MANILA, Philippines - See and experience a different kind of book fair as Instituto Cervantes celebrates the seventh edition of Día Internacional del Libro (International Book Day) on April 21.
The Spanish cultural center will once again be abuzz with activities for the whole family. Around 4,000 book titles will be piling up Instituto Cervantes. And for this year’s celebration of the Día del libro, Instituto Cervantes will be giving out hundreds of books for free.
The first 200 people to come at Instituto Cervantes will receive a book and a rose upon entrance. There will also be tons of games where contestants will get a chance to win cool prizes and books.
Día del Libro will also feature some of the top exhibitors/bookstores that will be selling a wide selection of books — children and young adult titles, dictionaries, novels, fiction and non-fiction titles — at a 20-percent discounted price. And following the tradition in Spain, for every purchase you make you will be given a rose.
First introduced by ICM in Manila in 2006, the tradition (related to an old legend involving chivalry) of Día del Libro began in Barcelona, Spain, where, on St. George’s Day, gifts are exchanged between sweethearts: men buy roses for women, and in return, women buy books for men. This tradition encourages book lovers from all walks of life to gather and indulge their literary passion.
This date also commemorates the deaths of two of history’s greatest writers – Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, who coincidentally died in the same year, in 1616.
Book Day Activities
On April 21, Instituto Cervantes will provide free entertainment for a whole day of leisure and activity including an all-day feast of Spanish food, film showings, games, poetry recital and free Spanish classes.
In addition to a day of book selling and readings, the children will also have a variety of activities organized for them such as arts, crafts and motion activities. There will be a coloring activity for the little ones and a free movie screening for fun educational activities. Photo buffs may also submit their best photo shots taken during Día del Libro.
This year also marks Instituto Cervantes’ first Super Short Story Contest on Twitter. With the objective to discover literary talent in Spanish language and dissemination, this game also promotes interest in Spanish and Latin American culture. Interested participants must compose a bestiary in Spanish and in 140 characters. A bestiary is a short story based on a description of certain qualities of an animal, plant, or even stone. Participants must then submit their entry by following Instituto Cervantes’ official twitter account (@ICervantesMnila) and placing a hashtag #conbestiario.
Those who are into poetry may watch the Bersong EuroPinoy, a unique poetry chain of Filipino and European poems, at 2 p.m. at the Salon de Actos. An interesting poetry campaign started in 2009 and last year awarded with the Gawad Jaime C. De Veyra by the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino, the Bersong EuroPinoy was initiated by ICM as part of its Día del Libro (Book Day) and the Viva Europa celebrations. It is often regarded as a “depiction of the brotherhood of languages” as it brings together renowned Filipino poets as well as different participants from various embassies of the European Union. EU countries featured in the poetry recital include Czech Republic, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Visit us and experience a bombardment of excitement from the beginning of the celebration up to the end brought to you by Instituto Cervantes.
Día del Libro is organized by Instituto Cervantes de Manila in collaboration with the Spanish Embassy in the Philippines, Spanish Department of Culture, Spanish Agency International Cooperation for Development (AECID) and the Delegation of the Europen Union in the Philippines.
Admission to all Día del libro activities is free on a first-come, first-served basis. For information, call 526-1482 or visit http://manila.cervantes.es Instituto Cervantes de Manila is at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila.