Gnomevember: A real celebration of gnomes or not?

You might’ve heard of Movember, a movement that describes itself as “an annual event involving the growing of mustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men’s suicide.” But what about Gnomevember? Have you ever heard of it?

I first noticed it a few years ago, but I never added it to the Weird Holidays & Observances until this year. Although, technically, it’s not a concrete weird day that shows up on all the holidays and observances’ sites. In fact, I don’t think it’s on any of them. But maybe it should be? I don’t know. I’ll let you decide. Let’s examine what we know about it.

Gnomevember Origins

The earliest online mention I found for it dates back to 2013 on Hafuboti. But they referenced another blog, Castle in the Air, that mentioned it in 2012 as part of NaNoWriMo. (November is National Novel Writing Month.) When Be Kitschig looked into it, they discovered #gnomevember was a blog-o-sphere writing challenge that cropped up to follow #inktober.

But Be Kitschig also explained gnomes are prevalent in German, British, and Scandinavian cultures.

Especially in the Nordic countries, gnomes are guarding spirits, often related to the time leading up to Christmas.

Again, no one’s established an official Gnomevember celebration. It’s just mostly gnome-loving folks who have adopted it during November to bring a bit of whimsy to the period between Halloween and Christmas.

Where to Find Gnomevember Events

Even though no one’s officially set out to cement it as a movement, libraries are fond of instituting Gnomevember events. That’s what the post on the aforementioned Hafuboti blog was about. How they created a fun gnome-centric event for kids complete with lots of cleverly handmade gnome decorations and games, one of which was a scavenger hunt.

However, as Be Kitschig pointed out, Gnomevember scavenger hunts aren’t just for libraries anymore. The New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill hides gnomes along all accessible pathways in their garden. There are 40 of them in all, including an “elusive Golden Gnome.”

In years past, the visitor center in Fayetteville, West Virginia, hid gnomes around town in November and encouraged visitors to find them. I’m not sure if they’re still doing it for 2023 or not, but it was a way to draw visitors to the area in the off-season. (With all of its outdoor recreational opportunities, Fayetteville is a popular summer tourist destination.)

But if you want to really have fun finding gnomes, whether it’s November or not, Wroclaw, Poland, is a must-visit destination. Although, they’re also known as the Wroclaw dwarves, which Travel Breathe Repeat explains “started out as a reaction and peaceful protest to the Soviet regime.” But whether you call them gnomes or dwarves, they’re all over the city and draw tourists who want to partake in some gnome-spotting fun.

Fun Facts About Gnomes

While researching Gnomevember, I stumbled across some things about gnomes I did not know. For instance, I had no idea they were considered good luck or symbolized nature and abundance. Some even believe they ward off evil spirits (in the garden), although it’s also popular to believe they have a little devilish and mischievous streak.

I guess I never really considered they’re nocturnal, either. After all, sunlight turns them to stone. (Maybe that’s why so many of them are depicted with their caps pulled over their eyes. If they don’t see the sunlight, they don’t turn to stone?)

I’d also never considered what a group of gnomes might be called. If I wanted to be cheeky about it, I’d have said “gnomenclature,” but apparently, a group of gnomes is called a “donsy.”

Gnomes isn’t a gender-neutral term, either. Lady gnomes were once referred to as “gnomides.” (Particularly in old fairy tales, specifically to refer to the wives of gnomes.) But “gnomess” has found its way into modern-day literature to describe female gnomes.

The Haunting of the Gamble Place Gnomes

One of the creepiest ghost stories I ever read involved gnomes. It was called “See Rollie Run” in Haunting Sunshine: Ghostly Tales from Florida’s Shadows.

It told the tale of a caretaker named Rollie Johnson. Once upon a time, he watched over the 150-acre Gamble Place plantation near Daytona Beach, Florida, year-round for James Gamble, whose father was the Gamble half of Proctor and Gamble.

Allegedly, there were stone gnomes around the property that came to life one Halloween night, tormenting Rollie Johnson. He spent one evening, lantern in hand, chasing down noises only to discover gnomes out of place. He’d pick them up and put them back, only to rediscover them again.

Rumor has it that sometimes, on Halloween nights after Rollie died, a lantern-like light could be seen “swinging back and forth” in the woods. Searching for misbehaving gnomes, perhaps?

Last I knew, the gnomes were still there, too. The property was donated to the Nature Conservancy in 1983, which deeded it to the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach in 2000. Back then, there were plans to open Gamble Place to the public, which I think happened. But now it’s closed since it’s fallen into such disrepair. Sounds like those gnomes need to get to work.

Check-In

Do you currently have, or have you ever had, a gnome in your garden or house?