Outrageous holidays for every week of the year
Outrageous holidays for every week of the year
American office workers can look forward to at least each year鈥攎ore if their employer is extra generous. But beyond the big public holidays, there are a wealth of other holidays that receive very little recognition. Sure, the likes of National Siblings Day or National Donut Day might get shoutouts on Instagram, but your employer probably isn't going to give you the day off.
And those aren't even the most obscure holidays out there. 麻豆原创 searched several calendars of national and international holidays to come up with this list of 52 of the most bizarre occasions you might not be celebrating鈥攐ne for each week of the year. Some have strange origins or meanings, while others just seem downright unnecessary. Read on鈥攜ou might just find one you want to celebrate next year (though we doubt World Toilet Day will make the cut).
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#1. January 3: Fruitcake Toss Day
Despite what the name might imply, this holiday doesn鈥檛 mean Jan. 3 is the optimal day for simply throwing out those rock-hard fruitcakes your relatives brought for the holidays. It鈥檚 a day meant for a fruitcake-tossing competition, to see who can throw theirs the farthest.
#2. January 8: Houseplant Appreciation Day
Bizarre as it might seem, plenty of proud houseplant owners take to social media on January 8th every year to show off their flourishing succulents, cacti, and philodendrons.
#3. January 16: Nothing Day
Why dedicate a holiday to nothing, you ask? That鈥檚 a valid question about this un-event. Newspaper columnist Harold Pullman Coffin in 1973 to create a day for Americans to relax, and do absolutely anything.
#4. January 23: National Handwriting Day
, this holiday celebrates the history of penmanship. The association chose Jan. 23, John Hancock鈥檚 birthday, as an homage to the first signatory of the Declaration of Independence.
#5. February 1: Work Naked Day
We're guessing that your HR department probably wouldn't recognize this holiday, which focuses on enjoying your "most comfortable" working state. If you plan on participating, it's probably best to work from home.
#6. February 4: Stuffed Mushroom Day
Sure, stuffed mushrooms are tasty鈥攂ut do they really need their own holiday? It seems like an awfully specific dish to spend the entire day celebrating, although are particularly compelling.
#7. February 11: Don't Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
The old saying about how there鈥檚 no use crying over spilled milk is certainly a useful way to put small mistakes into perspective. It is admittedly an odd choice for a holiday, however. The origin story for this term dates back to English author James Howell鈥檚 book of proverbs, which advises again 鈥.鈥
#8. February 23: International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
Dogs around the world can be spoiled with as many treats as they want on this international holiday. While we won鈥檛 deny our furry friends any extra cookies, you have to wonder how this unusual holiday got started in the first place.
#9. February 26: Tell a Fairy Tale Day
Grab a younger family member and your favorite book of fairy tales to celebrate this holiday. It鈥檚 the perfect excuse to reread Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Humpty Dumpty, or another of your favorite childhood stories.
#10. March 8: Proofreading Day
Though the idea of dedicating an entire day to proofreaders and copy editors might seem oddly specific, they certainly deserve more than their fair share of credit. Without them, we'd be living in a world of unrelenting typos and grammatical errors.
#11. March 11: Oatmeal Nut Waffle Day
adds chopped nuts and rolled oats to traditional batter for a new spin on the breakfast staple. The question of why this particular food needs its own holiday remains unclear. Perhaps we should fire up the waffle iron and find out for ourselves.
#12. March 23: OK Day
Whether you spell it 鈥渙kay,鈥 鈥淥.K.,鈥 or 鈥淥K,鈥 it鈥檚 one of the . While the exact origin isn鈥檛 known, it most likely comes from an abbreviation of 鈥渁ll correct,鈥 with some vocabulary historians placing it as a knock against President Martin Van Buren鈥檚 spelling.
#13. March 28: Something on a Stick Day
Something on a Stick Day celebrates the world of skewered foods. It鈥檚 too bad that isn鈥檛 until the late summer, given its famous lineup of Snickers, cheese, and even spaghetti and meatballs on a stick.
#14. April 6: Sorry Charlie Day
This holiday is named after 鈥,鈥 a phrase popularized in StarKist tuna commercials from the 1960s. The star was a slick-talking tuna who just wanted to be discovered by the 鈥淪tarkist tuna scout.鈥
#15. April 11: Barbershop Quartet Day
Round up three of your most musically inclined friends to form your own band for Barbershop Quartet Day. If you haven't rehearsed, simply queue up a recording of the Dapper Dans.
#16. April 17: Haiku Poetry Day
Aspiring poets
take note of four seventeen
haiku writing day.
