J.R.R. Tolkien is perhaps most famously known for not only writing some of the most classic fantasy novels but also for creating the ever mythical and fantastical world known as Middle-Earth. In this world, exist all sorts of creatures, human beings, wizards, elves, dwarves, hobbits, orcs, trolls, giants and more. His most famous novels were The Hobbit and its sequel, consisting of three parts, The Lord of the Rings trilogy. All these stories revolve around a great adventure in which two hobbits, Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo Baggins, unknowingly stumble upon. Although they have a big age difference, they both share the same birthday, that is, September 22, and ‘Hobbit Day’ was born. Let’s find out more about these ‘hobbits’ that Tolkien created.
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Hobbits are a fictional race in the Middle-Earth, also known as ‘halflings’. They are kind of similar to humans, except they are much shorter, being about two to four feet in height. They are also extremely clever, loyal, usually shy yet capable of great courage and amazing feats under the proper circumstances. Their feet are very large, hairy and their soles are leathery so they don’t wear any shoes. They also have slightly pointed ears, often have brown and curly hair, and it is not physically possible for the male hobbits to grow beards. Strange, right? Hobbits live much longer compared to humans, and many hobbits reach the age of 100. Bilbo Baggins however, lived to be a 130 years!
In his writings, Tolkien portrayed hobbits as fond of an unadventurous and a simple life of farming, eating and socialising. They are very much capable of defending their homes courageously if the need arises.
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Let’s celebrate
So how did Hobbit Day come to be? Well, The Hobbit was first published on September 21, 1937 followed by The Lord of the Rings books between 1954 and 1955. The books were a massive success and are best-sellers. The books went on to become movies as well which have won many awards and become a favourite for many.
How do people celebrate the day though? Fans celebrate by pretty much doing anything related to the books or movies. Some walk around barefoot all day, while some have about six to seven meals a day. Some literary organisations host book readings and discussions and others have movie marathons where fans watch all six movies from the franchise one after the other. Although the day is known based on the hobbits, all the characters from the fantasy fiction are celebrated. People also dress as their favourite characters from the stories and host parties too which have feasts, games and even fireworks sometimes. Some fans even visit ‘Hobbiton’ in New Zealand, which is a movie set created for the “Lord of the Rings” films. The set looks like it could be an actual village where hobbits lived. A visit there includes a tour as well as many activities.
What a life!
Hobbits enjoy about six meals a day which is simple food, like cake, bread, meat, potatoes and tea.
They dress in bright colours, especially yellow and green.
They also developed the custom of giving away gifts on their birthdays, instead of receiving them. That’s very nice of them right?
Some hobbits live in “hobbit-holes” also known as ‘Smials’, which are traditional underground homes found often in hillsides. The houses have a long hallways with rooms on both sides as well as round doors and windows.
They have a very different calendar, every year starts on a Saturday and ends on a Friday, with each of the twelve months consisting of 30 days.