International Mother Language Day

School children from Hólabrekkuskóli visited Veröld – House of Vigdís on the International Mother Language Day, 21 February. The day started with a brief introduction to the Living Language Lab and the Mother Language day and languages of the world. After this, a traditional Icelandic craft in preparation for Ash Wednesday was made, a “bag of ashes”, in which messages in differenct languages were hidden. 

The International Mother Language Day is observed worldwide annually on 21 February to promote awareness of linguistic diversity and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. The initiative for the celebration of the International Mother Language Day came from Bangladesh, where it was first celebrated before being formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly.

Every year the Vigdís Centre celebrates the day by inviting school children for language-related activities, this year organized in collaboration with Móðurmál – the Association on Bilingualism and the Language Centre of the University of Iceland.

Photos: Kristinn Ingvarsson