It鈥檚 the best day of the year for writing this form of Japanese poetry with five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line, and five syllables in the third line.
#17. April 26: Richter Scale Day
Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology to measure the severity of earthquakes. While no doubt important, the Richter scale doesn鈥檛 exactly seem like holiday celebration material.
#18. April 29: Zipper Day
We wouldn鈥檛 be able to easily pull on a pair of jeans or cozy up in a hoodie without the ubiquitous zipper, and yet it鈥檚 one of the easiest things to take for granted. Give thanks for all the zippers that keep on zippin鈥 on April 29 every year.
#19. May 9: Lost Sock Memorial Day
Pour one out for all the socks鈥攁nkle-length, knee-high, and trouser鈥攖hat have been "eaten by the washing machine" on this holiday. It might be a good opportunity to buy a new pair or two鈥攊f you鈥檙e not still in mourning, that is.
#20. May 13: Frog Jumping Day
Supposedly inspired by "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog," this holiday is the perfect opportunity to admire these energetic amphibians. The town of Calaveras, Calif., even hosts a every year, though it doesn't always fall on May 13.
#21. May 21: Talk Like Yoda Day
Yoda first appeared on the big screen on May 21, 1980, when "The Empire Strikes Back" premiered. Since then, May 21 has always been the ideal day to honor the wise Jedi master by adopting his way of speaking. Talk like Yoda, you will.
#22. May 29: Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day
According to old folklore, placing a pillow on top of the refrigerator is said to bring prosperity and good fortune. Though it鈥檚 not a very common tradition, some still celebrate the holiday on May 29.
#23. June 5: Sausage Roll Day
In the United Kingdom, sausage rolls are a popular handheld snack of a sausage wrapped in pastry (similar to what we would call pigs in a blanket). Cheap, available everywhere, and easy to eat on the run, it certainly deserves its own holiday鈥攋ust perhaps in its country of origin.
#24. June 13: International Axe Throwing Day
Axe-throwing started in lumberjack competitions in the United States and Canada, and . If you intend to participate in any axe-wielding celebrations, just make sure you know how to handle them first.
#25. June 18: International Panic Day
Need an excuse to scream bloody murder for one day each year? International Panic Day is here to help you. Whether you're stressed about work, money or relationships, this holiday offers you the opportunity for cathartic release.
#26. June 28: Paul Bunyan Day
holds that the enormous strong man created the Great Lakes when he dug a drinking hole for his blue ox, Babe, among other gargantuan accomplishments. Storytellers, lumberjacks, and other fans around the world celebrate his fictional legacy every year on June 28.
#27. July 4: Sidewalk Egg Frying Day
When temperatures climb above 100 degrees, it might be possible to fry on egg on the sun-heated pavement. Not everyone gets behind this fun experiment, though: The park rangers at Death Valley National Park in California that it鈥檚 no fun for them to clean up the leftover egg shells and mess afterwards.
#28. July 10: Teddy Bear Picnic Day
Kids all over the world can get behind this cute holiday, which encourages you to grab your favorite stuffed animal and go for a picnic. The date itself appears to have no tie to teddy bears or picnics, however.
#29. July 17: Yellow Pig Day
Despite what the name might imply, this holiday is actually a celebration of the number 17. created the day to celebrate the prime and random number properties of 17. For some inexplicable reason, a yellow pig with 17 eyelashes, 17 teeth and 17 toes became the holiday鈥檚 mascot.
#30. July 22: Pi Approximation Day
While Pi Day is often celebrated on March 14 (or 3.14, which corresponds to the first three digits of pi), Pi Approximation Day represents the fractional version of pi, or 22/7. Depending on the way you write the date and month, you might celebrate this mathematical constant on either day.
#31. July 31: Uncommon Musical Instruments Day
Forget the tuba, bass, and flute: July 31 is dedicated to all the bizarre and less-common instruments out there. It鈥檚 the perfect day of the year to take up the or .
#32. August 6: Fresh Breath Day
This bizarre holiday should really be celebrated every day of the year. If you need a particular day to remember to floss, brush, and generally practice good dental hygiene, your breath is probably already in rough shape.
#33. August 16: Roller Coaster Day
Love high speeds and screaming your head off? Then you'll want to celebrate National Roller Coaster Day. Some amusement parks even get in on the act, offering promo deals to guests who make it through multiple loops and drops.
