National Paul Bunyan Day

A Whale An Ox of a Holiday

In the western folklore canon, there is one story that’s the tallest tale of them all: the story of 30 foot tall lumberjack Paul Bunyan and his beloved companion, Babe, the Blue Ox! Paul Bunyan possessed skills and speed that far exceeded those of a normal human and because of this he is a commonly celebrated folk hero in the northern states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, etc); however, there is one day of the year when the whole nation celebrates this mythical American figure. That day is today’s zany holiday, National Paul Bunyan Day!

It only makes sense that the hero of a tall tale would be given a whacky holiday! Today’s outrageous holiday’s wackiness is matched only by the outrageous Paul Bunyan stories: Paul cleared the path to the Pacific Ocean, Babe’s hooves created the 10,000 lakes of Minnesota, Paul Bunyan dug Lake Michigan, and he ate 50 pancakes in under a minutes, to name a few!

Celebrate Paul Bunyan day by cooking pancakes, and then having a contest to see who can eat the most in a minute! However, I wouldn’t recommend painting any of your pets blue in honor of Babe.