Ever heard of Wolfenoot? Here’s how to celebrate the holiday in Michigan

Learn about the holiday called Wolfenoot, plus four fun ways to celebrate it in Michigan come November. 

Is that a full moon over Michigan? A chill in the air, a howling wind? As the nights grow longer, it can only mean one thing—Wolfenoot is on its way! While less famous than its autumn cousins, Halloween and Thanksgiving, Wolfenoot is a holiday Michiganders can sink their (canine?) teeth into this year.

For the uninitiated, Wolfenoot, celebrated this year on November 23, is a “celebration of canines and kindness,” originally invented as a school project by a 7-year-old boy to honor “the Spirit of the Wolf, and kindness.” Well, we could all use a bit more kindness, and wolves are beautiful, intelligent, ecologically important creatures, so naturally, the holiday caught some traction.

Wolfenoot traditions include eating roast meat (a wolf’s favorite meal), exchanging small gifts (with the best presents going to those who are kind to dogs), and decorating a cake with a full-moon theme. While that’s plenty for a pack to party with, in the Mitten, there are even more ways to embrace the “Spirit of the Wolf” for a Wolfenoot celebration. Have a look at these ideas to get your Wolfenoot festivities going:

Visit some wolf friends at a zoo or wildlife park

What better way to celebrate Wolfenoot than with a visit to some real-life wolves? Wolf sanctuaries, zoos, and wildlife parks provide homes for wolves born in captivity or who’ve been injured and can’t live in the wild, and in Michigan, the Detroit Zoo’s Cotton Family Wolf Wilderness is home to the majestic gray wolf! Up in the UP, the GarLyn Zoo has a spacious enclosure for their wolf pair to burrow and hunt like they would in the wild, while Battle Creek’s Binder Park Zoo boasts a whole family of Mexican gray wolves—one of them, Luchadora, was born there!

Photo courtesy of Maia C./CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Raise a glass to Ann Arbor’s own werewolf

The streets of Ann Arbor may seem like an unlikely place to find a wolf (a Wolverine would surely be more traditional?), but that’s just because you haven’t met the Violin Monster. This local legend claims to be nearing 500 years old and can be spotted downtown playing his violin and making appearances at Ann Arbor’s many local festivals—including, naturally, Fool Moon. Head down to Main Street on a clear day, and you can listen to tunes from this cultured werewolf, or stop for a chat about his many adventures.

This fall, you can even raise a toast in honor of the Violin Monster, and to Wolfenoot, with a perfectly seasonal treat. Arbor Brewing Company produces their seasonal Violin Monster beer every autumn, with brown sugar, warming spices, and a 9.5% ABV that will have you howling!

“Wolf down” a great meal – or an elegant dessert

Running with your pack can build up an appetite, but luckily, Michigan is full of spots to feast this Wolfenoot. Start with a hearty sandwich and some sweet treats at Paw Paw’s Lucky Wolf Cafe, and stick aronud to see a show at the attached playhouse. Northville’s Lucy and the Wolf serves American classics and innovative cocktails for a Wolfenoot meal with style, while Shewolf Detroit offers Italian cuisine with a Roman flair, and a name that pays tribute to the mama wolf who, according to myth, raised Romulous and Remus, Rome’s founders. When it comes to Wolfenoot, maybe there’s no place like Rome?

Or perhaps you have more of a sweet tooth? In that case, consider a visit to Detroit’s White Wolf Japanese Patisserie, a local favorite where you can try anything from tiramisu to their famous multi-layered matcha crepe cake—scrumptious!

See if you can spot Michigan’s own wild wolves

Did you know that wolves roam wild in the Wolverine State? After a period of decline, wolves were reintroduced to the Wolverine State in the twenty first century, with a current population of several hundred in the Upper Peninsula. In particular, Isle Royale National Park is home to packs of free roaming wolves, and if you’re very lucky, you might catch a glimpse of them. Wolves are very shy, so don’t be disappointed if they keep their distance, and if you do happen to see some, be sure to be cautious and respectful by giving them plenty of space—after all, it’s Wolfenoot, and it’s the kind thing to do.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.