Many Assyrian media outlets and organisations in the USA and Europe celebrate the 21 April as the Assyrian language day. But this is not the case in Australia. Here the schools that belong to the Assyrian Church of the East and teach Assyrian language and all other Assyrian language schools, celebrate the day on 21 February.
Rabi Anwar Atto, author of Lishany (My language) series of Assyrian teaching books, also he is the director of Assyrian teaching at St. Hurmizd school and Mar Marsai college and the co-founder and co-manager of the Assyrian college, told SBS it is unfortunate that the date of 21 April cannot be celebrated in Australia.
Mr Atto says Australian schools start their Easter Holidays between March and finish in April. Many times, the end and commencement of the school’s fall in 21 April, therefore it becomes impractical to adopt this date.
He says that we celebrate the day on the 21 February as proclaimed by UNESCO, but at the same time we do not mind Assyrians around the world to celebrate the day on 21 April.
in conclusion, Mr Atto says we don't mind the 21 april day chosen by Assyrians overseas because the date is based on symbolic references. The twenty first day refers to the 21 volumes of the Assyrian Dictionary authored by the University of Chicago, a project that took almost hundred years to complete. April is an important month in the Assyrian calendar, it is the month of Assyrian new year and Easter.
You can listen to other SBS interviews with Mr. Anwar Atto about his books Lishani and other topics on the links:
12 books teaching assyrian language by Anwar Atto
The role Assyrian schools play in teaching the language
