Observed annually on the second Wednesday in August, World Calligraphy Day is a holiday that’s observed by handwriting enthusiasts all over the globe. It’s a day that attempts to remind all of us that handwriting is a lost art that deserves to be preserved.

Unfortunately, fewer and fewer students are learning handwriting in schools, thanks to the proliferation of digital writing tools becoming the norm. There may eventually come a day when people don’t use handwriting at all, which would be a dark day indeed for many people who feel that handwriting is central to human reading and language skills.

All the more reason why people may want to observe this holiday and encourage others to embrace handwriting as an art and a skill.

The History of World Calligraphy Day

It’s believed that calligraphy originated in ancient China approximately 2,000 years ago. Of course, calligraphy also developed in other places outside of Asia around the same time, so it can be difficult to really uncover when it was invented and who invented it.

Fortunately, the history of World Calligraphy Day is a lot easier to ascertain. This holiday was created by the Manuscript Pen Company in 2017 to encourage calligraphy enthusiasts to come together and share their art with one another.

It has since become a holiday with even bigger implications than just calligraphy, however. This is due to cursive handwriting being removed from many schools around the world.

Some Amazing Facts About Calligraphy

Below are some amazing facts about calligraphy that we feel everyone checking out World Calligraphy Day will be able to appreciate. Let’s take a look at the following facts before moving on with our exploration of this holiday.

• The word “calligraphy” is derived from the Greek words “Kallos,” which means beauty, and “Graphein,” which means to write.
• The word “calligraphy” was introduced into the English language in 1613.
• Calligraphy was considered to be one of the highest art forms in the Middle Ages.

Observing World Calligraphy Day

While this holiday may be mainly observed by calligraphy enthusiasts, we believe that it’s a day that should be observed by everyone. It’s a great day for people to learn more about calligraphy, take a calligraphy course, or spread the word about calligraphy to friends and family members.

It’s also a good day for people to practice cursive writing and to encourage their children to practice cursive writing. And to help share the love of calligraphy far and wide, we encourage everyone to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #WorldCalligraphyDay on social media.