National Dice Day

Dice, which are celebrated today, are small throwable objects that can land in various positions and produce different numerical outcomes. They are used in gambling games such as craps, and in tabletop games such as Monopoly and backgammon. Most commonly a die is a cube with between one and six dots, or pips, on each side. Dice of other shapes can also be used, and other symbols besides numbers can appear on their sides. Dice of different shapes are often used in wargames, role-playing games, and trading card games. Dice are usually thrown by hand or from a dice cup, and sometimes are thrown into a dice tray.

Dice have been around since before recorded history, and it isn't known from where they originated. The oldest evidence of dice was found during an excavation at the Burnt City in south-eastern Iran, where the found dice were estimated to be from 2800-2500 BCE. They have also been found in tombs in the Indus Valley, possibly pointing to their origin being from there. Various civilizations used dice in games. For example, a game called Senet was played in Egypt from about 3000 BCE until the second century CE. Many Romans also enjoyed using dice for gambling. Dice were used in ancient China, and it was there that dominoes and playing cards were developed from dice. Various religious texts mention the use of dice or something similar to them. Psalm 22 in the Bible mentions "casting lots," and the Hindu texts the Rigveda and Atharvaveda mention the game of dicing.

How to Observe National Dice Day

Celebrate the day by playing a game with dice. There are many games that have dice as their main component, while many games use dice as an ancillary component. Regardless if a game is centered around the rolling of dice, or if it just part of a game, make sure you roll some dice today!

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