What holidays are there?
When we hear “national holiday”, we mostly think of the big religious holidays, national holidays of the state, patrons .. But in fact, people around the world celebrate every day a holiday. It turns out that there are over 1500 “national days” and there are such as: “National Day in memory of the lost socks”; National Avocado Day; “National Pizza Day” and others, as they are not recognized as holidays (because then we would be on a long vacation all year round) and in most cases they are known to small community groups. Of course, there are serious national days such as: “World Cancer Day”; “National HIV Testing Day” and other similar that aim to unite people in a cause.
Holidays related to oral health:
Most holidays are created to remind us of events and also to unite us and to be an occasion for solidarity. There are also those that are created to raise awareness of specific issues, remind us of the necessary prevention and care, and show gratitude. Therefore, in addition to days related to the prevention of various diseases, there are also those related to the prevention of oral health.
What holidays are there in the world? Which ones are familiar in Europe? How do people show gratitude to dentists, dental technicians, surgeons, orthodontists and everyone else related to the health of our smile?
Some special national days:
In addition to the International Dentist’s Day on February 9 and the World Dental technician Day, celebrated every first Friday of Junes since 2018, there are other popular national days related to oral health. Today we have prepared one of those holidays for you and you can learn about it below:
Tooth Fairy Day
Tooth Fairy Day is celebrated on February 28 and August 22, and the holiday is more popular in the United States. The Tooth Fairy is a mythical character who is not as popular as Santa Claus, but finds a place among fairy tale characters. The first recorded verbal reference to the Tooth Fairy dates back to the early 20th century, while its first printed appearance appeared in 1927 in an eight-page play for children written by Esther Watkins Arnold.
Sometime in the 1970s, Radio DJ in Chicago referred to the fairy, which led to endless calls to the American Dental Association from curious parents and children who wanted to learn more about it. Around the same time, Rosemary Wells, a professor at the Northwestern University School of Dentistry, decided to take matters into her own hands. What she fails to foresee is the interest she will arouse! Wales starts to run her own tooth fairy museum from home! She is also invited to the Oprah Winfrey show and tell more about the Tooth Fairy, but also to explain to the Chicago Tribunal that she is not the Tooth Fairy, but “… the Tooth Fairy Consultant”, which she actually writes on her business card!
Tooth Fairy in different parts of the world
According to the legend, children have to leave fallen baby teeth under their pillows and while they sleep, the tooth fairy visits them and picks up the teeth. She leaves coins or other gifts in their place, such as a new toothbrush or toothpaste.
In many countries around the world, children leave their teeth not for a fairy, but for a mouse or a rat. Just like the tooth fairy, this creature brings them money or other rewards in exchange for their baby tooth. Children in France, for example, are hoping for money from La Petite Souris, while many Spanish-speaking nations are giving their baby teeth to Ratóncito Pérez. The mouse fairy was first mentioned in the 18th century in France, and a century later the tradition enters Spain. Baroness d’Aunoy first mentions the mouse in her children’s book La Bonne Petite Souris (The Good Little Mouse). Her book tells the story of a fairy who turns into a mouse to end the reign of an evil king.
In Argentina, children put their tooth in a glass of water for El Raton de Los Dientes, a mouse who comes to drink the water, after which it takes the tooth and leaves a reward in the empty glass. In some nations the traditions are a little different. For example, children in Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam and India throw their loose teeth, with the lower teeth usually thrown up to the roof and the upper teeth down to the ground. In the Middle East, teeth are thrown to the sun, and it is believed that new teeth will grow straight.
Why are there national days like this?
People have created this celebration, of course, for several purposes, such as prevention and a reminder to visit our specialists regularly and to take proper care of our oral health, as well as children to more easily experience the loss of baby teeth. With fairy-tale characters, such as the tooth fairy or the tooth mouse , parents have the opportunity to teach their children from an early age how important it is for them to brush and clean their teeth, thus to engage children from a young age with the necessary oral health habits.
Coming up next:
Expect more interesting facts in our next rubrics! Stay tuned by visiting regularly our website amosys.eu and our pages on the social platforms Facebook and LinkedIn.
You could also like:
- 03.30.2022; „Dentist’s day: When is it celebrated? What do these dates symbolize?”; https://amosys.eu/en/2022/03/30/dentists-day-when-is-it-celebrated-what-do-these-dates-symbolize/
- 03.21.2022; „World Oral Health Day on March 20“;
- 02.17.2022; „Dentistry and dental technology- how well do our future specialists prepare?”;
- 02.01.2022; “Dental technology and dentistry-several different specialists (future and current) and one common opinion”;
- 11.04.2021; “ Why should AMOSYS users trust the TEACS’ specialists?”;
Sources:
- 02.28.2020; General Dentistry; Ideal Dental; “A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating Tooth Fairy Day”; https://www.myidealdental.com/blog/tooth-fairy-history/
- 09.2021; Mila.bg; “Traditions, related to the Tooth Fairy“; https://www.mila.bg/article/10183923
- 02.28.2022; Sport and Life; „28 February is Tooth Fairy Day“ https://sportandlife.net/tooth-fairy-day/
- Days of the year; https://www.daysoftheyear.com/