Do you like waffles? If so, you might want to visit Sweden, Norway, or Denmark on March 25th. That’s when they celebrate Waffle Day!​

​Waffle Day started as a Christian holiday called the Feast of the Annunciation or the Day of Our Lady. The Swedish word for the Day of our Lady, Vårfrudagen, sounded a lot like the word for Waffle Day, Våffeldagen. People began to celebrate the holiday by eating waffles. ​

​Eventually, the religious origins of Waffle Day were forgotten. Now it’s just a fun day to eat waffles! In Sweden, the most popular waffles are thin and soft and served with strawberry jam and cream. In Norway, they’re often eaten with a slice of brown cheese on top.​

​The United States doesn’t celebrate Waffle Day, but we do have a National Donut Day. It is celebrated on the first Friday in June. Some people think it is a modern holiday created to promote and sell donuts, but its origins are more noble.​

​National Donut Day began in 1938. It started as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army in Chicago. They wanted to help people who didn’t have enough money or food because of the Great Depression. ​

​They also wanted to honor the women in the Salvation Army who served donuts to the soldiers during World War I. Starting in 1917, the Salvation Army sent 250 volunteers to France to staff huts that provided baked goods. The huts were set up in abandoned buildings near the front lines. The women volunteers decided to bake donuts, which were very popular among the soldiers.  ​

​One volunteer wrote that she served over 300 donuts in one day. She, and other like her, became known as Donut Girls. So, if you buy a donut on the first Friday in June, take a moment to think of the Donut Girls, and the good work they did for our country.