What day is it?

Handwriting Day or Handwriting Day is celebrated every year on January 23. This day is celebrated to emphasize the importance of handwriting, to investigate the purity and character of handwriting. Thanks to modern technologies, the writing process has become much easier and faster. However, writing letters and words on paper is different from mechanical typing. When a person picks up a pen and paper, his mind and body are synchronized, thoughts go in time with writing words. Another advantage of writing by hand is that all records are stored on a physical piece of paper, while voice and text messages become difficult or impossible to find over time. In addition, you can recreate a person’s portrait by handwriting, learn about his character traits.

How did the idea to celebrate Handwriting Day come about?

Handwriting Day was invented in 1977 when educators began to feel that people were beginning to lose handwriting skills. The art of calligraphy is losing its importance, and teaching the new generation to write by hand is becoming more and more difficult. With this in mind, the Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association (WIMA) created Handwriting Day. Although not everyone knows about this holiday, every year it gains more and more popularity and spreads all over the world.

January 23

The date of the celebration, January 23, was chosen in honor of the birthday of the president of the American Congress, John Hancock. It was he who participated in the signing of the Declaration of Independence of the USA in 1776. The congressman signed himself in large and broad letters, which gave his handwriting authority. It is worth saying that the text of the Declaration was copied from a printed copy in the form of calligraphic writing on a parchment sheet.

The science of handwriting

Handwritten text developed over thousands of years. Simultaneously with its appearance, people asked themselves what character traits a person with certain features of handwriting possesses. And the scientists of Ancient Greece believed that the characteristics of a person’s handwriting are directly related to his spiritual world.

Teaching about hand writing, or as it is called today “graphology”, appeared in 1875. It was then that the French abbot Michonnere began to study handwriting in order to determine a person’s mental state.

Modern science singles out 7 main factors of a handwritten text that determine the psychological characteristics of its author. Graphologists pay attention to the size of the letters, their shape, angle of inclination, clarity and force of pressure during writing.

Also important are the features of combining letters into words, as well as the general analysis of handwriting. According to modern graphologists, when writing letters and words, the human mind is activated, which controls the hand while writing. This statement also explains the fact that as people grow older, the brain’s function, and hence the person’s handwriting, changes.

Interesting facts about letters, handwriting and handwriting

• The best handwriting in the world was discovered in Nepal. Its owner was a 14-year-old schoolgirl.
• Hossein Mohammed Dekhani is an Iranian citizen who became famous as an author the longest letter in the world. In his letter, which is more than 150 m long and weighs 2.5 kg, he expressed his insult to his comrade for his long silence in handwritten form.
• Few people know, but the author the shortest letter is Victor Hugo. He sent this letter to one of the publishers with whom he cooperated. There was only one sign in the letter – a question mark. In this way, the author wanted to know about the reaction to his work. It is interesting that in response he received the same short letter with an exclamation mark.
• The first handwritten Ukrainian book – Peresopnytsia Gospel, created in 1561. Abbot Hryhoriy and his assistant Mykhailo were engaged in the census. The Gospel was transcribed so exquisitely that it is still considered a true work of calligraphy.
• Human handwriting is an important tool for forensic experts. In this way, they can determine whether the document is genuine and use the method of comparisons to reveal the identity of the author.
• More than 40 signs of a person’s character can be determined by his signature. If the signature ends with the tail up, it means that the person’s character is dominated by optimistic traits. Such a person is energetic and always achieves his goals. Most often, these are active, creative people. If the tip of the signature goes down, then its author is a pessimist. He is prone to depression, often such people have alcohol addiction. The owner of a long signature is a thoughtful person who thinks deeply, has a stubborn temper and is meticulous about details.
• Hand writing helps memorization. When writing a certain text, the part of the brain that filters out redundant information is activated. By drawing each letter on a piece of paper, a person concentrates more easily and treats what is written more carefully.

Handwriting Day (Handwriting Day) in history

• 1561

  The first handwritten Ukrainian book was written – Peresopnytske Evangelie.
• 1875

  The study of handwriting – graphology – appeared.
• 1977

  The foundation of the holiday is Handwriting Day.

How to celebrate Handwriting Day?

There are many interesting things to do on Handwriting Day. First of all, it is worth mentioning important documents that were written by hand. Visit manuscript book museums, familiarize yourself with the facsimile handwritten editions of “Kyiv Glagolitic Letters”, “Ostromyrov Evangelie”, “Tales of Timeless Years”, “Peresopnytsk Evangelie”.

Handwriting day is another opportunity to study another person’s handwriting, realizing that handwriting is as unique as fingerprints. You can try to make a psychological portrait of a person by handwriting.

Improve your handwriting, try to make it clearer and more understandable for others. Handwriting Day is a great opportunity to teach your little ones to write. Letters can be drawn with colored pencils or paints. It is very important to take a break from the computer on this day and try not to type on the keyboard.

Why is this day important?

Information technologies are changing the rhythm of our lives. We can do many important things in a short time. Voice and text messages are sent in minutes.

At the same time, a great culture is disappearing calligraphy – cultures of handwriting, when a person has the opportunity to express himself as much as possible and reveal his character. Handwriting Day draws attention to the importance of writing letters, words and entire sentences with a pen on a piece of paper. Let’s preserve the culture of handwriting together!

🎁 Gifts for Handwriting Day (Handwriting Day)

	Set for calligraphy
	Set for calligraphy
	Sketchbook Calligraphy. Basic principles
	Calligraphy ink set
	Notebook for graphics and calligraphy

When will we celebrate Handwriting Day?