The common onion, also known as the bulb onion, is a vegetable that has been enjoyed by humanity for thousands of years all over the world. They are closely related to scallions, leeks, garlic, and chives, and are used to add flavor to savory dishes. Although onions do not have a lot of calories, they are packed full of flavor and are a decent source of fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and potassium. It is a vegetable that people have now begun to celebrate with its own holiday—a holiday that falls on June 27th annually and is aptly named National Onion Day.

The History Of National Onion Day

This is the section of the holiday where we dig into the history of National Onion Day, but before we do that, we would like to first take a look at the history of the onion. The onion is a food that many food historians, botanists, and archaeologists believe originated somewhere in Central Asia. It was probably a food that was eaten by prehistoric mankind—even before the creation of civilization or the written word.

Although we are unsure of exactly how long people have eaten onions, most researchers agree that humanity has been growing them for at least 5,000 years. It may have been a food that was domesticated before other vegetables because it stores for a long time, is easy to store, and is easy to transport.

In ancient Egypt, onions became a symbol of eternal life, and paintings of them have been found on the walls of the pyramids. Bulb onions were also sometimes stuffed into the torso of the dead that were being prepared as mummies, or used as replacements for the mummies’ eyes.

From the 15th through the 18th centuries, onions were taken to North America by European settlers because they did not believe that there were onions in the New World. However, Native Americans were very familiar with onions, and they were a regular part of their diet.

Now that we have gotten the history of the onion out of the way, it is time to turn our attention to the history of National Onion Day. This holiday was created in 2019 by the National Onion Association. This organization represents hundreds of growers, packers, and shippers across the United States. June 27th was chosen for the date because the National Onion Association, or NOA, was incorporated on June 27, 1913.

Observing National Onion Day

Anyone wanting to honor this pungent but tasty vegetable is going to want to take the time to celebrate National Onion Day. This can be done by incorporating onions into your diet in some way on this day. Maybe you will add butter-sautéed onions to your burger, or you will serve onion rings with your dinner. It is up to you. While you are observing this holiday, just be sure to post pictures of your dishes that feature onions and post them to the internet using the hashtag #NationalOnionDay. Just be sure while you are celebrating this holiday, you use some kind of breath freshener to deal with your onion breath.