When: annually, July 7.
Fairy Tale Day is an annual day with a commercial character. The day takes place on the seventh day of the seventh month (July 7) and there’s a good reason for that.
Fairy Tale Day is a Dutch initiative. It is an initiative of a Dutch theme park (De Efteling). It is not yet an internationally accepted or accepted day. Perhaps this will change in the future. This entry is based on the Dutch entry. The Dutch name of this day is
The seventh day of the seventh month. Think about that...
The day is an initiative of De Efteling1. This is at once the commercial nature of the day. The day is a bit of an advertisement for the theme park after all, or at least the part of it that deals with fairy tales. Still, the day is well thought of, being the seventh day of the seventh month. The number seven plays an important role on this day – as it does on the Day of the Soft G.
The number 7
The number seven plays an important role on this day. Not only is it the seventh month, but it is also the seventh day of that month. In fairy tales, the number seven plays a role. Think of the seven dwarfs, the seven goats and the seven-mile boots. Yet there is much more to be said about the number seven. The importance of the number seven transcends that of fairy tales and dates back to Classical Antiquity.
The Seven Gates of Thebes
In this case, do not confuse the Greek city of Thebes with the ancient name for the Egyptian city of Luxor. In this case, it is the Seven Gates of Thebes.
Thebes, also known as Thiva, was referred to as the City of Seven Gates in the works of Homer and Hesiod, and these gates played an important role in Aeschylus’ tragedy “Seven against Thebes”, in which seven heroes each attacked one of the city’s gates.
Meaning of the Seven Gates
De Zeven Poorten van Thebe zijn niet alleen van historisch belang geweest. Ze hebben ook een rol gespeeld binnen de mythologie. Daarnaast zijn ze van symbolisch belang geweest. Ze stonden voor iets dat niet in te nemen was. In dit geval een stad en daarnaast waren ze symbool voor het verleden van deze stad. Ze blijven een herinnering, want ze bestaan niet meer. Gelukkig is er wel (veel) over geschreven.
Seven Works of Mercy
The Bible may not mention all Seven Works of Mercy, but there are seven of them. Only six are mentioned. Later, they became seven. In Matthew (25:35-36), there were six. It was not enough and a seventh had to be added. For that, we may thank Pope Innocent III (1198 – 1216).
- Feeding the hungry: Feeding those who are hungry.
- Living the thirsty: Giving drink to those who are thirsty.
- Dressing the naked: Providing clothing to those who need it.
- Housing the strangers: Providing shelter to those who have no home.
- Taking care of the sick: Caring for those who are ill.
- Visiting the prisoners: Visiting those who are in prison.
- Burying the dead: Providing a dignified burial for those who have died.
Meaning
The Seven Works of Mercy are meant to inspire believers to be caring and loving towards their fellow human beings. They are a concrete way of putting God’s love into action in the world.
Pope Francis
Pope Francis made a lesser-known adjustment in 2015. That was the Compassion for our common home.
Classical Antiquity
Not only within the Christian religion did seven play an important role. In Classical Antiquity, people believed there were seven planets, nothing more. At least, people only knew of seven planets. There were seven wonders of the world. Later, Aeneas’ journey from Troy to Italy, as described by Publius Vergilius Maro (15 October BC – 21 September 19 BC) would take seven years.
July 7, Fairy Tale Day
You can no doubt think of many more examples where the number seven plays an important role. July 7 is Fairy Tale Day and it is thanks to the Efteling. They are responsible for coming up with it. Proof of this can be found at this website.
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