General Knowledge

National Rat Catcher’s Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Events

This holiday is celebrated twice, on June 26 and July 22. This is because the Brothers Grimm state that the Pied Piper lead the children out of the town on June 26, 1284, while Robert Browning's poem states that it occurred on July 22, 1376.

Every year on July 22, National Rat Catcher’s Day honours the well-known German folktale “The Pied Piper of Hamelin.” Hamelin, a small German municipality, was battling a severe rat infestation. The locals engaged a flute-playing man to rid their town of the pesky vermin.

Invigorated by the mayor’s vow to pay one thousand gold guilders, he went to work immediately and was able to employ the power of music. All the rodents followed him from the city to the Weser River, where he drowned them. However, the town refused to pay, so the Pied Piper returned, played his flute, and led all the children out of the town. In some versions of the tale, the Pied Piper held the children hostage until he was compensated. According to other accounts, the children were never seen again. Robert Browning composed a famous sonnet titled “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” based on this story.

The background of National Rat Catcher’s Day

This holiday is celebrated twice, on June 26 and July 22. This is because the Brothers Grimm state that the Pied Piper lead the children out of the town on June 26, 1284, while Robert Browning’s poem states that it occurred on July 22, 1376. The story is not mere fiction. The evidence implies that on June 26, 1284, something extremely traumatic occurred in the German town. According to one hypothesis, the children died of natural causes, such as an epidemic, and the Pied Piper represented death.

Others believe they may have participated in the 1212 Children’s Crusade, in which thousands of children set out for the Holy Land. Nonetheless, many were sold into slavery or perished en route. The Pied Piper remains a central figure in modern-day Hamelin, albeit with an emphasis on the spirit of joy and entertainment. There are restaurants and businesses whose names reflect the legend of the Pied Piper.

Rat-catchers were responsible for the capture and disposal of vermin in a city. In mediaeval Europe, rodents transmitted diseases and epidemics such as the plague. Since there were no refrigerators or freezers, they also compromised the food supply. Typically, black rats lived among the city’s residents, entering wooden houses and hiding in the straw where the impoverished slept.

Rat-catchers would either use animals trained to hunt and kill rats or attempt to capture the vermin themselves. Other options included the use of rodent traps and poisonous powders.
Due to the filthy nature of the position, rat-catchers were frequently impoverished individuals. Likewise, the pay was quite meagre.

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National Rat Trapper’s Day events

Appreciate your pest control expert

Demonstrate your appreciation for your neighbourhood rat-catcher both verbally and monetarily. These exterminators assist us in eliminating unwanted intruders and deserve our respect.

Read the account

Reading Brother Grimm’s “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” will help you enter the holiday atmosphere. Additionally, you will acquire a better appreciation for rodenticides.

Share the word on social media

Use the hashtag #RatCatchersDay to show appreciation for all rat-catchers around the globe. Inform your peers and followers about this eventful day.

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT RATS

Antarctica is the sole continent devoid of rodents.

Rats can have up to twenty offspring per reproduction season.

Some Quebec rat-catchers recited rituals to repel rats.

Every Sunday throughout the summer, actors assemble in Hamelin’s old town centre to reenact the tragic story.

Due to the dangers posed by vermin, in some countries the position of rat-catcher was highly regarded and extremely essential to society.

NATIONAL RAT CATCHER’S DAY DATES

Year Date Day
2023 July 22 Saturday
2024 July 22 Monday
2025 July 22 Tuesday
2026 July 22 Wednesday
2027 July 22 Thursday
Arshiya Khan

Arshiya Khan is a Commerce graduate who loves to write on general and trending topics.

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