International Haiku Poetry Day
April 17 · Level 2 · #1973 of 2238
A day for the shortest of poems, where a handful of words paint a whole scene. Poetry lovers write and read haiku in many languages.
How it is celebrated: poets and clubs hold readings and contests, and plenty of people simply step outside for a walk and jot down three lines about what they notice.
Japanese haiku count sound units called morae, not syllables, so the familiar 5-7-5 pattern in English is only an approximation of the original form. The great master Matsuo Bashō wrote in the 17th century.