Apple Tree Day
Every January 6th is observed as Apple Tree Day. This holiday observes and honors the tradition of growing apples. Cultivating apple trees and growing apples has been an American tradition since the 17th century.
This is when many colonists in North America planted apple trees—with the most prominent one being Johnny Appleseed. Apples were useful in colonial society because they were used to make pies and cider, and they provided a great deal of nutrition to those who ate them.
They’re still a good fruit for people to cultivate on their own property. That’s why people all over the U.S. observe this holiday when it comes around every year.
The History Of Apple Tree Day
Apples are fruits that are not native to North America. They originated in Central Asia—or more specifically, in Kazakhstan. Apples and apple seeds spread throughout Asia and Europe by 1,500 BC, and all ancient civilizations cultivated apples. This included the Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans. As stated earlier, apples were brought to North America by colonists to the New World.
John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer who introduced apple trees to large swaths of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario. Of course, he didn’t plant them randomly.
He planted apple orchards on the land to claim it. In some areas of the West, if people planted crops on a piece of land, they were granted that land. This was a way to encourage settlers to move westward across the American continent.
Although we would like to talk about the origins of Apple Tree Day now that we’ve discussed the history of apples, it appears that no one is claiming credit for the creation of this holiday. We don’t know who invented this holiday or where it was invented.
Observing Apple Tree Day
There are many ways to observe this holiday, but planting an apple tree is probably not one of them. At least not on this particular day of the year. Apple saplings are most often planted in the spring or right before spring.
However, it can be observed with an apple-themed party, by enjoying apple pie or other apple desserts, drinking apple cider, and by using the hashtag #AppleTreeDay on social media.
Let’s all get together and celebrate apples for all that they do for us. There are over 2,500 different varieties of apples enjoyed in the U.S., and all a person has to do is choose the ones they like the most for Apple Tree Day.