International Tug of War Day is a holiday observed annually on the 19th of February. It should not be confused with National Tug of War Day, which celebrates the sport of tug-of-war on a national level and is observed in August.

Tug of war is probably one of the simplest sports in the world, yet it is also one of the most well-loved. That is why this holiday is observed by so many people around the world. It is a day for people to gather their teams and enjoy this sport.

The History of International Tug of War Day

Unfortunately, there is no way to pinpoint when tug-of-war began as a sport. It seems that ever since prehistory, people have engaged in contests where they pulled on a rope as a sign of strength. This has been seen in cultures all over the world, including those in Asia, Africa, North & South America, and Europe.

In Germany and Scandinavia, Viking warriors would pull on animal skins stretched over open pits of fire as a test of strength and endurance or in preparation for war. Just as it is impossible to determine the history of this sport, it is equally impossible to determine who invented International Tug of War Day.

This holiday just spontaneously appeared one day and began to be observed by people. Of course, we will continue to try to uncover the origins of this holiday, but we will keep looking to see if we can ever get to the bottom of it.

Some Amazing Tug of War Facts

Although we were unable to uncover the history of tug-of-war, we were able to compile a lot of tug-of-war facts. So we decided to list some of them below for everyone to enjoy. Let’s take a look at them before continuing with our explanation of this holiday.

• The oldest known tug-of-war contest recorded was depicted in an Egyptian wall engraving from about 2,500 B.C.
• Tug of war did not get its official name until the 19th century.
• From 1900 to 1920, tug of war was an Olympic event.

Observing International Tug of War Day

Observing this holiday is quite easy if a person is up for a contest of strength. All one has to do is gather some friends, a length of rope, and organize a game. People can also attend one of the many tug-of-war events that occur around the world on this day. To publicize this day, everyone can take the time to spread the word about it using the hashtag #InternationalTugOfWarDay on social media.