Woooooooooo, Pig ! Sooie!

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.
----------
Damien's note: In view of the confluence of Pig and Peanut Butter and Share a Smile Days, I want to recall a delightful train trip I once made from Boston to Washington, DC with a friend whose mother had thoughtfully provided sandwiches for our journey -- peanut butter and bacon on whole wheat. Magically delicious! I do not recall if that journey was on March 1, however. The memory makes me smile and I share that with you.

I believe March 1 is also National Dance Teacher Appreciation Day, but my story does not involve dancing. On the other hand, my friend Michael taught an aerobics dance class for a few years, so I will take this opportunity to appreciate him.