Hobbit Day
Encyclopedia
Hobbit Day is the birthday of the hobbit
s Bilbo
and Frodo Baggins
, two fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien
's popular set of books The Hobbit
and The Lord of the Rings
. In the books both Bilbo and Frodo were said to be born on September 22, but of different years. Bilbo was born in the year of 2890 and Frodo in the year of 2968 in the Third Age
(1290 and 1368 respectively in Shire-Reckoning.)
Tolkien Week is the week containing Hobbit Day.
"Tolkien Week is observed as the calendar week containing September 22, which is always observed as Hobbit Day", but acknowledges that Hobbit Day pre-dates their designation.
Due to the discrepancies between the Shire Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar
there is some debate for when to celebrate Hobbit Day, with some celebrating it on September 14.
opened with a celebration of Bilbo's birthday. It was a large party with food, fireworks, dancing and much merriment.
Some Tolkien fans celebrate with having parties and feasts emulating the hobbit's parties. Other fans celebrate by simply going barefooted in honour of the hobbit
s, who seldom wear shoes.
Some schools and libraries use this as an opportunity to pique interest in Tolkien's work by putting up displays and hosting events.
. As of 2003 that day is known as Tolkien reading day
, an event to encourage the use of Tolkien's works in education and library reading groups.
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
s Bilbo
Bilbo Baggins
Bilbo Baggins is the protagonist and titular character of The Hobbit and a supporting character in The Lord of the Rings, two of the most well-known of J. R. R...
and Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins
Frodo Baggins is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium.He is the main protagonist of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. He was a hobbit of the Shire who inherited Sauron's Ring from Bilbo Baggins and undertook the quest to destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom...
, two fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's popular set of books The Hobbit
The Hobbit
The Hobbit, or There and Back Again, better known by its abbreviated title The Hobbit, is a fantasy novel and children's book by J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published on 21 September 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the New York Herald...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. In the books both Bilbo and Frodo were said to be born on September 22, but of different years. Bilbo was born in the year of 2890 and Frodo in the year of 2968 in the Third Age
Third Age
The Third Age is a time period from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The history of Middle-earth is to be taken fictionally as a history of the real Earth....
(1290 and 1368 respectively in Shire-Reckoning.)
Tolkien Week is the week containing Hobbit Day.
Observance
The American Tolkien Society first proclaimed Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week in 1978, and defines them as this:"Tolkien Week is observed as the calendar week containing September 22, which is always observed as Hobbit Day", but acknowledges that Hobbit Day pre-dates their designation.
Due to the discrepancies between the Shire Calendar and the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
there is some debate for when to celebrate Hobbit Day, with some celebrating it on September 14.
Celebration
The Fellowship of the RingThe Fellowship of the Ring
The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings by the English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It takes place in the fictional universe Middle-earth. It was originally published on July 29, 1954 in the United Kingdom...
opened with a celebration of Bilbo's birthday. It was a large party with food, fireworks, dancing and much merriment.
Some Tolkien fans celebrate with having parties and feasts emulating the hobbit's parties. Other fans celebrate by simply going barefooted in honour of the hobbit
Hobbit
Hobbits are a fictional diminutive race who inhabit the lands of Middle-earth in J. R. R. Tolkien's fiction.Hobbits first appeared in the novel The Hobbit, in which the main protagonist, Bilbo Baggins, is the titular hobbit...
s, who seldom wear shoes.
Some schools and libraries use this as an opportunity to pique interest in Tolkien's work by putting up displays and hosting events.
Related Observance
Another related day celebrated by fans is March 25. This is celebrated as the Fall of SauronSauron
Sauron is the primary antagonist and titular character of the epic fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien.In the same work, he is revealed to be the same character as "the Necromancer" from Tolkien's earlier novel The Hobbit...
. As of 2003 that day is known as Tolkien reading day
Tolkien reading day
Tolkien Reading Day is an annual event, launched by The Tolkien Society in 2003, that takes place on March 25th. It has the aim of encouraging the reading of the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and the use of Tolkien's works in education and library groups...
, an event to encourage the use of Tolkien's works in education and library reading groups.
External links
- The Calendars of Imladris, Gondor and the Shire... Essay about how Tolkien's calendars correspond to the Gregorian calendar.
- September 22nd at the Tolkien Wiki