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Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day

Prior to in-home refrigeration, people would put a piece of cloth in their larder once a year for luck. Put a pillow on your fridge to keep the tradition going.

Historical Interest Hobbies & Activities Items & Things Silly & Humorous28

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Leverage the quirky, viral-friendly nature of this absurdist tradition to drive social media engagement and user-generated content around home goods and novelty products.

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History

This is a bit of a random day, and it reaches back to the early 1900s. This is when families would place a piece of linen or cloth within their larders. The piece of cloth would usually have been torn from something they had in their bedroom, be it a nightgown or a blanket, and then it would be placed in the larder. They did this because they believed that it would bring them prosperity and good fortune.

People believed that if they were to put a piece of cloth from their bedroom in the place where they stored their food, it would bring rich fertility and the possibility of plentiful food to their household.

You may be reading this and wondering what a larder is. Why don’t you have one? Well, the larder is an old-fashioned word, which appeared as early as the 14th century in the English language. It basically means a closet or a room whereby meat and other provisions would be stored. After all, not everyone has had the luxury of owning a fridge!

Larders are typically a big cupboard or a cold room that is used for food storage. They were very common back in the day, especially amongst the middle classes. Larder comes from the word Lardum, which is a Latin word for bacon, fat, or pork. Today, a closet full of meat doesn’t really sound very appealing does it?

However, it was used back in the days when lard was required for cooking food and greasing pans. The larder is where the bacon and the lard were kept. Today, the closest thing to this is a pantry.

Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day is something that is based on the original tradition of putting a piece of fabric into the larder, yet it has adapted over the years, as time and technology have both progressed. Today, larders are very uncommon.

If you walk into most homes around the world, you will find that an electrical refrigerator is used for food storage. The fridge marked the death of larders, but it certainly did not mark the end of this holiday. Instead, the tradition moved forward, and that is how we have ended up with this amazing, albeit unusual, Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day.

How to celebrate

Put a Pillow On Your Fridge

Of course, you may decide to celebrate Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day quite literally; by putting a pillow in your fridge! Needless to say, you are going to need a lot of space in your fridge to do this, but if you are someone who loves nothing more than flipping your pillow to the cold side, you will certainly be excited to use the pillow once it has spent a bit of time amongst your milk and yogurts! If you don’t want to try and cram a massive pillow into your fridge (we can’t say we blame you!), you can go for the traditional approach of finding a piece of linen from something in your bedroom and placing it in the fridge. This is way more practical after all!

Check Out Social Media

If you do a bit of digging online, one thing you will quickly learn is that social media has fallen in love with Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day. This is a day that has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years. It has quickly become one of the favorite days for people who like to use social media for the weird and the wonderful! It has almost become a competition to see who can come up with the best image of a pillow in a fridge.

Create Your Own Pillowcase

You can even have fun creating your own pillowcase for the date if you are a bit crafty and you want to make sure you have the best images for social media. There are pillowcases online that are dedicated to this date, saying things like “it is put a pillow on your fridge day” with images of cute fridges holding pillows! This date really has been embraced by retailers and fans all over the world. You could make your own pillowcase from home or you could design a pillowcase and have it made and sent to you. There are a number of different companies that offer this sort of service, as the industry for personalized goods is massive at the moment, so you should have no trouble getting a unique pillowcase printed if you don’t want to embroider one yourself.

FAQ

How did households keep food cool in larders before modern refrigerators?

Before electric refrigerators, many households used larders or pantries built on the coolest side of the house, often with thick walls, stone or tile surfaces, and ventilation grilles to allow air circulation while keeping out pests. In some regions, people also used iceboxes, cold cellars, or spring houses that relied on blocks of ice, underground temperatures, or running water to slow food spoilage. These passive cooling methods were less precise than modern refrigeration but could significantly extend the life of meat, dairy, and produce.

What is the difference between a larder, a pantry, and an icebox?

A larder traditionally referred to a cool room or large cupboard for storing meat, fats, and other perishables, often lined with stone or slate and ventilated to keep temperatures low. A pantry was usually a nearby space or cupboard used for dry goods, dishes, and nonperishable foods. An icebox was a specific insulated cabinet that held a block of ice in a compartment, using its melting to cool the food chamber. All three were part of historic kitchen storage, but only the icebox directly used ice as a cooling source.

Why do many cultures associate food storage areas with luck and prosperity?

Food storage areas like larders, granaries, and pantries have long symbolized security, survival, and social status because a well-stocked store meant a family was more likely to make it through lean seasons. In agrarian and early industrial societies, harvest failures or high food prices could be devastating, so rituals and charms around storage spaces developed as ways to seek protection, blessing, or divine favor. Folklorists note that these practices often blend practical care for food with symbolic acts intended to attract abundance and ward off misfortune.

Are household good‑luck rituals considered a form of superstition or folk religion?

Many scholars classify everyday luck rituals, such as placing charms in kitchens or doorways, as “folk belief” or “vernacular religion,” sitting between formal religious practice and secular habit. These behaviors are usually learned informally within families or communities and are followed because “they can’t hurt and might help.” While some people view them as harmless superstitions, others see them as meaningful expressions of hope, identity, or a desire for control in uncertain situations, especially when it comes to essentials like food and shelter. [1]

Why do people continue to follow luck rituals even if they do not really believe in them?

Psychologists find that people often perform luck rituals because they provide a sense of control, reduce anxiety, and create a feeling of routine, even when the person consciously doubts their effectiveness. Studies on superstition and performance show that small rituals can boost confidence and persistence, which can indirectly improve outcomes. In the home, repeating familiar “good luck” habits around food, money, or family spaces can be comforting, help mark special days, and strengthen family stories and traditions.

Do pillows or bed linens have any traditional symbolic meaning related to luck or fertility?

In many cultures, the bed is closely linked to fertility, marriage, and domestic stability, so textiles associated with it can take on symbolic weight. Folklore records customs where special linens or pillows are used in wedding beds, dowries, or childbirth rituals as a way to invite prosperity, healthy offspring, or marital harmony. While specific traditions vary widely, the general idea of connecting bedroom textiles with future abundance or family well‑being is a recurring theme in European and North American folk belief.

What impact did electric refrigerators have on traditional kitchen design and storage practices?

The spread of electric refrigerators in the twentieth century dramatically reshaped kitchen layouts and storage habits. Separate larders and iceboxes became unnecessary in many homes, and designers increasingly integrated a single mechanical fridge into fitted cabinets and countertops. Shopping patterns also changed, since reliable cold storage allowed people to buy perishable foods less frequently but in larger quantities. As a result, older practices centered on cool rooms, seasonal preservation, and daily market visits declined, although walk‑in pantries and cellars remain popular in some regions for bulk and dry storage.