When I saw this observance, I thought it was fun. Immediately my mind went to the “chicken dance” from every wedding reception I ever attended. Then, I thought of my grandkids… and got excited about what books I might find related to this topic. Therefore, it was a no-brainer for me when it came time to selecting my blog this month.
When I got into researching this holiday/observance, I was thrilled to learn about the history of the song and dance. With my mixed heritage, my mom and grandma used to take me to polkas. Reading the connection here just flooded me with joyful memories, so yeah, I will be celebrating. I hope you do, too!
“Written in the 1950s by Werner Thomas, a Swiss accordionist, the Chicken Dance didn’t even make it to the United States until sometime in the 1970s. The Chicken Dance is associated with polkas or oom-pah-pah music. Originally written with the name Der Ententanz (The Duck Dance), rumors suggest the song was written as a drinking song for Oktoberfest. The song’s title later changed to Vogeltanz (The Bird Dance).”
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-dance-like-a-chicken-day-may-14/