How did National Pig Day get started??

Happy National Pig Day!!
 
 
Most of us in the pig world are aware of March 1st being National Pig Day, but if you are like us we didn’t know exactly how or why it began.  Last year PAL member Heather Knox did a little rooting around and got the story right from the actual co-founder.
 
The story of National Pig Day started in 1971, in Maryland.  Ellen Stanley, a young schoolteacher from Texas and her sister Mary Lynne Rave, who was living on the east coast, had met up at their parent’s house for a family get-together.  They were talking about that long gap after Christmas with no fun days to celebrate, and no family birthdays even.  
 
Ellen had the idea about pigs, after all, who doesn’t like pigs, right?  Mary Lynne was right on board with this and their parents thought it was fun too.  They decided March would be good and settled on the 1st.  Ellen knew her preschool students would love it and began thinking of fun crafts and games.
 
And so it began.  To make it really official, the girls registered the day with Chase’s Calendar of Annual Events.  That first year was 1972 and because Mary Lynn could find no pig things to send her sister, she sent a big box of candy so Ellen could “pig out!” J
 
Ellen’s Pig Day was a HUGE hit with the preschool classes she taught.  And a few years later when she began teaching elementary school at All Saints Episcopal in Lubbock, the celebrations continued.  They had pig crafts and snacks and mechanical pig races in the gym.  The local newspaper got involved and everything!  And because everyone loves pigs and special celebrations in the doldrums between Christmas and Easter, the day took off.  And 45 years later, National Pig Day is bigger than ever!  So, let’s give three cheers to Ellen and Mary Lynne for coming up with such a great idea, and for spreading it beyond their family. 

Information Collected & ​Written By Pig Advocates League