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National Unicorn Day is celebrated on the 9th of April every year. A unicorn is a mythological creature resembling a white horse with a single large, pointed, rainbow, spiraling horn in the middle of its forehead. Unicorn also has horses’ feet and lions’ tail. It is also the national animal of Scotland. Its horn and blood are said to have the mystical power to change the poisoned water safely and to heal sickness. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was considered a symbol of purity, innocence, feminine power, and grace, which is believed to be captured only by a virgin. Sometimes, the tusk of the narwhal was sold as a horn of the unicorn. But the fact is unicorns never existed scientifically.
“Always be yourself, unless you can be a unicorn. Then, always be a unicorn.” – Jaime Murray
History of National Unicorn Day
National Unicorn Day was first observed on 9th April 2015. The founder and the reason behind the creation of the National Unicorn Day remain obscure. However, unicorns were found in early Mesopotamian artworks and also appeared in many stories and myths of India and China. The first found description of the single-horned animal was in Greek literature made by historian Ctesias, and it was related to the Indian wild ass with resemblances of the horse, white body, blue eyes, and longhorn colored with red, black, and white. It is said that people who drank from its horn were protected from poison, stomach troubles, and other illnesses. It is also said that the actual animal mentioned by Ctesias was probably the Indian rhinoceros. Unicorns were also written by the ancient Celts, Persians, and Romans, describing it as a white horse with a single horn and magical power. The Celts considered the unicorn to be a creature that symbolized grace, strength, and freedom. Christians think unicorns are normal-sized goats. The unicorn is so fearful of being caught by hunters and says it can be found only by a maiden who goes to the forest alone. It has been a symbol of Scotland since the 12th Century when it was used on the Scottish coat of arms by William I. Unicorns can be found in Scotland’s historic buildings in the form of statues and images.
Other Celebrations on April 9
April 9 is also celebrated as
- National Cherish an Antique Day
- Winston Churchill Day
- National Name Yourself Day
- International Be Kind To Lawyers Day
How to celebrate National Unicorn Day
On National Unicorn Day, one can read about the history of unicorns. Watch movies and cartoons, read some comics, and get relaxed. Spend some time making multicolored cupcakes or any baked goods. You can visit the carvings and sculptures of unicorns found on historic buildings like Edinburgh Castle near the National War Monument and St Margaret’s Chapel. One can visit the unique sculpture of a unicorn that has been created by artist Woody Fox to mark National Unicorn Day. Visit Scotland encourages people to go on a unicorn spotting and look for the country’s national animal. Unicorn Day is fun to celebrate in Edinburgh. Share your National Unicorn Day celebrations on social media by using the hashtag #NationalUnicornDay.
Thank you for reading the post. You can celebrate every day with Happydays365.org and Happy National Unicorn Day 2024.
The idea for National Unicorn Day was mooted around 1966 in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe) by Chris Callaghan (dec 2/12/20) and Tony Lavine (res Joburg). The idea was to celebrate nothing that actually existed or mattered – certainly nothing religious or political – and just to have fun for absolutely no good reason. We celebrated NUD for a few years with a group of friends until we all moved off in different directions. I wasn’t aware that it had actually caught on with a wider audience. Happy NUD!