Book Festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

India[edit]

World Book Day is also celebrated in India on 23rd April every year.[13] It is commemorated in many parts of India to encourage & aware of people for reading & publishing books.[14] "Jeene ki Raah/Way of Living" is one of the most popular spiritual book of Saint Rampal JI Maharaj on google and social media platforms.[15]

  • Modern Book Printing, fourth sculpture (from six) of the Berliner Walk of Ideas. Unveiling: 21 April 2006.

  • Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

    Tunisian students perform reading on the street, on the 2012 World Book Day

  • Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

    Book fair in Helsinki, Finland, on World Book Day 2011

  • Is World Book Day March 3 or April 23?

    "5-minute reading" campaign (rather, the 5-minute reading content just printed one sheet of paper) at Łódź, Poland, in 2013

See also[edit]

  • International Children's Book Day
  • World Intellectual Property Day
  • Inventors' Day
  • UN English Language Day
  • World Storytelling Day

References[edit]

  1. ^ "World Book Day 2021: Theme, Quotes, History, Significance | Sa News". S A NEWS. 23 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  2. ^ a b "World Book and Copyright Day". UNESCO. 29 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Dalmases, Irene (20 April 2020). "El Día del Libro ha trasladado en ocho ocasiones la fecha de su celebración". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  4. ^ "World Book and Copyright Day - EN | United Nations". Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  5. ^ a b "UNESCO World Book Capital". UNESCO. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  6. ^ "World Book Day April 23". Skip the Line Barcelona. 3 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  7. ^ The World Book Day | url=https://www.skipthelinebarcelona.com/world-book-day/
  8. ^ Världsbokdagen flyttas Archived 2012-04-08 at the Wayback Machine, Svensk Bokhandel, 22 October 1999
  9. ^ Världsbokdagen "flyttas", Dagens Nyheter, 11 November 2010.
  10. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". World Book Day (UK & Ireland). 7 March 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  11. ^ "World Book Night". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Kensington Day of the Book Festival - TOK". Town of Kensington.
  13. ^ "World Book and Copyright Day 2021: History, theme, significance and all you need to know". India Today. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  14. ^ "World Book Day 2021: Why It Is Celebrated, Other Interesting Facts". NDTV.com. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  15. ^ NEWS, SA (22 April 2022). "On World Book and Copyright Day Read Sant Rampal Ji's Sacred Books". SA News Channel. Retrieved 22 April 2022.

  • World Book and Copyright Day, United Nations: 23 April
  • Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day 2019
  • International Day of the Book celebration in Kensington, Maryland, USA

Why are there 2 dates for World Book Day?

It was first celebrated on 7 October 1926, Cervantes' birthday, before being moved to his death date, 23 April, in 1930.

Is March 3 Book day?

World Book Day History It is celebrated all over the world on 23rd April but in the UK it always runs on the first Thursday in March. For more details on which countries celebrate World Book Day, check out the UNESCO website https://en.unesco.org/commemor....

Why 23 April is Book day?

23 April is a symbolic date in world literature. It is the date on which several prominent authors, William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega all died.

What day is 23rd April?

World Earth Day is celebrated to increase awareness about the importance of the planet. Every year on 23rd April this day is celebrated to promote the enjoyment of books and reading.