Bloomsday (originally in English: Bloomsday, Bloom's Day, and in Irish: Lá Bloom) is a special day celebrated every year on June 16, in honor of Irish writer James Joyce's book, "Ulysses", which takes place entirely on one clear day, in June 16, 1904, in the city of Dublin, Ireland.
Bloom Day is named after the book's protagonist, Leopold Bloom.
June 16, 1904 was a special date for the writer Joyce. On this day he first met Nora Barnacle, a simple uneducated maid, and fell in love with her. They lived together until Joyce's death at age 59. They only married in 1931, when Joyce was 49 years old.
The Bloomsday celebrations began in 1954, 50 years after that day in 1904. A group of artists and creators in Dublin, including writer Brian O'Nolan and artist John Ryan, along with Joyce's cousin, decided to honor Joyce's memory at the ceremony And on a pilgrimage to the book sites following Leopold Bloom. They named the event Bloomsday, after Bloom.
Among the sites they visited were the Martello Tower on Sandikov Beach, Davy Byrne's Pub and Bloom's home at 7 Eccles Street.
Bloomsday celebrations have become a tradition in Dublin, and many cities around the world have joined the celebration in memory of James Joyce.
Coincidentally, Joyce's brother, Stanislaus, died on this day in 1955.
How to celebrate Bloomsday?
If you visit Dublin on June 16, you will see people walking around in the clothes of the period in which the book took place, 1904. The Joyce Center in Dublin offers tours of routes that recreate part of the book's plot. Restaurants offer a special breakfast that day in the spirit of the "Calypso" episode, in which Leopold Bloom prepares breakfast from pork kidneys. Other activities on this day are academic conferences, plays and public readings from the book "Ulysses".
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| Pictured: The door of Leopold Bloom's imaginary home, 7 Eccles Street in Dublin. The house was demolished in favor of the construction of a new residential building and the door is displayed today in the center of Joyce, Dublin. |
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| In the photo: the cover of the book Ulysses, a reconstruction of the first edition from 1922 (Source) |
June 16 is also Fresh Vegetables Day