Does any species, in any age, in any of the works by Tolkien have designated days of celebration, except birthdays, besides the holidays mentioned in the article about the Middle Earth Calendar on Wikipedia?
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2 Answers
Appendix D to The Return of the King lists the holidays from the article you linked above, namely three Lithedays (roughly Midsummer) and three Yule days (Midwinter). It goes on to mention that during the reign of Elessar the calendar was reordered, to commemorate the fall of Sauron on March 25th, and September 22nd, Frodo's birthday, "was made a festival, and the leap-year was provided for by doubling this feast, called Comare, or Ring-day." (Return of the King pg 447)
However,
There is no record of the Shire-folk commemorating either march 25 or September 22; but in the Westfarthing, especially in the country round Hobbiton Hill, there grew up a custom of making holiday and dancing in the Party Field, when weather permitted, on April 6. Some said that it was old Sam Gardner's birthday, some that it was the day on which the Golden Tree first flowered in 1420, and some that it was the Elves' New Year. In the Buckland the Horn of the Mark was blown at sundown every November 2 and bonfires and feasting followed." (Return of the King, pg 447-448)
It is worth noting that April 6 is listed in Appendix B of the same book as being when "The Ringbearers are honored in the the Field of Cormallen" and the next year as when "The mallorn flowers in the Party Field." November 2 is when Gandalf and the Hobbits "come to Bywater and rouse the Shire-folk." (Return of the King, pg 430-431)
answered Dec 26, 2012 at 3:06
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I'm going to take the silence about further holidays as if Tolkien never invented any, setting this answer to accepted. Commented Jan 3, 2013 at 18:35
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From Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin (Silmarillion): "for the morrow was the great feast that they named the Gates of Summer". There's another.– user8719Commented Dec 1, 2014 at 20:02
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Rural communities often celebrate their own holidays; whatever they choose to call them they're really "everyone needed a break" days.– Joe L.Commented Dec 1, 2014 at 22:20
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@itpastorn yes, but I think you can also take the ones that are described as evidence that there generally are holidays, probably many different ones in many different communities, and we just don't get to hear about them.– hobbsCommented Jan 22, 2017 at 10:51
On the island of Tol Eressëa, Elves celebrated a winter festival called Turuhalmë or "Log-Drawing". This festival is only mentioned in The Book of Lost Tales, so may not be considered canon.
Here are the relevant quotes:
Twill be a fitting day,' saith Lindo, 'for the sports of the morning in the snow and the gathering of the logs from the woods and the songs and drinking of Turuhalmë will leave us of right mood to listen to old tales beside this fire.' [...]
At length the day of Turuhalme was come, and the company from Mar Vanwa Tyaliéva went into the snowy woods to bring back firewood on sleighs. Never was the Tale-fire allowed to go out or to die into grey ash, but on the eve of Turuhalmë it sank always to a smaller blaze until Turuhalmë itself, when great logs were brought into the Room of the Tale-fire and being blessed by Lindo with ancient magic roared and flared anew upon the hearth.
~The Book of Lost Tales, History of Middle-earth volume 1
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Despite the books canonicity, since the question asks about Middle-Earth it could be debated that Tol Eressëa is not a part of it. (Still a great find, so +1)– BMWurmCommented Jan 22, 2017 at 10:16
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@isanae Huh, interesting. But when the world was made round, it was no longer even a part of Arda, almost just as removed as Aman, kind of like a halfway point, wasn't it? So how can it be a part of Middle-Earth yet lie outside Arda? Then again, the question asks about "any age", and with the information of the link you provided it was at least at one time a part of one of the possible definitions of Middle-Earth.– BMWurmCommented Jan 22, 2017 at 12:47
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1@BMWurm I've expanded on this section. When I originally wrote it, I was only concerned with the geography of the main continent. Thanks!– isanaeCommented Jan 22, 2017 at 18:48