Hammock Day
About Hammock Day
When is Hammock Day? This holiday is always observed on July 22
Summer is in full swing. It’s time to slow down and relax. During the Dog Days of summer (and all of the other summer days, too), there is no better place to slow down and relax, than on a hammock under a shady tree as you read some hammock trivia or your favorite book. Therefore Hammock Day, a July 22 holiday, is celebrated at the perfect time of year. All you need is a hammock and a couple of trees, or a couple of sturdy poles, And oh, don’t forget an ice-cold beverage of your choice.
This holiday is appropriately celebrated right in the middle of the Dog Days of summer (July 3 through August 11th).
Hammock Day exists to celebrate and enjoy summer as it should be enjoyed. People celebrate this day by spending as much time relaxing on it as possible. There’s a wide variety of hammocks. Most notably, single and double hammocks. The doubles exist so you can lounge today with someone special. Getting out of your hammock to get a snack, or your favorite summer beverage is okay. But, it is not a day for work. Cutting the lawn is forbidden on this holiday. However, it’s the perfect place to watch someone else cut the lawn.
This History of Hammocks
Many historians believe today’s traditional hammock was invented in Central and South America. Mayan tribes invented them about one thousand years ago when they slung ropes between two trees or poles. The original use was for sleeping. Historians know European explorers brought the concept of the hammock back to Europe from the Americas. Then, they came into popular use on ships for both sleeping comfort and because they take up less of the limited on-board space. Today, we use them underneath a shady tree to relax on a warm summer day. Or, we lie in it and read a with an iced cold drink nearby.
However, long before the Mayans or anyone in the Americas first slept in one, earlier cultures used a form of the hammock. Greek Athenian politician Alcibiades (450 – 404 B.C.) first used a hammock for sleeping, thousands of years earlier. A specific description of the hanging bed is not known. Ancient writers from several cultures referred to hanging beds, too. And, during Medieval times, there are many references to hanging beds.
In the 1590s, the British Royal Naval began using hammocks on their ships. In 1597, the British Navy officially referred to them as “cabbons” or “beddes”. By the early 1900s, navies around the world used them to save limited space. Non-commissioned seamen slept in hammocks stacked two or three high. After World War II, the U.S. Navy discontinued using hammocks. More and more onboard jobs were performed mechanically. As a result, each ship required fewer servicemen. So, regular cots or sleeping racks were installed.
Hammock Day Trivia and Fun Facts
Here is some fascinating trivia and fun facts to share with your family and friends:
- According to the Guinness World Book of Records, the world’s largest hammock measures 2,113.05 ft². It was made by King Digital Entertainment (UK) and presented in New York, New York September 2, 2015. The bed measures 68 feet 4 inches long and 30 feet 10 inches wide. You could have a big party on it!
- The Mayans invented the hammock.
- Mayans fashioned hammocks out of the Hammack tree. Obviously, the name was derived from this tree.
- Hammack trees are native to Latin America.
- Christopher Columbus brought them back to Europe.
- English sailors were the first to use them on ships.
- Sleeping in one promotes better spinal alignment, resulting in less back pain and discomfort.
- Some hammocks are made from recycled plastic bags.
- The swaying motion results in a deep and more relaxing sleep than a conventional bed.
- The most expensive one in the world is the Petiole hammock. It is manufactured in Sweden. And, it costs a mere $35,000.
How to Participate in Hammock Day
Hammock Day just might become one of your favorite summer holidays. Why!? Simply because you get to slowly swing in a hammock, placed under a shady tree, as warm summer breezes waft all around you. Here are some ways you can celebrate and participate in this great summer holiday:
- Grab a book and your favorite summer cooler. Then, hang up your hammock under a shade tree and hop in.
- If you don’t have a hammock, buy one today. Buy it early enough that you can have a nice nap in the shade.
- Give one as a gift.
- Make one yourself. You’ll find instructions on how to make them online.
- When lunchtime arrives, you know where to eat it.
- Go on a campout and leave your sleeping bag at home. Rather, hang your bed outdoors between a couple of trees.
Today's Quote
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.” – – Dalai Lama
History and Origin of Hammock Day
In 2008, Bob Matthews of Holiday Insights created Hammock Day. Bob says that our lives are normally busy and hectic. Summers are a special time to lay back, enjoy the weather and the great outdoors, and recharge our batteries. What better way to do this, than from the comfort of a hammock under a shady tree!? The date was selected in July as this month usually brings some of the best summertime weather right to our backyards. During this time, our calendars are a little less hectic, and life seems to slow right down, offering us plenty of time to relax in a hammock with our favorite, ice-cold beverage.
Some websites have erroneously reported this as a “National” day. According to Bob Matthews, the creator of Hammock Day, this IS NOT a “National” day. If you see it posted anywhere as a national day, we’d sure appreciate it if you would contact the webmaster to have it corrected.
Definition of “National” Days – and why it is so important to distinguish and identify true national days.
Related Holidays
People who like Hammock Day will also like:
National Daiquiri Day – A frozen Daiquiri is the perfect beverage to have on the hammock.
This Day in History
Here are some things that happened on Hammock Day:
- Bank robber John Dillon was shot dead. (1934)
- An act of Congress restores Civil War Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s citizenship. (1975)
- Don Henley, singer, songwriter, member of the “Eagles, was born on this day in 1947.
More July 22 Holidays
In addition to Hammock Day, here are more July 22 holidays for you to celebrate and enjoy:
Spooner’s Day – Also called Spoonerism Day.
More About Today
Recipe of the Day: Eggplant with Mushrooms
Flower of the Day: Love in a Mist
Ecards Send a free Ecard daily for just about any July calendar holiday, occasion, observance, or event. Or, just for the fun of it!
Holiday Insights, where every day in July is a holiday, a bizarre or wacky day, an observance, or a special event. Join us in the daily calendar fun each and every day of the year.
Did You Know? In addition to Hammock Day, there are literally thousands of daily holidays, special events, and observances, more than one for every day of the year. Many of these holidays are new. People and organizations are creating new holidays regularly. July holidays are no exception. Consequently., at Holiday Insights, we take great efforts to thoroughly research and document the details of each one, as completely and accurately as possible.