If you’re like me, EVERY day is a day to celebrate dogs! But there are festivals around the world, and specific days of the year, where dogs are particularly featured.
- St. Roch Day: Saint Roch is the Catholic patron saint of dogs. Legend has it that one day, St. Roch stumbled into the woods, hurt, sick and dying until he met a hunting dog that licked and healed his wounds. Countries like Bolivia celebrate St. Roch’s Day on August 16 with special parades where dogs dress up and march.
- Kukur Tihar: Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, and one day of this festival is devoted to the worship of dogs. In Nepal, the holiday of Kukur Tihar is celebrated by decorating dogs with flower garlands and ceremonial paint to represent that they are in everyone’s prayers and thoughts. The best part of this holiday, for the pups at least, is that offerings of food are given to every dog and placed on the street for strays as well.
- Chinese New Year Dog Birthday: There are 15 days in the Chinese New Year, and each one represents the day that an animal or human was created in Chinese mythology. Day two of this celebration commemorates the birth of the first dog. As a result, every year this is the official dog birthday of China, and all dogs—even strays—are fed well.
- St. Francis Day: October 4 marks the feast day of St. Francis, the Catholic patron saint of animals. In Italy, hundreds of people bring their animals to church to hear a special mass and to have their animals blessed by a priest.
- National Dog Day: closer to home, August 26th is the day every year when we celebrate having dogs in our lives and recognize what dogs have contributed to making the world a better place. This day was created in 2004 by Colleen Paige, a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert and Animal Advocate. Colleen created this day to bring attention to our furry friends and encourage adoption to those who have yet to find a place to call home. August 26th is significant to Colleen because it is the day her family adopted her Sheltie when she was 10 years old.
However, although it may sound like it could be a festival relating to dogs, the term “dog days of summer” is in fact no festival at all but merely a term used, according to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, for the forty day period from July 3rd to August 11th. These days are the hot, sultry days of summer which were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star Sirius, “the dog star”, which Greek and Roman astrology connected with heat, drought, sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs, and bad luck. The phrase is a translation of the Latin “dies caniculares”, meaning “dog star days”.
So whether you want to participate in an official event or simply give thanks for having a dogs in your life, let’s not overlook the significance of man’s best friend.
