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National Fart Day

A humorous observance on February 5 celebrating flatulence as a universal human experience and encouraging open conversation about digestive health.

Friday

February 2027

Last updated March 21, 2026 · by the Holiday Calendar Team

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YEARLY DATEFebruary 5

OBSERVED INUnited States

CATEGORYFun

SUBCATEGORYSilly

ORIGIN

Community Origin

FOUNDING ENTITY

Not documented

FIRST OBSERVED

Not documented

HOW THE HOLIDAY CAME TO BE

No documented founder or formal establishment record has been identified. The observance appears to have emerged through internet humor communities, with online listings appearing since at least 2008.

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INTRO

Introduction

PHOTO

The oldest recorded joke in human history, inscribed on a Sumerian tablet around 1900 BC, is about flatulence. National Fart Day lands on a tradition of bodily humor that predates written literature, organized religion, and nearly every other cultural institution still in existence.

The observance treats a universal biological function as both comedy and science. Gastroenterologists have a formal term for the study of intestinal gas: flatology. The day uses humor as a gateway to a subject most people avoid despite its direct relevance to digestive health.

ORIGINS

Fart Day history

INTRODUCTION

Flatulence has occupied a peculiar position in human culture for millennia: universally experienced but rarely discussed without discomfort or laughter. Medical science has long understood it as a normal byproduct of digestion, yet social taboos around the subject persist across most cultures.

Ancient civilizations were less reserved. Greek playwright Aristophanes deployed fart jokes in his comedies during the 5th century BC, and Roman writers treated intestinal gas as fair material for satire and medical observation alike. Traditional Chinese medicine considered flatulence patterns a diagnostic indicator of internal balance.

CHAPTER 01

From Court Jesters to the Moulin Rouge

Medieval European literature embraced the subject openly. Geoffrey Chaucer gave flatulence a starring role in The Miller's Tale and The Summoner's Tale within The Canterbury Tales, using it to puncture social pretension. Jonathan Swift continued the tradition in 1722 with his satirical pamphlet The Benefit of Farting.

The most commercially successful figure in flatulence history was Joseph Pujol, a baker from Marseille who performed under the stage name Le Pétomane. Beginning in 1892, Pujol headlined the Moulin Rouge in Paris, demonstrating extraordinary control over his abdominal muscles to produce sounds, extinguish candles from several yards away, and play tunes on a flute connected by a rubber tube. He reportedly earned 20,000 francs per show, more than the theater's other star, Sarah Bernhardt.

CHAPTER 02

Science and the Digital Age

Modern gastroenterology has catalogued the process precisely. The average person passes gas up to 25 times per day, producing between 500 and 2,000 milliliters of intestinal gas. Over 99% of that volume consists of odorless compounds: nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane.

National Fart Day has no documented founder or formal establishment record. The observance began circulating on online holiday calendars around 2008 and appears to have emerged through internet humor communities. It belongs to a broader trend of irreverent holidays that use comedy to normalize taboo biological topics.

TIMELINE

National Fart Day Timeline

Oldest fart joke recorded

A Sumerian proverb from approximately 1900 BC became the earliest known joke in recorded history, centering on a young woman farting in her husband's lap.

Chaucer puts flatulence in literature

Geoffrey Chaucer included flatulence as a plot device in The Canterbury Tales, giving intestinal gas a place in the English literary canon.

Jonathan Swift publishes fart essay

The Anglo-Irish satirist published The Benefit of Farting, a pamphlet that used flatulence as a vehicle for political and social commentary.

Le Pétomane debuts at Moulin Rouge

Joseph Pujol, a professional flatulist from Marseille, began performing at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, reportedly earning 20,000 francs per show.

Earliest online listings appear

National Fart Day began circulating on online holiday calendars around this year, attributed to internet humor communities rather than any single founder.

GET INVOLVED

How to Celebrate National Fart Day

Read about the gut microbiome

The bacteria in your large intestine produce most of the gas you pass daily. The Cleveland Clinic's flatulence guide explains which foods trigger gas and when to consult a doctor.

WATCH

Watch the story of Le Pétomane

Joseph Pujol's career as a professional flatulist at the Moulin Rouge is one of the strangest success stories in entertainment history. The 1979 film Le Pétomane dramatized his life, and multiple documentaries have covered his act.

TRY

Try a low-FODMAP meal

FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that produce excess gas in many people. The Monash University FODMAP program, which developed the diet, offers an app and recipes designed to reduce digestive discomfort.

EXPLORE

Explore the history of toilet humor

From Aristophanes to Chaucer to modern comedy, fart jokes have appeared in every major literary period. The Guinness World Records documents the comedic tradition's surprisingly ancient roots.

TRACK

Track your digestive patterns for a day

Gastroenterologists recommend food diaries to identify triggers for excessive gas. Spend the day noting what you eat and how your digestion responds; even one day of data can reveal patterns worth discussing with a healthcare provider.

WHY THIS DAY MATTERS

Why We Love National Fart Day

It preserves one of humanity's oldest comedic traditions

Fart humor appears in Sumerian proverbs, Greek drama, medieval literature, Enlightenment satire, and modern film. No other single comedic subject offers an unbroken documentary trail spanning more than 3,900 years of recorded civilization.

It puts a spotlight on digestive health

Changes in flatulence frequency or odor can signal conditions including lactose intolerance, celiac disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. A day that makes the topic approachable can prompt conversations people might otherwise avoid with their doctors.

It documents the science of an overlooked function

The trace sulfur compounds responsible for flatulence odor, primarily hydrogen sulfide, make up less than 1% of intestinal gas volume. The field of flatology has produced peer-reviewed research on gut microbiome composition, fermentation processes, and the diagnostic value of gas analysis.

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