Tolkien Week is observed as the calendar week, starting on Sunday, containing September 22, which is always observed as Hobbit Day.

Both celebrations began in 1978. Hobbit Day in particular, and Tolkien Week as well, have gained some measure of legal dignity through a variety of proclamations, declarations, tributes and similar governmental documents prepared by elected officials who support the Society, its goals and the observance of these holidays. Both events have attracted bipartisan support, from the county courthouse to the White House and U.S. Capitol. Tolkien Week honors J. R. R. Tolkien and his son and editor, Christopher J.R. Tolkien, and celebrates the Middle-earth cycle: The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King), Unfinished Tales, and The History of Middle-earth.

Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week fall during the “Back to School” season and can create a bright new interest for students in literature classes and libraries. A number of schools and libraries host seminars and art shows during the week. Those with the facilities and budget sometimes arrange for a showing of one or more of the motion pictures based on the works. A few have even presented marathon showings of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings films!

The most popular method of observing Tolkien Week is the library, bookstore or school display.  Most libraries have bulletin boards or cases, and some have enclosed display tables and other facilities up to and including display windows of considerable size. Many librarians among our members and friends create displays; other members contact their libraries and assist in preparing displays. The same is certainly true of schools. Tolkien Week displays and seminars have been held in places ranging from distinguished universities to libraries located in prisons, mental institutions, and army bases.  If your activities include presentation of research papers or other materials suitable for publication, please consider submitting the available works to the Society for possible publication in Minas Tirith Evening-Star: Journal of the American Tolkien Society.

Hobbit Day, on the other hand, is scheduled to fall on the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins – two fictional characters in J. R. R. Tolkien’s popular set of books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings –  mutual birthday, the date of the Long Awaited Party (translated in text by Tolkien as September 22).  This is perhaps the oldest festal observance associated with Tolkien fandom.  Celebration actually predates the formal designation of the holiday. A variety of names have been applied to the date and the celebrations. In large part, Hobbit Day is usually taken up with the fun activities – the feasts, games, costume events, fireworks and the like. Hobbit Day is a virtually ideal holiday, incorporating attractive elements of several others: the masquerade fun of Halloween, the feast of Thanksgiving, the exchange of greeting cards and gifts associated with Christmas and birthdays, the picnic atmosphere of Labor Day and Memorial Day, the fireworks of Independence Day (or Guy Fawkes Day)… and the study and reflection associated with many commemorative days throughout the year.

According to the fictional setting, Bilbo was born in the year of 2890 and Frodo in the year of 2968 in the Third Age (1290 and 1368 respectively in Shire-Reckoning.) Tolkien Week is the week containing Hobbit Day. The Fellowship of the Ring opened with a celebration of Bilbo’s birthday. It was a large party with food, fireworks, dancing and much merriment. Some Tolkien fans celebrate by emulating the hobbits’ parties. Other simply go barefoot in honour of the hobbits, who don’t wear shoes. Some schools and libraries use this as an opportunity to pique interest in Tolkien’s work by putting up displays and hosting events. The Lord of the Rings: “There is no record of the Shire-folk commemorating either March 25 or September 22; but in the Westfarthing, especially in the country round Hobbiton Hill, there grew a custom of making holiday and dancing in the Party Field, when weather permitted, on April 6.” In Gondor, however, “in honour of Frodo Yavannie 30, which corresponded to the former September 22, his birthday, was made a festival, and the leap-year was provided for by doubling this feast, called Cormare or Ringday.”

Links:
Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week