International Mother Language Day

Culture of origin: International · International

Holiday sources: Armenian · Assyrian · Azerbaijani · Bakhtiari · Baloch · Georgian · Gilak · Iran · Iranian Arab · Kurdish · Lur · Mazandarani · Qashqai · Talysh · Turkmen

UNESCO proclaimed 21 February International Mother Language Day on 17 November 1999 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity, in memory of the students police shot dead in Dhaka on 21 February 1952 while demanding recognition of Bengali. It has been observed worldwide since 2000. In Iran the first observance was held by Turkic-speaking students of the University of Tehran on 2 Esfand 1382 (21 February 2004).