It’s time to celebrate the mathematical constant pi and eat lots of pie! Pi Day is recognized in many countries worldwide that follow the month/day format because the digits in the date, March 14 or 3/14, are the first three digits of pi (3.14).

Founded by physicist Larry Shaw in 1988, Pi Day can also be celebrated on March 4 (the day marks the passing of 14% of the third month of the year), April 5 (by this day, 3.14 months of the year have passed), and November 10 (the 314th day of the year).

One of the oldest and most recognized mathematical constants in the world, Pi is the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. Its value is approximately equal to 3.14159265. It is an irrational number, which means it can’t be expressed as a ratio of whole numbers, and its decimal representation never ends or repeats.

Pi is also a homophone of pie. The two words are pronounced similarly but are spelled differently and mean different things. Pi is also represented by the lower case Greek letter because it is the first letter of the Greek word meaning perimeter.

In 2009, the US Congress declared Pi Day a national holiday. Since then, it has become a pop culture phenomenon with several places partaking in the activities, antics,  observations, and all the pie eating they can!

Here are some of the local deals on retail and food, most of which include pizza and pie, to celebrate the special occasion:

Lou’s Restaurant and Bakery, Hanover, NH

King Arthur Flour, Norwich, VT

Umpleby’s Bakery and Café, Hanover, NH

Woodstock Farmers Market, Woodstock, VT

Mickey’s Roadside Cafe, Enfield, NH

Four Aces Diner, West Lebanon, NH

Piecemeal Pies, White River Junction, VT

Hartland Diner, Hartland, VT