J.R.R. Tolkien’s fictional character Bilbo Baggins is said to have been born on 22 September.
Bilbo’s birthday is given as 22 September 2890 of the Third Age in Tolkien’s chronology. The same calendar date is also associated with Frodo Baggins, who was born in 2968 of the Third Age. This shared birthday helps explain the importance of 22 September in the Shire’s family history.
Bilbo celebrates his eleventy-first birthday at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings. During the party, he gives a famous farewell speech, uses the One Ring to disappear, and leaves Hobbiton. His disappearance begins the chain of events that eventually places the Ring in Frodo’s keeping.
The date is sometimes mistaken for the date of Tolkien’s own birth. Tolkien was born on 3 January 1892, while 22 September belongs to Bilbo and Frodo in the fictional calendar. Tolkien’s birthday is instead commemorated by fans on 3 January.