Why We Can All Celebrate Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week

Isn’t it amazing how fiction can inspire and influence us in the real world?

September 22nd is Hobbit Day, a holiday created to celebrate characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. And it gets even better because the week that includes Hobbit Day is also Tolkien Week. So I’m celebrating all week long! 

The world has fallen in love with Tolkien’s fantasy stories, which still live on today with the new series Rings of Power. (I’m a huge fan!!) We can all celebrate Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week because there are some pretty great lessons we can learn and apply to our lives.

What is Hobbit Day?

Hobbit Day is celebrated every year on September 22nd, which is the birthday of Bilbo Baggins as well as his cousin Frodo. Both of these characters are hobbits, one of many types of creatures from Tolkien’s books. Hobbits are humanlike creatures who are smaller than average humans and have feet that are leathery on the bottom and furry on the top. Many hobbits live in a rural area called the Shire.

The week of Hobbit Day is recognized as Tolkien Week to honor the huge fictional universe the British writer invented. Hobbit Day and Tolkien week began in 1978 and are still being celebrated by Tolkien fans decades later. People are happily making social media posts and even having feasts and parties to commemorate the occasion.

But I know what you’re wondering: How does this connect to health? Well, hobbits are good reminders that it doesn't matter how big or small you are – the world is your oyster! I love how hobbits are adventurous and loyal even when evil tries to take over. And honestly, of all the characters J.R.R. Tolkien created, the Hobbits to me are the most loving characters. There’s so much we can learn from hobbits and from the incredible stories Tolkien authored.

The best things we can learn from hobbits

Have courage and don’t give up. This is one of the biggest lessons Hobbits can teach us. Even though they’re small, they have a big impact. As Lady Galadriel said, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” Bilbo and Frodo, as well as fellow hobbits Sam, Merry, and Pippin, all go on journeys that require them to have courage as they face the likes of dragons, monsters, and demons. There’s also the courage they had to have to travel on dangerous paths to faraway lands. Next time you’re feeling scared about something, remember the bravery of the hobbits and you’ll feel like a hero too.

Stick to your moral values. Just because you aren’t a character in an epic fantasy novel doesn’t make it any less wonderful when you listen to your good side and do the right thing. The Hobbit and LotR are full of examples of characters facing tough choices about whether or not they want to compromise their morals. This is especially true about the hobbit Sméagol, who murdered his own relative in order to steal the ultra-powerful One Ring… then transformed into a hideous, evil creature named Gollum. While this creepy transformation isn’t possible in real life, it’s still a reminder of how awful it is when someone goes down a morally bad path.

Embrace the environment. One of the major themes in The Hobbit and LotR is respect for the environment. Mordor and Isengard are described as places where industrialization is widespread and forests and plants are being destroyed, replaced by ugly machines and black smoke. Tolkien wanted to bring awareness to the destruction of the beauty of nature, and he also wanted to contrast that with the rural countryside of the Shire lands where many hobbits lived. Hobbits can inspire you to spend time in nature and support environmental groups who are working to preserve natural habitats.

Value teamwork, loyalty, and selflessness. This might just be the most important lesson we can learn from hobbits. Frodo was tasked with the mission of destroying the One Ring, and while he was definitely brave, this wasn’t a mission for him alone. There were eight others with him, and together they formed the Fellowship of the Ring. One analysis sums it up this way: “The task would have been impossible for any individual to accomplish without the intervention of luck or providence. Frodo is a hero, certainly, but in many ways the entire fellowship is as responsible for the victory as Frodo himself is.” This story shows how important it is to work together with others, think about others and not just yourself, and stay loyal to friends and teammates.

Let your inner hobbit shine!

This week is the perfect time to think like a hobbit and be brave, selfless, and loyal (and have a feast with good food). It’s also be a good time to watch Rings of Power or read The Hobbit or LotR. And if you want to throw a party and invite your hobbit-loving friends to celebrate, go right ahead. It’s okay to have fun getting lost in a fantasy adventure… and it’s also okay to learn lessons from fantasy stories and apply them to real life!