National Carousel Day

Carousel Day or National Merry-Go-Round Day is observed every year on July 25.  The holiday was created by the National Carousel Association (N.C.A.) founded in 1973 as a way to mark the registration of the first patent for a carousel design in 1871 by William Schneider.  However, carousels are not exactly a modern phenomenon, as their existence has been traced to 500 A.D. in the Byzantine Empire where ancient drawings depict a fascinating carousel style.  Riders were depicted sitting in baskets suspended from poles.  The word 'carousel' derives from the Italian word 'garosello' and the Spanish word 'carosella' both of which mean 'little battle'.  The name references the sixth-century style of jousting in Europe and Asia, where knights on horses would ride in a circle while attempting to catch balls of perfume being thrown at them.  In the 17th century, children began to play a mock version of this game by riding horses made of wood.  

Several people contributed to the development of modern carousels.  One of the most prominent was Gustav Dentzel who emigrated from Germany to the United States and revived his family's carousel business.  He has been credited as the first to include animal menagerie in his carousels such as lions, cats, tigers and deer, apart from the traditional horses and chariots.  However, he did not file a patent for his carousel designs and Schneider of Davenport, Ohio became the first person to file a patent for a carousel.

The creation of this day is all thanks to Bette Largent, President of the N.C.A. and Ronald Hopkins, a carousel historian.  The holiday was created to celebrate carousels and their joyful addition to society.  

So, on this day, relive some of your happiest memories by visiting an amusement park or local fair and pick your favorite decorated carousel horse to ride in a circle. 

Liberty, the Lead Horse 

on

The Bushnell Park Carousel carved in 1914 by Stein and Goldstein 

of 

Coney Island, New York

The carousel features intricately carved cabbage roses in high relief on his breast band and flank sportings a first place blue ribbon on his bridle.  

The lead horse is usually the fanciest horse on the carousel and back in the day had a special purpose.  The lead horse was used to be the start point for collecting ride tickets and as a timer for the ride letting the lead horse go past six times to determine the lengh of the ride. The lead horse also displayed the company's best horse for prospective carousel customers.  The lead horse was also a focal point of the carousel to attract patrons.