Home   Calendar   Holidays   Yellow Pig Day

Jul17 Fun Holiday – Yellow Pig Day

July 17 is Yellow Pig Day. Despite its name, the day is not a celebration of the porcine world, but a celebration of the number 17.

Yellow Pig Day celebrates the special properties of the number 17.

©bigstockphoto.com/Bedo

The unofficial holiday was created in the early 1960s by Princeton mathematics students, David Kelly and Michael Spivak, while working on the special properties of the number 17.

It is unclear why the day was called Yellow Pig Day or what a yellow pig has to do with the number 17, though legend has it that it is in reference to David Kelly's collection of yellow pigs. The mascot of the holiday, the yellow pig, has 17 toes, 17 eyelashes, and 17 teeth.

A Number With Special Properties

17 is a prime number that has significance in mathematics. It is the sum of the first four prime numbers - 2, 3, 5, and 7. A prime number is a number that can only be divided by 1 and by itself. Several studies have shown that when people are asked to choose a number between 1 and 20, a majority of people choose the number 17.

17 is not always a special number. In Italy, for example, 17 is considered to an unlucky number.

How to Celebrate?

  • Gift the mathematicians in your life marzipan Yellow Pig candies or yellow pig plush toys.
  • Do 17 acts of kindness during the day.
  • Sing Yellow Pig carols.

Did You Know...

...that the fear of the number 17 is called heptadecaphobia.

Yellow Pig Day Observances

Fun Holiday: Yellow Pig Day Observances
YearWeekdayDateName
2024Wed17 JulYellow Pig Day
2025Thu17 JulYellow Pig Day
2026Fri17 JulYellow Pig Day
2027Sat17 JulYellow Pig Day
2028Mon17 JulYellow Pig Day
2029Tue17 JulYellow Pig Day
2030Wed17 JulYellow Pig Day
2031Thu17 JulYellow Pig Day
2032Sat17 JulYellow Pig Day
2033Sun17 JulYellow Pig Day

See all Fun Holidays

Other Fun Holidays around 17 July

15 Jul

Gummi Worm Day

The day is dedicated to the childhood chewy candy favorite shaped in the form of creepy worms.

16 Jul

Corn Fritters Day

Corn Fritters Day is a holiday that was invented to honor the humble, but delicious corn fritters.

17 Jul

Emoji Day

July 17 is World Emoji Day, a day to celebrate emojis. Why not spend the day conversing with family and friends only using emojis?

18 Jul

Insurance Nerd Day

July 18 is Insurance Nerd Day. It is an unofficial holiday that celebrates those who work in insurance.