National Pig Day
Encyclopedia
National Pig Day is an event held annually on March 1 in the United States to celebrate the pig
. The holiday
celebration was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a teacher in Lubbock, Texas
, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, North Carolina
. According to Rave the purpose of National Pig Day is "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals." The holiday is most often celebrated in the Midwest.
National Pig Day includes events at zoos, schools, nursing homes, and sporting events around the United States. It is also recognized at "pig parties" where pink pig punch and pork delicacies are served, and pink ribbon pigtails are tied around trees in the pigs' honor. According to Chase's Calendar of Events
, National Pig Day is on the same day as pseudo-holidays Share a Smile day and Peanut Butter Lover's day. The question of whether the holiday is a time to honor pigs by "giving them a break" or to appreciate their offerings (spare ribs, bacon and ham) is an open question.
, a nursing home
celebrated National Pig Day with a porcine parade
that included a display of pig collectibles such as porcelain
pigs, pig potholders, piggy bank
s, and pigs made from calico and cross-stitch
es, as well as a real-life Vietnamese potbellied pig named Stella who "hogged the day."
In the Lehigh Valley
, National Pig Day in 2008 was honored with single-game tickets to the IronPigs'
73 home games at Coca-Cola Park, including the IronPigs-Philadelphia Phillies
exhibition and Opening Day, going on sale to the general public. The celebration was described as a "sporktacular" day in franchise history by the team's General Manager Kurt Landes who said, "We look forward to doing our part in making National Pig Day an openly celebrated date in the Lehigh Valley!" Highlights of the National Pig Day also included plans for a pig roast featuring complimentary food and beverages, appearances by the IronPigs mascot Ferrous, and a variety of activities for children including pig crafts, IronPigs tattoos, and a chance to pin the tail on Ferrous.
In Illinois
the celebration of the "often disrespected species" is done with "good reason": the pork industry contributes $1.9 billion to the state's economy. When National Pig Day coincided with the Year of the Pig
in 2007, described as a porcine nexus, Illinoisans watched a 50 lb (22.7 kg) miniature pig
named Pinto from the Yucatan
display sporting abilities (guiding a ball into a soccer net and using his snout to push a basketball up a ramp into a hoop) at the Brookfield Zoo
and many fans donned pig snouts and caps for the festivities and parade.
A handbook for first year teachers includes National Pig Day as a seasonal activity and recommends cooking bacon, making BLTs, and discussing where pork chop
s come from.
in New York's Central Park
, National Pig Day is usually celebrated with the help of pot-bellied pig
s. In 1998, two nine-month old piglets named Thelma and Louise and their 185-pound companion named Speedy greeted visitors, while the children's zoo also held a "snort
off" competition for children. In 2009, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs at the zoo were named Oliver and Otis; they were reported to have "hammed it up and stole the show at the seventh annual National Pig Day celebration at the Children's Zoo," though, in general, reviews of the pigs were mixed.
On Long Island
a family gives their pot-bellied pig a special treat, refrains from eating pork and prepares a special National Pig Day meal. At the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, the Cornell Cooperative Extension celebrated National Pig Day by sponsoring a pig program. Families visited farm pigs where "the piglet cuddled today will soon grow to 220 pounds and wind up in 'hog heaven.'" The meat from the farm is fed to the inmates at the Suffolk County Jail, "so it was a strange day viewing pigs as if they were in a zoo, but knowing that their time was limited... except, of course, for the stud pigs, or boars, and their ladies-in-waiting, the sows." Big Bert was a 650-pound "hunka-hunka burning-love" at the farm. Miss Piggy
and Porky Pig
were honored and porcine facts presented: the world's largest pig weighed 2,660 pounds, and pigs sailed with Christopher Columbus
. Attendees included the owner of Lil Pig Out, a company on the Island that makes pig-shaped candies. "We've got Gummy Pigs
and Good 'n Piggy
," the owner said in between viewing pigs and handing out pink-colored pig pen
s.
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
. The holiday
Holiday
A Holiday is a day designated as having special significance for which individuals, a government, or a religious group have deemed that observance is warranted. It is generally an official or unofficial observance of religious, national, or cultural significance, often accompanied by celebrations...
celebration was started in 1972 by sisters Ellen Stanley, a teacher in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, and Mary Lynne Rave of Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
. According to Rave the purpose of National Pig Day is "to accord the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man's most intellectual and domesticated animals." The holiday is most often celebrated in the Midwest.
National Pig Day includes events at zoos, schools, nursing homes, and sporting events around the United States. It is also recognized at "pig parties" where pink pig punch and pork delicacies are served, and pink ribbon pigtails are tied around trees in the pigs' honor. According to Chase's Calendar of Events
Chase's Calendar of Events
Chase's Calendar of Events is an annual publication, started in 1957 by brothers William D. Chase , and Harrison V. Chase, . It includes special events, holidays, federal and state observances, historic anniversaries, and more unusual celebratory traditions...
, National Pig Day is on the same day as pseudo-holidays Share a Smile day and Peanut Butter Lover's day. The question of whether the holiday is a time to honor pigs by "giving them a break" or to appreciate their offerings (spare ribs, bacon and ham) is an open question.
