National Letter Writing Day is annually celebrated on December 7th in the United States. This day aims to promote the culture of letter writing which has been in decline for many years now.
This day also makes us realize that in our modern world we sometimes forget to be simple as some few centuries ago in our world letter was the only way of communication for the people.
That's why this day is a great day to get back to basics and hand-write a letter. But isn't the idea of sitting down for half an hour and hand-writing something to somebody special, I mean today we all have messaging apps and all but there is just something natural in writing letters which is a totally different feeling and you can only experience it by writing one.
| Event | National Letter Writing Day |
|---|---|
| Date | December 7, 2022 |
| Day | Wednesday |
| Significance | The day aims to promote the culture of letter writing which has been in decline for many years now. |
| Observed by | United States |
National Letter Writing Day History:
Historically, letters have existed from ancient India, ancient Egypt and Sumer, through Rome, Greece and China, up to the present day. During the 17th and 18th centuries, letters were used to self-educate. The main purposes of letters were to send information, news and greetings. For some, letters were a way to practice critical reading, self-expressive writing, polemical writing and also exchange ideas with like-minded others. For some people, letters were seen as a written performance.
In the ancient world letters might be written on various different materials, including metal, lead, wax-coated wooden tablets, pottery fragments, animal skin, and papyrus. From Ovid, we learn that Acontius used an apple for his letter to Cydippe. More recently, letters have mainly been written on paper: handwritten and more recently typed. There is a wealth of letters and instructional materials (for example, manuals, as in the medieval ars dictaminis) on letter writing throughout history. The study of letter writing usually involves both the study of rhetoric and grammar.
During the 18th century, called the "Great Age of Letter Writing," the epistolary novel became a hugely popular genre and came from the format of letters. The novel also debuted in the 17th century with Love-Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister. As a medium of writing that lies ambiguously between the public and private worlds, letters provide an appealing peek into other people's thoughts, feelings, and lives. During this historical period, publishing these "private" letters so they could build and preserve literary prominence became common for the first time.
Letters were a chief form of communication, in both personal and business communication, for many centuries before telegraphy, telephony, and Internet communications reduced their primacy. Even in times and places where literacy was lower, illiterate people could pay literate ones to write letters to, and to read letters from, distant correspondents. Even in the era of telegrams and telephones, letters remained quite important until fax and email further eroded their primacy, especially since the turn of the 21st century.
National Letter Writing Day Significance:
Most of the letter writing has been shifted to digital means in our world today, with the usage of paper as a medium continuously declining every passing year. Writing on paper has been a part of human civilization for so long now that it is hard to believe that culture of writing on paper is slowly dying right now. Hence this day was created to make people aware regarding the important role that letter writing had played in developing and evolving our world.
This day also encourages people to pay a tribute to letter writing by actually writing letter on paper for this day and not on your smart devices. It is true that technology has given us many things and it has helped greatly in the evolution of human society but in the case of letter writing, as it means we've lost the art of reflecting before we communicate, and then expressing a thought or a sentiment in a flowing cursive hand.
Infact in many places in our world schools don't even teach handwriting to children instead they teach typing! I mean its good for the future but this is also making us heavily dependent on technology which is worrying. As somehow if they are denied access to technology they will not be able to do anything without the medium of technology. Furthermore technology is also making things very casual like do we feel any emotions while chatting with our friends on social media anymore? There is just something about letters which makes it much more exciting for communicating.
These days, big corporations are the biggest users of the U.S. mail system, but that means many of us are missing out on the physical pleasures inherent in writing a letter on nice stationary and sending it through the mail system with a stamp. From famous presidents to wildlife, sports, and celebrating important aspects of the country's history, stamps are a neat way of expressing your personality through the postage system.
National Letter Writing Day Activities:
Get out the pen and paper and start writing! Picking who to write too can often be the hardest thing, but you should select an old friend or family member of any age. For the young it can be novel for them to receive a written personal letter, it's just something that isn't done anymore and through doing so you can share with them that unique and personal experience that is receiving a written letter from a loved one.
Another option is to write a letter to your future self. This is something that a lot of people like to do. You can write about what your favorite things are at the moment, as well as describing what life is like now. The letter can be stored somewhere safe so that you can open it in the future when a number of years have passed by. This will be a very exciting and fun activity for the day, so do try it!
You could also celebrate National Letter Writing Day by practicing calligraphy. After all, letters look better when they are written in a beautiful way, right? Calligraphy is simply the art of creating decorative lettering or handwriting with a brush or pen. You can easily but calligraphy pens on the Internet, and there are a lot of tutorials and videos to help you get started if this is something you are interested in.
Most Searched FAQs on National Letter Writing Day:
1. When is National Letter Writing Day celebrated?
National Letter Writing Day is annually celebrated on December 7th in US.
2. What are the main two types of letters?
Broadly there are two types of letters – Formal Letters and Informal Letters but the classification of letters are also based on the contents, formalities, the purpose of letter writing, etc.
3. What is the importance of letter writing?
Writing letters can be extremely therapeutic and can help to relieve anxiety. The motion of putting pen on paper provides clarity and peace. Research also suggests writing letters to your nearest and dearest to share your love and show your appreciation can help you to feel happier and more satisfied.