National Chopsticks Day is observed on February 6th every year. It’s a holiday that celebrates one of the oldest table utensils. Chopsticks were invented around 1200 B.C., forks around 2400 B.C., and spoons around 1000 B.C. The popularity of chopsticks increased over the years until they became commonplace by the 5th century.

This utensil became popular because cutting food into smaller pieces allowed it to be cooked faster and more efficiently, and it allowed people to avoid having to use a knife at the dinner table. Today, chopsticks are still commonly used across Asia, and to a lesser extent in Europe and North America.

The History of National Chopsticks Day

Although we’re quite aware of the history of chopsticks, we can’t say the same about the history of National Chopsticks Day. We don’t know when this holiday was created, who created it, or the purpose behind its creation. We do know that this holiday has been around since at least 2010, however. That’s the earliest reference on the Internet that we could find about it.

Observing National Chopsticks Day

Since we don’t know the original intent behind this holiday, we’ll go ahead and make up our own rules for celebrating it. We believe that this day is one in which people should take every opportunity to use chopsticks.

This means using them to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Of course, if a person wants to order Chinese, Vietnamese, or Japanese food on this day, they can; it’s just not required. What is required, however, is the proper use of chopstick etiquette.

What’s chopstick etiquette? It’s the polite way of using chopsticks. If you’re not aware of these rules, then allow us to list some of them. Chopstick etiquette dictates that we don’t rub our chopsticks together, don’t use them to point at people, and don’t suck or chew on them.

It’s also impolite to use them to drum, pass food to another pair of chopsticks, or use them to stab food. It’s also impolite (and possibly unlucky) to leave the chopsticks crossed on the bowl or table. The proper way to put chopsticks down is to place them side by side next to a plate or bowl.

We also should state that it’s impolite to take food from a shared bowl with the chopsticks you are using to eat with. It’s also impolite to wave your chopsticks over dishes. If you’re able to follow all of these chopstick etiquette rules and would like to now observe National Chopsticks Day, then be sure to let everyone know using the hashtag #NationalChopsticksDay online.