Events
In Lexington, KentuckyLexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
celebrated National Pig Day with a porcine parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
that included a display of pig collectibles such as porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
pigs, pig potholders, piggy bank
Piggy bank
Piggy bank is the traditional name of a coin accumulation and storage receptacle; it is most often, but not exclusively, used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century. These items are also often used...
s, and pigs made from calico and cross-stitch
Cross-stitch
Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called aida cloth. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the...
es, as well as a real-life Vietnamese potbellied pig named Stella who "hogged the day."
In the Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
, National Pig Day in 2008 was honored with single-game tickets to the IronPigs'
Lehigh Valley IronPigs
The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team that plays in the International League. The IronPigs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. The team plays their home games at Coca-Cola Park, which is located in Allentown, Pennsylvania...
73 home games at Coca-Cola Park, including the IronPigs-Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
exhibition and Opening Day, going on sale to the general public. The celebration was described as a "sporktacular" day in franchise history by the team's General Manager Kurt Landes who said, "We look forward to doing our part in making National Pig Day an openly celebrated date in the Lehigh Valley!" Highlights of the National Pig Day also included plans for a pig roast featuring complimentary food and beverages, appearances by the IronPigs mascot Ferrous, and a variety of activities for children including pig crafts, IronPigs tattoos, and a chance to pin the tail on Ferrous.
In Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
the celebration of the "often disrespected species" is done with "good reason": the pork industry contributes $1.9 billion to the state's economy. When National Pig Day coincided with the Year of the Pig
Year of the Pig
Year of the Pig is a Big Finish Productions audio drama based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Plot:...
in 2007, described as a porcine nexus, Illinoisans watched a 50 lb (22.7 kg) miniature pig
Miniature pig
A miniature pig is one of the breeds developed and used for medical research or developed for use as a pet. These smaller pigs were first used for medical research in Europe before being introduced to the United States as pets in the 1980s. Since then, the animals have been used in studies by...
named Pinto from the Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
display sporting abilities (guiding a ball into a soccer net and using his snout to push a basketball up a ramp into a hoop) at the Brookfield Zoo
Brookfield Zoo
The Brookfield Zoo is zoo located in the Chicago suburb of Brookfield, Illinois. The zoo covers an area of and houses around 450 species of animals....
and many fans donned pig snouts and caps for the festivities and parade.
A handbook for first year teachers includes National Pig Day as a seasonal activity and recommends cooking bacon, making BLTs, and discussing where pork chop
Pork chop
A pork chop is a cut of pork cut perpendicularly to the spine of the pig and usually containing a rib or part of a vertebra, served as an individual portion.-Variations:...
s come from.
New York
At the Tisch Children's ZooCentral Park Zoo
The Central Park Zoo is a small zoo located in Central Park in New York City. It is part of an integrated system of four zoos and the New York Aquarium managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society , and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums .The zoo began in the 1860s as a...
in New York's Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, National Pig Day is usually celebrated with the help of pot-bellied pig
Pot-bellied pig
The pot-bellied pig is a breed of domesticated pig originating in Vietnam.-Description:Considerably smaller than standard American or European farm pigs, most adult pot-bellied pigs are about the size of a medium- or large-breed dog, though their bodies are denser at 8 to 136 kg...
s. In 1998, two nine-month old piglets named Thelma and Louise and their 185-pound companion named Speedy greeted visitors, while the children's zoo also held a "snort
Snort
Snort may refer to:* Snort , a package for intrusion detection* Snort, a map-coloring game* Insufflation, the act of blowing, breathing, hissing, or puffing...
off" competition for children. In 2009, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs at the zoo were named Oliver and Otis; they were reported to have "hammed it up and stole the show at the seventh annual National Pig Day celebration at the Children's Zoo," though, in general, reviews of the pigs were mixed.
On Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
a family gives their pot-bellied pig a special treat, refrains from eating pork and prepares a special National Pig Day meal. At the Suffolk County Farm in Yaphank, the Cornell Cooperative Extension celebrated National Pig Day by sponsoring a pig program. Families visited farm pigs where "the piglet cuddled today will soon grow to 220 pounds and wind up in 'hog heaven.'" The meat from the farm is fed to the inmates at the Suffolk County Jail, "so it was a strange day viewing pigs as if they were in a zoo, but knowing that their time was limited... except, of course, for the stud pigs, or boars, and their ladies-in-waiting, the sows." Big Bert was a 650-pound "hunka-hunka burning-love" at the farm. Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy
Miss Piggy is a Muppet character who was primarily played by Frank Oz on The Muppet Show. In 2001, Eric Jacobson began performing the role, although Oz did not officially retire until 2002....
and Porky Pig
Porky Pig
Porky Pig is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts using the fat little pig...
were honored and porcine facts presented: the world's largest pig weighed 2,660 pounds, and pigs sailed with Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
. Attendees included the owner of Lil Pig Out, a company on the Island that makes pig-shaped candies. "We've got Gummy Pigs
Gummies
Gummi candy, gummy candy, gummies or jelly sweets are a broad, general type of gelatin-based, chewy candy.Gummi bears are the most popular and well known of the gummi candies...
and Good 'n Piggy
Good & Plenty
Good & Plenty is an American brand of licorice candy. The candy is a narrow cylinder of sweet black licorice coated in a hard candy shell to form a capsule shape...
," the owner said in between viewing pigs and handing out pink-colored pig pen
Pen
A pen is a device used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib of some sort to be dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but...
s.