Mark Your Calendars: National Pig Day in the United States Falls on March 1

I bet you didn't know March 1 is "National Pig Day" in the United States. It is not an "official" holiday - meaning it has not yet been designated a holiday by the United States Congress. Nevertheless, National Pig Day has been around since 1972, when two sisters - one from Texas, the other from North Carolina - came up with a holiday to celebrate one of the world's most beautiful yet often unappreciated animals.

All kinds of people are commemorating the event in a variety of different ways. In Boston, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) is using this day to issue an invitation for the public to participate in the making of a giant fruit salad. The salad will be shared by humans and pigs alike at the MSPCA's Nevins Farm in nearby Methuen. (Source)

The Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois, will be hosting a big celebration for their pigs, where children will be able to spend time with the three pigs who live there, Harley, Penelope and Georgia. (Source) I know some animal rights activists aren't partial to zoos, yet I think it's great that children are able to experience firsthand the joys of spending time with pigs, which they wouldn't otherwise be able to do if it weren't for the zoo. Maybe seeing the pigs up close will make some of them think twice, later in life, about eating these brilliant creatures.

Sadly, Miami, Florida's National Pig Days celebration will feature barbecued pork (in addition to pig racing). Maybe we should skip that one. (Source) A fair number of other National Pig Day events will, alas, feature some sort of pig meat - ham, pork chops, bacon - on the menu. For example, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, there will be complimentary pork sandwiches handed out where the city's baseball team, the IronPigs, plays. (Source)

It is my heartfelt wish to see two things: 1) Congress finally approve, officially, a National Pig Day in the United States; 2) When National Pig Day is authorized by Congress, hopefully people will develop an awareness of the beauty and brilliance of these animals and stop killing and eating them. Doesn't it sound far nobler - and more joyous - to share a fruit salad with pigs than to devour them on a bun or on a plate next to eggs?