Bloomsday
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- This article is about Bloomsday, the holiday. For the road race, see Lilac Bloomsday Run.
Bloomsday is a secular holiday, celebrated annually on June 16.
The day both celebrates the life of the Irish writer James Joyce and commemorates the fictitious events in his novel Ulysses, all of which took place on a single day in Dublin: June 16, 1904. The name Bloomsday is derived from Leopold Bloom, the name of the central character in the book.
The day is commemorated by activities such as academic symposia, re-enactments and readings from Ulysses, pub crawling and general merriment. One often sees enthusiasts dressed in Edwardian costume to celebrate the day. Joyce chose June 16 because he first went out with his wife-to-be, Nora Barnacle, walking to the Dublin village of Ringsend on that day.
The first celebration took place in 1954 and a major five month-long festival (ReJoyce Dublin 2004) took place in Dublin between April 1 and August 31 2004. On the Sunday prior to the 100th anniversary of Bloomsday (2004) 10,000 people in Dublin were treated to a free open air breakfast on O'Connell Street consisting of sausages, rashers, and black and white puddings.
External links
- NPR: Celebrating the 'Bloomsday' Centennial (http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1959559)
- Seattle Bloomsday readings (http://www.WildGeeseSeattle.org/Joyce/Bloomsday/)
- BBC: Fans descend on Joyce's Dublin (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/arts/3812973.stm)
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