World Portuguese Language Day

World Portuguese Language Day (Portuguese: Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa) is observed annually on May 5.^[1] The day is marked through a range of musical performances, literature readings, competitions, cultural shows, art exhibitions, lectures, plays, and other cultural events worldwide in order to highlight the use and spread of the Portuguese language around the world.

World Portuguese Language Day Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa
Observed by	Portuguese-speaking people worldwide
Date	May 5
Next time	May 5, 2026 (2026-05-05)
Frequency	annual
First time	May 5, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-05-05)
Started by	Community of Portuguese Language Countries
Related to	International Mother Language Day, UN Arabic Language Day, UN Chinese Language Day, UN English Language Day, UN French Language Day, UN Russian Language Day, UN Spanish Language Day, UN Swahili Language Day

The observance was established on July 20, 2009 by the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) as Portuguese Language and Culture Day. The date of May 5 was chosen to coincide with the first meeting of the Ministers of Culture of the CPLP which occurred in 2005 and was subsequently declared Dia da Cultura da CPLP.^[2]

In November 2019, the 40th session of UNESCO's General Conference decided to proclaim May 5 of each year as "World Portuguese Language Day".^[3][4]

See also

• International Mother Language Day
• International observance
• Official languages of the United Nations