The idea of celebrating World Book Day dates back to ancient times. The tradition started by Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia, and has been continued and celebrated since 1436 with the gift of books and roses. The motto is “One rose, one book”. With this pleasant tradition in mind, the Spanish proposal to celebrate the birth of Cervantes was accepted by the UNESCO General Assembly in 1995 and it was decided to celebrate World Book Day on 23 April. This is because this date, 23 April, which has also been declared “World Book Day” by many international organisations and UNESCO, is also the day of birth or death of many famous writers such as Cervantes, Shakespeare, Vega, Nabokov. World Book Day has been celebrated for 28 years in more than 100 countries to promote the habit of reading books and to introduce children to books.

World Book Reading Day emphasises that books are important tools for humanity. Books are seen as a way of sharing knowledge, developing imagination and understanding different ways of thinking. They are also a way of preserving cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations.

Another aim of this celebration is to emphasise the importance of the book and the habit of reading worldwide, to encourage reading, to promote respect for publication, the right to publish, freedom of thought and expression, and to serve world peace through the quality of books that enable cultural exchange and promote mutual understanding and tolerance.

Before 23 April, the week-long celebrations begin with activities in schools and libraries. Activities are organised to instill a love of reading in students and to introduce them to books, authors, bookshops and libraries. Posters and bookmarks are distributed to encourage reading.

Meetings with authors, reading days and reading competitions are organised. On 23 April, celebrations reach their climax, spread to the streets and take on a festive atmosphere.

World Book Day was first celebrated on 23 April 1995. As an event encouraging book reading, it quickly spread around the world and is now celebrated in schools, libraries and bookshops in more than 100 countries.

The world’s most book-reading countries

Among the top 10 most read countries in the world, there are 6 countries from Asia and 4 countries from Europe. India stands out at the top of the list. In addition, UNESCO designates a new “World Book Capital” every year. In this context, the World Book Capital of 2023 was selected as Accra, the capital of Ghana.

İbrahim Pütrü

Sources:
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