Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo!!

[PinkInTheBlue]

I've thought about it on and off all day (weird I know) but I haven't seen it mentioned on here.

 

Happy Birthday to both Bilbo and Frodo today!

[GraceinMD]

Happy Birthday to both Bilbo and Frodo today!

 

Oh, you HAD to remind me :)! My ds was born at 12:36a on ... Sept 23. Ugh. Even dh was ... um ... encouraging me to "push harder" so as to have ds on "Bilbo and Frodo's birthday!" Grrrrrr. :glare: (This, after more than 50 hrs of labor and 2 hrs of pushing. :glare:)

[charlotteb]

I did not know it was their birthday! We are reading "The Hobbit" for school. I'll have to share it with the kids :)

[Book Crazy]

I'm not one to be persnickety, but

 

The date on the Shire calendar was September 22. Both the different definitions of the months and the different correlation of their calendar with the seasons (the summer solstice fell on Mid-year's Day, the day between June and July, not on June 21 as on our calendar) must be taken into account. The discrepancy in September is found to be 10 days, giving September 12 on our calendar as the equivalent date. (This result has some significance for the story. Events occur ten days earlier in terms of the seasons than the dates would suggest to us: when sleeping outdoors in autumn, ten days can make a large difference.)

 

(In Appendix D Tolkien gives detailed information about long-term inaccuracies in the Shire Reckoning, which they dealt with differently than we do. Based on this, it is possible to conclude that the SR at the time of the story had accumulated either two days or four days of error, depending on how careful the Hobbits were about making long term corrections, which we aren't told. This result would make the equivalent date either September 14 or September 16, but other considerations raise questions about the accuracy of such calculations, so September 12 is probably the most straightforward choice.)

 

but that's just for us Tolkien fanatics who have read all or nearly all of Tolkien's work.

[GraceinMD]

I'm not one to be persnickety, but

 

 

 

but that's just for us Tolkien fanatics who have read all or nearly all of Tolkien's work.

 

Well, yes, but there's NO convincing a ... 12 yr old boy* (off to change my sig line) - do we really think he would believe a book when he could have been born on Bilbo and Frodo's BD if only mom had worked a little harder?! :tongue_smilie:

 

(*unless YOU are a 12 yr old boy, in which case I guess YOU were convinced!)

[Lizzie in Ma]

:party:

Birthday Toast

From Tolkien Gateway

 

"When they had sung many songs, and talked of many things they had done together, they toasted Bilbo's birthday, and they drank his health and Frodo's together according to Frodo's custom."

– The Hobbit, Three is Company

 

The Birthday Toast was an event held each year at a small gathering in honour of both Bilbo Baggins' and Frodo Baggins' birthdays, held each year on the 22nd of September at Bag End (both hobbits shared the same birthday).

 

This custom began after Bilbo left Bag End after the celebration of his 111th birthday.

[edit] Tolkien Society tradition

 

The Tolkien Society has upheld this tradition through a Birthday Toast in honour of the creator of Bilbo and Frodo - J.R.R. Tolkien and is held on the author's birthday, 3rd January, each year. The 'toast' itself is: "The Professor".