Bloomsday, June 16th, is an annual global literary holiday honoring the characters of James Joyce’s Ulysses; the celebrations are marked by readings, re-enactments, pub-crawls, and other activities relating to passages from the novel. The day takes its name from the protagonist of Ulysses, Leopold Bloom, whose odyssey through Dublin on Thursday, June 16, 1904, provides the narrative thrust of the story. Joyce chose the date for the diurnal narrative since it marks his first date with his future wife, Nora Barnacle.