If a person judges National Rat Catcher’s Day simply by its name, they might think that this holiday celebrates the local rodent exterminator. And maybe it does. However, what it really commemorates is the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. According to this Brothers Grimm tale, the German town of Hamelin hired a man with a flute to rid their town of rats.

He finished the job, but the town refused to pay, so the Pied Piper returned and led all the children out of the town. These children would never come back. So when this day is observed on July 22nd, be sure to pay your local ratcatcher!

The History of National Rat Catcher’s Day

We’re unsure who invented this holiday, and we’re not sure where it was invented. All that we know is that the date July 22nd was chosen for the celebration of this holiday because that is when the tale of the Pied Piper states that the children were led out of the town of Hamelin. According to the story, it was June 26, 1284.

Interesting Facts About Rats

We’ve been talking a lot about rat catchers for this holiday, but we’ve given very little time to the rodents themselves, so we’ve decided to list some facts that we’ve learned about them. The following facts are everything a person needs to know about rats as they head into National Rat Catcher’s Day.

• Rats can give birth to up to 20 babies at a time.
• Every year, rats destroy about 20% of agricultural products worldwide.
• The only continent without rats is Antarctica.

Observing National Rat Catcher’s Day

On this holiday, people can take the time to show their local rat catcher a little bit of appreciation—especially if they’re working on this day. If people don’t know an exterminator, then they can take the time to read the Brothers Grimm tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, a story that’s a classic for a reason. And finally, this holiday can be observed by giving a shout-out to all the rat catchers in the world using the hashtag #RatCatchersDay.