Today January 16th is National Appreciate a Dragon Day!

Now we all know while there are some actual dragons in our world, such as the Blue Dragons (Blue Glaucus - check my book Blue Dragons, Red Pandas, Hoopoes & More at this link to learn about these amazing and interesting real dragons!), and Bearded Dragons, there are not really giant reptiles which are able to fly and breathe fire. However, the idea of real dragons is interesting and can certainly add an element of fun to a story or movie - or an element of shock as well!

Daysoftheyear dot com says, "Appreciate a Dragon Day is a day dedicated to learning about dragons and sharing your love for these creatures! . . . When you think about it in more detail, you can understand why people thought dragons were real. Remember, in ancient times, there was no explanation for giant bones. Nobody had a clue what dinosaurs were, or that fossilized bones were millions of years old. For all they knew, these creatures perished recently and could live beyond the horizon. Believing in “dragons” was logical and perhaps necessary to protect yourself."

They provide several great ideas for celebrating National Appreciate a Dragon Day which you will find at this link, but my favorite idea they give is - "Another thing you can do is learn to write in Dragonese. For those of you who don’t know, this is the language that dragons speak in the film How to Train Your Dragon. The scriptwriters created an entire universe of words, waiting for you to explore them." 

And, here are some fun facts or at least fun information about dragons - did you know . . .

• Dragons are regarded as extraordinary creatures in China.
• There are two types of dragons depicted in art and literature — Western dragons have bat-like wings and can be fearsome, whereas Eastern dragons have snake-like features with no wings and are associated with royalty and heavenly forces.
• he “King James Version Bible” actually mentions dragons at least 35 times.
• The Uroboros – a tail-biting dragon — symbolizes the eternal circle of life and is also an important symbol for medieval alchemists.
• Dragon worship, known as Dragonoph, is a polytheistic religion based around the belief that dragons are the original creators of the world and that God is the first dragon Glaurung.
• In 1890 Arizona’s “The Tombstone” paper reports two cowboys shooting down a ‘winged dragon.’
• In 1392 The Nine-Dragon Wall was built in Datong, China, by the Ming Dynasty.
• The word ‘dragon’ first entered the English language in the early 13th century from Old French dragon, which in turn comes from Latin’s ‘draconem,’ meaning ‘a serpent of huge size.’

You will find more information about dragons at this link. So, whether you read about real dragons, read a book about an imagined dragon, watch a movie, or make your own dragons, enjoy today - it is National Appreciate a Dragon Day!