National Limerick Day
This holiday is featured in the Obscure Holiday Calendar app with emoji-style visuals, reminders, and daily fun facts.
Overview
National Limerick Day is observed annually on May 12th, celebrating the playful five-line poetic form and commemorating the birthday of Edward Lear (1812–1888), a renowned English artist, illustrator, author, and poet largely credited with popularizing the limerick. This day encourages people to embrace the humor and linguistic creativity of limericks by reading, writing, and sharing these distinctive AABBA rhyme-schemed poems, which are often witty, absurd, or nonsensical.
Observed each year on May 12, National Limerick Day invites people to pause, share the story, and bring a little themed joy to their day.
Origin and story
A limerick is a five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, where lines 1, 2, and 5 are longer and rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 are shorter and rhyme.
Edward Lear, whose birthday is celebrated on this day, published "A Book of Nonsense" in 1846, which popularized the limerick form, though he typically referred to them as 'nonsense rhymes'.
Quick facts
- DateMay 12
- TypeCultural / community observance
- Great forFriends, Families, Classrooms, Teams
Also on this date
Ways to celebrate
- Bring the theme into your day—decorate a workspace, cook or bake something inspired by National Limerick, or play music that matches the mood.
- Write a note or journal entry on why National Limerick Day matters, then set a reminder for next year.
- Add National Limerick Day to your Obscure Holiday Calendar app widget so you get a reminder next year.
- Plan something small on May 12: a quick nod to National Limerick Day with friends, family, or coworkers.
- Share one fast fact about National Limerick Day: A limerick is a five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, where lines 1, 2, and 5 are longer and rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 are shorter and rhyme.
Fun facts
- A limerick is a five-line poem with an AABBA rhyme scheme, where lines 1, 2, and 5 are longer and rhyme, and lines 3 and 4 are shorter and rhyme.
- Edward Lear, whose birthday is celebrated on this day, published "A Book of Nonsense" in 1846, which popularized the limerick form, though he typically referred to them as 'nonsense rhymes'.
- The exact origin of the name 'limerick' is debated, but it may stem from the Irish city of Limerick or a popular 19th-century parlor game where participants composed extemporaneous verses.
Sources and attribution
Source not provided.
Continue to
FAQ
- When is National Limerick Day?
- It is observed on May 12 each year.
- What is National Limerick Day?
- National Limerick Day is observed annually on May 12th, celebrating the playful five-line poetic form and commemorating the birthday of Edward Lear (1812–1888), a renowned English artist, illustrator, author, and poet largely credited with popularizing the limerick. This day encourages people to embrace the humor and linguistic creativity of limericks by reading, writing, and sharing these distinctive AABBA rhyme-schemed poems, which are often witty, absurd, or nonsensical.
- How do people celebrate National Limerick Day?
- Bring the theme into your day—decorate a workspace, cook or bake something inspired by National Limerick, or play music that matches the mood.
Get the app
Thousands of obscure holidays, daily widgets, reminders, and fun facts—free on iOS and Android.