Origins and meaning
World Book and Copyright Day is observed every year on 23 April. UNESCO established it in 1995 to encourage reading, publishing and respect for copyright.
The date has symbolic literary connections. Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare died around this date in 1616, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega died on 23 April that year. Another inspiration is the Catalan tradition of Sant Jordi: on 23 April, people in Barcelona exchange gifts of roses and books.
Observing the day in Bulgaria
World Book and Copyright Day is not a public holiday or a day off in Bulgaria: it is a normal working day.
Bookshops and publishers mark the occasion with discounts, while libraries and schools organise readings, meetings with authors and book exchanges. These activities reflect the day's focus on reading and the people who create and publish books.
Bulgaria's literary tradition
Bulgaria's literary tradition began with the work of Cyril and Methodius and their pupils in the ninth century. Filip Stanislavov's Abagar, printed in Rome in 1651, is considered one of the first printed books in a language close to modern Bulgarian. Nedelnik, by Sophronius of Vratsa, published in 1806, is regarded as the first printed book in modern Bulgarian.
Today, Bulgaria's network of chitalishta, or community cultural centres, and libraries continues to make books accessible to everyone. Some of these institutions have existed for more than 150 years. The day is also an occasion to join a library or give a book to a child.