Hedgehog Day

Hedgehog Day is an American holiday dedicated to hedgehogs. Everyone loves these cute little spiky balls of life! The holiday is annually on February 2.

History

The tradition of celebrating Hedgehog Day comes to us from the capital of Italy, Rome. The date of the celebration coincides with the traditional holiday for the United States and Canada, Groundhog Day. In general, these two days are similar. In one case, it is customary to watch a groundhog (if it calmly leaves its hole on a cloudy day, it will soon be warm and spring will come early), and in the other, the imminent arrival of spring is implied if you manage to see a hedgehog in early February.

Both methods are not reliable forecasting methods and are just fun traditions. Hedgehogs generally hibernate from November to March, but they may wake up during this time to change their wintering place or find food. Hedgehogs are very demanding regarding the amount of food they store, and if they did not store enough, they may not survive the winter.

There is also a theory that the creation of Hedgehog Day is associated with the release of the third part of the computer game about the blue hedgehog Sonic in 1994. This creation of Japanese developers gained popularity all over the world and has long been a cultural phenomenon, an eternal classic that gamers play every year.

Interesting facts

• Hedgehogs are predators. They do not only eat berries and apples, as many people think. Their main diet consists of worms, caterpillars, mice, and other small animals.
• The maximum running speed of hedgehogs is 3 m/s.
• The average period of growth for each needle on a hedgehog is from 10 to 18 months.

How to celebrate

Walk through the woods on Hedgehog Day; you might be lucky enough to see a hedgehog that day. Play the Sonic series of games. Find out more interesting information about these animals on the Internet!

Share about the holiday on social networks. Ask other users if they managed to see a hedgehog that day.

When is Hedgehog Day in 2025?

Hedgehog Day is observed on February 2 each year.

Observations