Every Day Is Special: November 21 - Tie One On Day in the U.S.

November 21 - Tie One On Day in the U.S.

Posted on November 21, 2018

(Day before Thanksgiving in the U.S.)

Today we celebrate aprons!

Families who celebrate an American Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November will often find themselves cooking some dishes for the traditional feast the day before. Hence, tie on an apron - "Tie One On Day"!

Aprons are meant to keep one's clothes clean when doing messy chores or art projects, and they're especially common for cooks and chefs. Of course, there are some specialty aprons - the leather apron of a blacksmith, the lead apron that X-ray technicians use - but most aprons are made of cloth and hook around the neck and/or tie around the waist.

We call these skirt-type aprons "half aprons."

We call these more practical aprons "full aprons" or "bib aprons." When full aprons are used for arts and crafts, they're often called "smocks."

And pinafores have more fabric over the shoulders and are often decorative, perhaps even fancy.

Pinafores are generally seen in old-fashioned
costumes (above) or in really young girls (below).

In the 1950s, super feminine half aprons were all the rage - for women. In the late 1960s, there was a backlash against defining women as people who lived to cook and do housework - and who wanted to look girly-girly while they did it. So aprons took a nosedive in popularity.

But now aprons are back - in all kinds of places and in all sorts of materials.

Men and women, more and more, both like to cook from scratch, and both tend to choose full aprons with extra-long ties that go around the back and tie in front.

And sturdy, utilitarian fabric is more in favor than cutesy or dainty fabric.