#34. August 24: Pluto Demotion Day
Pluto aficionados might not want to celebrate the day in 2006 when . The move was highly controversial, some even going so far as to call it an 鈥.鈥&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫;
#35. August 28: Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day
We've all been there: Waiting for the computer to load a program or unfreeze and just can't resist moving your cursor around the icons. That said, why do we need a holiday dedicated to this?
#36. September 2: Bison Ten Yell Day
Yell 鈥渂ison ten yell鈥 as fast as you can and you鈥檒l find it sounds like another word: bicentennial. This unofficial holiday isn鈥檛 about the 200th anniversary of the United States, though, but an imaginary character of your choosing. You can鈥檛 make this stuff up.
#37. September 14: Cream-Filled Doughnut Day
Unsurprisingly, is one of the few to recognize this unofficial holiday honoring Boston creme donuts, Bavarian creme donuts, and vanilla creme donuts. Still, donut-lovers probably won鈥檛 fight it too hard to celebrate.
#38. September 19: International Talk Like a Pirate Day
Open to mateys and landlubbers alike, International Talk Like a Pirate Day , when John Baur (aka Ol' Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (aka Cap'n Slappy) invented the spoof holiday. Now, it's a widely observed phenomenon that's spread to restaurants. Krispy Kreme and Long John Silver's have both offered free food in the past to customers who order like Blackbeard.
#39. September 28: Ask a Stupid Question Day
You know that saying, "There鈥檚 no such thing as a stupid question?鈥 There really isn鈥檛 on Sept. 28, when you're officially free to ask absolutely anything you want without fear of being judged.
#40. October 5: Chic Spy Day
A fashion website dedicated to well-dressed members of the intelligence community in 2015. On Oct. 5, 1962, elegantly attired spy James Bond first made his big-screen debut.
#41. October 9: Curious Events Day
Conspiracy theorists everywhere should be extra pleased by this day dedicated to inexplicable mysteries and events. Time to start researching Area 51, Bigfoot, and the Bermuda Triangle.
#42. October 16: Dictionary Day
Famed American lexicographer Noah Webster, best-known for his book,"An American Dictionary of the English Language," was born on Oct. 16, 1758. Linguists and writers pay homage to the man and his literary legacy every year.
#43. October 21: Count Your Buttons Day
The origin and meaning of this unofficial holiday are both unknown. For some reason, someone wanted people to spend October 21 counting shirt buttons, or perhaps starting a collection of vintage buttons? Either way, buttons should be involved.
#44. November 2: Deviled Egg Day
Deviled eggs have been a popular hors d鈥檕euvre since World War II, but the . Whether you make them all the time or you鈥檝e never tasted them, Nov. 2 is the best day to whip up a batch.
#45. November 8: Tongue Twister Day
Bust out alliterative phrases like "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" and "Shelley sells seashells by the seashore" on Nov. 8, because it's Tongue Twister Day. Bizarre as the day might be, these devices sure do help improve your diction.
#46. November 15: Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
Like with Fresh Breath Day, hopefully this habit doesn鈥檛 require a holiday. Still, it鈥檚 never a bad idea to give the fridge a good deep cleaning every now and then.
#47. November 19: World Toilet Day
Not that we aren鈥檛 thankful for indoor plumbing, but dedicating an entire day to it seems a little excessive鈥攏ot to mention, icky. We鈥檒l utter a quick 鈥渢hank you鈥 to indoor plumbing every now and then, and skip the holiday instead.
#48. November 30: Stay Home Because You're Well Day
Normally, people stay home from work when they're coughing, sneezing, and generally feeling lousy. But what if you just spent the day in your PJs for fun? Stay Home Because You're Well Day encourages busy workers to take a day to rest, relax, and recharge before they're actually sick鈥攖hough you might want to call it something else to your boss.
#49. December 5: Day of the Ninja
Stealthy masked warriors get some appreciation on Dec. 5 every year. Parody site , inspiring themed celebrations like ninjas posing in front of the Eiffel Tower and the release of an "Ask a Ninja" DVD.
#50. December 11: Noodle Ring Day
Bake pasta in a bundt pan or ring mold and you've got a noodle ring, a somewhat unusual dish that became popular in the 1930s and 1940s. Noodle rings can be either sweet (like with cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans) or savory (like with cheese sauce).
#51. December 21: International Dalek Remembrance Day
"Doctor Who" fans know daleks well: fought the Time Lords in the popular science-fiction series. Dec. 21 might be an appropriate time for a binge-watching party.
#52. December 26: Candy Cane Day
If you got a candy cane in your Christmas stocking, now is the time to eat it. This faux holiday is a sugar rush waiting to happen, so make sure to schedule a nap for the eventual crash.