International Bagpipe Day

You play it by blowing air through one of the pipes. Someone who plays the bagpipes is called a piper.

The earliest description of a bagpipe-like instrument comes from Egypt, as early as 400 BC. The so-called 'pipers of Thebes' were said to play instruments with pipes made from dog skin and chanters of bone. Some historians believe that bagpipes originate from ancient Egypt and were brought to Scotland by invading Roman Legions. Others maintain that the instrument was brought over the water by the colonising Scots tribes from Ireland. Traditionally, bagpipes were made from the skin of a whole animal, turned inside out, with the pipes attached where the legs and neck would be. For the Great Highland bagpipe, the chanter is never silent, so there can be no rest between notes and its volume cannot be changed.

Brought to the United States over one hundred and fifty years ago by the Scottish immigrants, the bagpipe has become a symbol of mourning for fallen heroes, especially firefighters and policemen.