A little reason to celebrate
National Unicorn Day
Fun ยท April 9
A day for the unicorn, the one-horned horse of old legends, tapestries and storybooks, and for the bright, cheerful imagery it inspires today.
National Unicorn Day falls on Friday, April 9, 2027. That is 164 days away.
The unicorn is a creature of legend, usually pictured as a white horse with a single spiral horn rising from its forehead. It has never been a real animal, but it has been drawn, carved, woven and described for a very long time.
Older stories gave the unicorn a shy, wild nature. It was said to be hard to find and harder to catch, and its horn was believed to have the power to purify water. Medieval artists placed it in tapestries and illuminated books, often in quiet forest scenes full of flowers. Scotland adopted the unicorn as a national animal, and it still appears on the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, facing a lion.
The modern unicorn is a cheerful one. It tends to come in pastel colors, with a rainbow mane and a fondness for glitter. You find it on lunchboxes, birthday cakes, sticker sheets and pajamas. Somewhere along the way the unicorn went from elusive to everywhere, which is an unusual career path for an animal nobody has seen.
People mark the day in small, playful ways. Kids draw unicorns or wear a paper horn for the afternoon. Bakers pipe swirled frosting in several colors and add a cone of fondant on top. Readers return to fantasy books and films where unicorns appear, from gentle picture books to older tales.
If you want the older version of the creature, look for pictures of medieval unicorn tapestries online. The details reward a slow look, down to the tiny flowers stitched around the animal's hooves.
Ways to celebrate
- Draw or paint a unicorn, old-fashioned or rainbow-maned.
- Read a picture book or fantasy story that features a unicorn.
- Look up images of medieval unicorn tapestries and study the details.
- Frost cupcakes with swirled colors and add a homemade horn.
- Make a paper unicorn horn headband with kids.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Thursday, April 9 |
| 2027 | Friday, April 9 |
| 2028 | Sunday, April 9 |
| 2029 | Monday, April 9 |
| 2030 | Tuesday, April 9 |
Also on April 9
- National Gin and Tonic Day
- National Chinese Almond Cookie Day
- National Name Yourself Day
- Appomattox Day
- National Cherish an Antique Day
- National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day
- National Winston Churchill Day
Categories: Fun days