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When is National Hobbit Day?

September 22nd is National Hobbit Day.

What is National Hobbit Day?

Comb your foot hair and have a party—it’s National Hobbit Day! What other day is so full of jovial merriment? National Hobbit Day makes the fictional birthday of Bilbo and Frodo into a holiday like no other. J.R.R.Tolkien’s magical works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, introduced us to these little folk who knew how to laugh, knew how to party, and could eat any one of us under the table.

In The Hobbit, Thorin’s last words to Bilbo praised him for this disposition: “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.” National Hobbit Day honors two characters who valued the safe, simple life of farming and good company, but also accepted the call to adventure and grave responsibilities.

So to Bilbo and Frodo: “Hurray! Hurray! Many Happy Returns!”

Fun facts about National Hobbit Day!

  • Born the same day of different years, Bilbo was 78 years older than Frodo.
  • The appendices of The Lord of the Rings say there are discrepancies between the Shire calendar and our Gregorian calendar, so this birthday might actually have occurred between September 12 and 14.
  • The American Tolkien society proclaimed September 22 to be Hobbit Day in 1978, and Tolkien week is the week containing this day.

How to celebrate National Hobbit Day:

  • Take off those shoes, and go barefoot. Toughen up the hide on the soles of your feet with a frolic through a field. Any park or meadow will do, as long as the grass is green, the sky is bright, and there’s nothing between your feet and the earth. Then sit under a tree and read The Hobbit.
  • Throw a party, indoors or out! Tolkien described food in his books as a man who clearly enjoyed it, so you’ll have plenty of options. Just don’t scrape the butter over too much bread. Finish the feast by watching The Lord of the Rings or holding an epic group reading marathon.
  • Encourage your school library or public library to host short readings from Tolkien. Not only could this pique young readers’ interest in Tolkien, but you may have the honor of performing the readings yourself.

What’s the hashtag for National Hobbit Day?

Use #HobbitDay on social media as you post about National Hobbit Day.