National Unicorn Day: Is there really one and if so when is it?

National Unicorn Day: Is there really one and if so when is it?

White unicorn in the snow

If there’s a National Mermaid Day, which there is, then you know there has to be a National Unicorn Day too. Yep.

But do you know when National Unicorn day is? (I know you uni lovers out there do!) What about why there’s such a day, or when the first one was celebrated?

Amazingly this is one I haven’t covered yet, but we’re about to remedy that now.

When is National Unicorn Day?

It falls on April 9 every year.

When was it started?

According to National Today, the first official National Unicorn Day was celebrated on April 9, 2015

What does it celebrate?

Unicorns, of course! More specifically, it celebrates one of the most graceful, popular, and beloved mythical beasts ever.

Or, as Doug Carroll wrote in his Carroll Calling column in the Vincennes Sun-Commercial on May 20, 2018, it’s a day to “celebrate the history of the unicorn in a way to remind grownups how much fun life can be when you add the merry magic of rainbows, sparkles and sprinkles…”

He goes on to say life’s better when you add those things to indulgent edibles like ice cream cones or cupcakes, which rocks too. However, rainbows, sparkles, and sprinkles in general just usher in magic and merriment to our otherwise mundane lives no matter how you incorporate them, don’t they? Be it food, clothing, decor, or otherwise.

Why National Unicorn DayWhy National Unicorn Day 20 May 2018, Sun The Vincennes Sun-Commercial (Vincennes, Indiana) Newspapers.com

Who created National Unicorn Day?

As is the case with so many of the days on the Weird Holidays & Observances page, its origins are a mystery. Like the hunt for the ever-elusive unicorn, the quest to identify who and/or what organization launched it continues…

5 Fun Unicorn Facts

  1. Unicorn derives from the Latin word “unus,” meaning one, and “cornu” meaning horn.
  2. A unicorn’s horn is called an alicorn.
  3. A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
  4. Unicorns are Scotland’s National Animal.
  5. In the 1980s, a naturalist named Otter Zell claimed that he and his wife, Morning Glory, had “discovered the ancient magical secret for producing unicorns.” He claimed to have produced five of them, including one named Lancelot! But it gets better. He even applied for a patent on the process of creating unicorns! (I would’ve thought it was an April Fools joke, which I did when I first read an article about it. But it was from August of 1982. I’ve shared it below because seeing it is believing it, which I wouldn’t have either if I hadn’t read it for myself.)

The debate over Lancelot the alleged unicorn 28 Aug 1982, Sat York Daily Record (York, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com

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Which do you like better: mermaids or unicorns?

Personally, I like them both. However, since I’m indecisive and can’t decide between the two, I’m thankful for whoever came up with mermicorns. (Unicorn head on a mermaid body.)

However, as far as I know, there’s no mermicorn day. Yet…