Mar. 21 - World Poetry Day / Dia Mundial da Poesia

World Poetry Day is commemorated on March 21. This day 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."

«The year 2008 is of particular significance for poetry. Indeed, the United Nations has proclaimed it International Year of Languages. Languages are the very material of poetry constituting the substance out of which poems are made. For poets, this year is therefore the occasion to reflect and act on the extraordinary richness that linguistic diversity offers for their art.» Read here the Message from Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Poetry Day,21 March 2008