August 22, 2022 - National Bao Day | National Tooth Fairy Day

Welcome to August 22nd, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate food that takes a bow and magical dentistry. During the Three Kingdoms era of China, a general and his troops found their way home was blocked by a raging river. The river god told the general that passage would only be granted if he cut off 50 of his soldiers’ heads and threw them into the river. Instead, the general ordered his cooks to create buns that looked like heads and threw them in the river instead. And, according to legend, that is how we came to have the delicious steamed buns known as bao. This may be a strange origin story for such a cute little dumpling, but on National Bao Day, we celebrate the small bite that tames our raging appetite. No one is quite sure how fairies took an interest in children’s health in the 1920s. But when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published photographs of two girls surrounded by fairies the fascination took flight. This phenomenon was useful for teaching kids everything from eating their vegetables to getting fresh air. Then in 1927 Esther Watkins opened a link to the supernatural with her play known as the Tooth Fairy. Since then teeth have been magically transformed into money by the mysterious fairy folk. On National Tooth Fairy Day, celebrate this age old legend that still affects our kids' imagination. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices