The 75th anniversary of the publication of JRR Tolkien's The Hobbit is celebrated around the world today as fans gear up for the release of Peter Jackson's film adaptation in December.
Martin Freeman in Peter
Jackson's The Hobbit
The novel by Oxford professor JRR Tolkien was published in 1937, and has
since sold 100 million copies and been translated into almost fifty languages.
The celebration precedes the Tolkien event of the year, the release of Lord
of The Rings director Peter Jackson's film of The Hobbit on December 14 in the
UK.
The American Tolkien Society first proclaimed Hobbit Day in 1978, where
celebrations including Hobbit feasts and parties will take place among fans of
the children's books.
Bilbo and Frodo were both said to be born on the same day of different years,
Bilbo in the year 2890 and Frodo in the year of 2968 in the books' 'Third Age'.
According to the American society, "Hobbit Day is usually taken up with the fun activities - the feasts, games, costume events, fireworks and the like.
"Hobbit Day is a virtually ideal holiday, incorporating attractive elements of several others: the masquerade fun of Halloween, the feast of Thanksgiving, the exchange of greeting cards and gifts associated with Christmas and birthdays."
According to the American society, "Hobbit Day is usually taken up with the fun activities - the feasts, games, costume events, fireworks and the like.
"Hobbit Day is a virtually ideal holiday, incorporating attractive elements of several others: the masquerade fun of Halloween, the feast of Thanksgiving, the exchange of greeting cards and gifts associated with Christmas and birthdays."