World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day
Also called	WPD
Observed by	UN Members
Celebrations	UNESCO
Observances	Promote poetry
Begins	1999
Date	21 March
Next time	21 March 2025 (2025-03-21)
Frequency	Annual

World Poetry Day is celebrated on 21 March, and was declared by UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in 1999, "with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard". Its purpose is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world and, as the original UNESCO declaration says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements".

It was generally celebrated in October, but in the latter part of the 20th century the world community celebrated it on the 15th, 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. The United Kingdom generally uses the first Thursday in October, but elsewhere a different October, or even sometimes a November date, is celebrated.

See also

• United Nations
• National Poetry Month, held in April in the United States and Canada
• Honorary Poets, is chosen on November 1, Poetry Day in the Korea.

External links

• "World Poetry Day, 21 March" at un.org
• UN International Observances Calendar
• "Jaipur Based Young Poets Celebrated World Poetry Day on 21 March 2017 at O2 The Plant Cafe"