Drunken Hedgehog Day

November 28 is Drunken Hedgehog Day, which falls into the category of “funny” and even ridiculous holidays But it was precisely this kind of campaign that made the date very popular This holiday has its own backstory It was created by Hungarian peasants, who, apparently, have a very specific sense of humor In fact, there are other names for this day, such as Harvest Day Some people believe that this holiday is just a figment of the imagination of cheerful farmers, but it also has a practical component The fact is that when the crop ripened there were always many rodents and pests trying to feast on it Mice and rats were considered the most voracious At that time there were no effective pesticides It must be said that even today the problem of rodents in the fields cannot be solved, despite the impressive arsenal of chemicals It seems that these pests are simply immortal But, as you can see, a way out was found In particular, it was experimentally found that some animals are very greedy for alcohol Most likely, this discovery was made by accident However, it is indeed known that hedgehogs, the exotic animals Tupaya and several other species enjoy alcohol Of course, we are not talking about a strong strength like vodka, but beer is quite suitable Hedgehogs turned out to be very greedy for these drinks, namely beer If you consider that beer was previously brewed without adding any preservatives, but only on the basis of natural inclusions, including wheat, honey, hops, and rye, then it becomes clear why animals were also among the fans of the drink Moreover, the hedgehogs were not given water for entertainment, to watch their staggering gait and rolling on the grass It is known that these animals are enemies of mice and rats Besides, they are brave Not even all cats can attack an impressively sized rat, preferring to flee, but hedgehogs are more courageous They know that their small size is more than compensated by an abundance of needles, sharp teeth and quick reactions Alcohol makes hedgehogs even more courageous, and to be precise, more aggressive This is what allows them to actively attack rodents, destroying them in large volumes At least as long as alcohol affects the brain That is why peasants of past centuries placed bowls of intoxicating drink everywhere Some eyewitnesses claim that numerous tubs, plates and other containers were placed under almost every bush in farmers' fields This had an effect, and the number of rodents decreased Today it is not at all necessary to resort to this method, since technology does not stand still But the tradition of celebrating Drunken Hedgehog Day remains It has grown into a regular holiday, which is in many ways similar to Harvest Day It is celebrated by farmers, peasants and simply all lovers of funny celebrations On this day you can bake something from the national cuisine, for example, pies, baked potatoes The main thing is that the menu is associated with rustic European cuisine Of course, it is considered good form to raise a glass of beer or two in honor of drunken hedgehogs, who at one time helped farmers a lot By the way, these animals earned so much respect that the peasants locked their dogs at night so that nothing would distract the prickly animals from hunting rodents On this day, of course, it is worth remembering that often it is animals that come to the aid of people Of course, this is primarily obvious in agriculture But in many other cases they are involved in work Many people know stories about rescue dogs, about horses that shared all the hardships of battles with humans Therefore, it would be a shame to forget about drunken hedgehogs, who not only amused farmers with their courage, but also really helped fight aggressive mice and rats in the fields