International Bagpipe Day is a holiday observed annually on the 10th of March. It celebrates a musical instrument composed of reed pipes and played by the pressure of wind from a bag squeezed by the player.

Although this instrument is typically associated with Scotland, historians believe it originated in ancient Egypt and was not brought to Scotland until the Roman legions did so.

Regardless, this instrument was largely used in the Scottish Highlands during the 15th through 17th centuries for weddings, funerals, and feasts. Since then, it has been used all around the world for a variety of reasons, which is why we celebrate it with this holiday.

The History of International Bagpipe Day

Since we’ve already covered the history of bagpipes, we thought we’d just jump right into the history of International Bagpipe Day. This holiday was first created by Andy Letcher in 2012. Although the name of this guy might not sound familiar to most people, he might be familiar to those who play bagpipes.

That’s because he was the publicity officer for the Bagpipe Society. This society not only celebrates this holiday but also hosts an International Bagpipe Conference every two years. Just something for bagpipe enthusiasts to mark on their calendars.

Observing International Bagpipe Day

How do you like to celebrate International Bagpipe Day? Well, if you’re like us, then you probably don’t play bagpipes, so playing these on this day might be a no-go. Sure, it’s fine for people who already play the “pipes,” but that doesn’t do much good for those of us who don’t own a set.

Not if we actually want to participate in this day. With that said, we decided to think long and hard about it. And then we realized how this day should be celebrated. We realized that there are several songs that actually use bagpipes.

These songs are “Dead” by Korn, “Come Talk to Me” by Peter Gabriel, and “Night of the Swallow” by Kate Bush. Of course, there are other songs out there that feature bagpipes, and a quick Google search will help you find them.

Of course, the ultimate way to observe this holiday is to buy a set of bagpipes and begin your journey toward learning how to play them. It’s something that’s going to take a lot of work, but with enough dedication, anyone can learn to play the bagpipes.

While you’re learning, don’t forget to use the hashtag #InternationalBagpipeDay to spread the word about your progress on this holiday. We’d love to know who the next great bagpipe players are going to be.