World Calligraphy Day Date in the current year: August 14, 2024

The art of calligraphy has existed for almost as long as writing. It developed independently in different parts of the world and flourished at a time when all books were handwritten. China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia, Tibet, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Egypt, Ethiopia, Europe, and the Islamic world have centuries-old calligraphy traditions.

These traditions are unique in each region since different regions have different writing systems and, say, Chinese characters and therefore the principles of Chinese calligraphy are vastly different from Latin characters and Western calligraphy traditions. Chinese calligraphy, Arabic calligraphy, traditional calligraphy in Islamic art in Turkey (Hüsn-i Hat), and Mongolian calligraphy can be found on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity and List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The ubiquity of calligraphy began to decline from the 15th century onward due to the invention of printing. However, this doesn’t mean that calligraphy ceased to exist as an art form. Its modern revival in Europe, North America and parts of Asia began in the late 19th century thanks to the Arts and Crafts movement inspired by the ideas of Thomas Carlyle, William Morris, and John Ruskin.

Modern calligraphy uses new tools and techniques alongside classical principal tools that have been used by calligraphers for centuries such as ink, brushes, dip pens and fountain pens. It flourishes in the form of graphic design, religious art, memorial documents, event invitations, hand-lettered logo design, font design and typography, etc. Calligraphy is also used in film and television production.

Calligraphy used to be a somewhat of an elitist art form because only a small percentage of people were literate and had access to expensive calligraphy tools and paper or parchment. Today, however, anyone can try their hand at calligraphy using an impressive assortment of writing tools and materials.

World Calligraphy Day was established in 2017 by Manuscript Pen Company, a UK-based brand of writing instruments and other calligraphy products. The day brings together calligraphy enthusiasts from all over the world to celebrate and promote the beautiful and esteemed visual art of calligraphy and creative lettering.

The best way to celebrate World Calligraphy Day is to share your calligraphy works with the world using the hashtag #WorldCalligraphyDay. If you’ve never tried calligraphy but have been meaning to for a while, this is your cue to finally do it! Sign up for a calligraphy course or find some tutorials on YouTube, pick up basic supplies, and get creative. If you’re already an experienced calligrapher, use the day as an excuse to introduce someone to this beautiful art and teach them the basics.