International Mother Language Day
February 21 · Level 6 · #1055 of 2238
International Mother Language Day celebrates linguistic diversity and learning in a language people understand. It recognises that languages carry family memories, oral traditions and distinctive ways of describing the world.
How it is celebrated: schools, libraries and cultural centres host readings, language activities and conversations with speakers of local languages. Poetry, songs and everyday expressions give participants a chance to hear voices beyond their usual surroundings.
The date has a solemn origin: it recalls people killed during the Bengali language movement in Dhaka in 1952. Bangladesh later proposed the international observance.