Celebrate Yellow Pig Day Every July 17
On July 17 we celebrate the number 17 and the yellow pig (with 17 eyelashes). That’s right, it’s Yellow Pig Day!
Wait, what?!
Yellow pigs? Seventeen eyelashes?
What is this nonsense?
It’s a fun day rooted in a bit of seriousness.
A Bit of Yellow Pig History
This day is the result of the work of mathematicians Michael Spivak and David C. Kelly. As Princeton students in the early 1960s they became interested in the properties of the number 17. Or maybe it was an assignment; our sources seem to vary on this point.
Either way, all that thinking about one number seems to have made them just a little goofy. So …
Somewhere along the line this yellow pig with 17 eyelashes entered the picture. We haven’t been able to discover exactly how or why … But it was the ‘60s …
Since then the yellow pig phenomenon has permeated the mathematics field:
- Math textbooks include yellow pig references. Of course, Spivak wrote those books.
- High school math whizzes learn about the yellow pig in a summer program Kelly runs.
- Many mathematicians have yellow pig collections.
- Yellow pig day events include wearing t-shirts decorated with yellow pigs, eating yellow pig cakes, and giving gifts of (what else) yellow pigs.
There was even a Yellow Pig Math Days conference in 2006. Apparently one of the things they did at this conference was sing yellow pig carols. Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be any video of this. But there are lyrics to 24 yellow pig songs! Enjoy. ;-)
Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficially quirky but educational holiday.
Ideas For Celebrating Yellow Pig Day
Well, clearly you’ll have to think about the number 17 and find a yellow pig!
Review some of David Kelly’s interesting facts about the number 17, and see if you can come up with more. (or check out this Properties of 17 page, with tons more).
Wear a t-shirt with a yellow pig on it. Even better, a yellow pig with the number 17.
Have a Yellow Pig Day party, complete with songs and cake:
- Try one of these yellow pig songs.
- Serve a yellow pig cake. (yes, the pig in this guide is pink … Use yellow food coloring instead of red to dye the frosting).
- Or make a cake shaped as the number 17 (yes, that would be two cakes).
- Decorate your yellow pig cake with the number 17 … Or your number 17 cake with yellow pigs!
- Make sure you have some yellow pig party favors to give your guests. Maybe these cute little yellow pig erasers? Number 17 party favors would probably be less fun.
- Play Ultimate, which apparently became the official game/sport of the day at some point.
And remember, you don’t have to be a mathematician to celebrate Yellow Pig Day. Heck, you don’t even have to like math … Just yellow pigs!
Will you be celebrating this year? Will your celebrations focus on the math (the number 17) or the fun (yellow pigs!)? Or maybe both?
