Obscure Holidays to Consider

Obscure Holidays We Don’t Celebrate (But It Might Be Fun If We Did)

Filipinos love to celebrate! Barely a week goes by when you hear about some event or festival being celebrated somewhere in the country. But I don’t think we celebrate enough!

Recently, I was noticing all the days and reasons that citizens of other countries celebrate. Some of them are significant, while others are almost ridiculous. After reading about some of them, I thought that perhaps we should adopt some of these occasions for ourselves.

The following is a list of some very unusual days, weeks, or months celebrated in other countries and why we should adopt those celebrations, too. In some cases, however, I found that it would never work here.

Umbrella Day is recognized on February 10 in some countries. The problem here is that we use umbrellas nearly every day during the rainy season. National Pig Day probably wouldn’t work here. Because it is part of the daily menu of many Filipinos, it would not be recognized as a significant day. Mosquito Day falls in August in some countries but, well, . . . I just don’t think it would work here.

On the other hand, Donut Day (June 1) would become a favorite for many here. Not only would it satisfy the sweet tooth of many Filipinos, it would be a boost to many bake shops. If company newsletters would remind bosses and supervisors that it is their responsibility to provide sweets for their employees, Donut Day would be a great success.

Positive Thinking Day (September 13) is another significant event that could quickly be adopted as a nationally recognized day in the Philippines. Positive thinking is already the mindset of true Filipinos and could only result in a more optimistic future for our country.

December 16 is recognized as National “Chocolate-Covered-Anything” Day in the U.S., and that is one day that every pinay would be happy to adopt. Like any good thing, however, some folks in this country might overdo it. If that case, we might find chocolate covered-hot dogs or chocolate-covered balot-pinoy in many restaurants. Yes, you can get too much a good thing.

There are also some very unusual international days that I’m not sure I will ever understand. August 24 is established as International Strange Music Day. Since we appreciate music and love to sing, I’m not sure this one would ever catch on in this country. Another strange one is International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day recognized on September 19. Aargghh! It just doesn’t make sense.

There are a whole bunch of unique day-long celebrations which may (or may not) work here. I’m talking about celebrations like Cheer Up the Lonely Day, Stick Out Your Tongue Day, Kiss and Make Up Day, Wiggle Your Toes Day, Wear Brown Shoes Day, and (one of my favorites) Play in the Sand Day.

There are even whole weeks or months set aside to commemorate people, places, or things. For instance: The first week of October is known as World Space Week, the first week of May is acknowledged as Be Kind to Animals Week, and for music lovers world-wide the second week of August is accepted as Elvis Week.

If you want to celebrate a whole month, try Hat Month or Rice Month, both in September; Write to a Friend Month, in December; and International Drum Month or Peanut Lover’s Month, both in November.

Three of my favorite obscure holidays happen in May. I’m talking about Kite Day, Limerick Day, and Dance-Like-A-Chicken Day.

No one really knows how Dance-Like-A-Chicken Day came to be celebrated, but it has been around long enough that it is now recognized in some countries every May 14. It’s one of those bizarre holidays where you wonder why anyone who would want to devote an entire day to dancing like a chicken.

As eccentric as it is, Dance-Like-A-Chicken Day has become a tradition, not only on May 14, but also at many wedding receptions. The custom is that, sometime after the traditional dance for the bride and groom, guests are invited to dance-like-a-chicken. It invites people of all ages to dance, act silly, and put a smile on their face.

May 12 is accepted as Kite Day. American school children are taught the story of Benjamin Franklin who used a kite during a storm to “discover” electricity. The rest of the world knows that the Chinese are believed to use kites for hundreds of years. I love to see children fly an assortment of kites, from traditional diamond-shaped kites to box kites to unconventional kites.

One of my favorite wacky days is Limerick Day. Also held on May 12, Limerick Day celebrates the birthday of poet Edward Lear. To properly observe Limerick Day, you must write your own. A limerick has five lines in which the last words of lines one, two, and five must rhyme. The last word of lines three and four must also rhyme.

Limericks should also describe an amusing or comical set of circumstances. Since Limerick Day and Kite Day share the same day, I wrote the following limerick as a tribute to both notable days.

A young man who thought he was bright,
Would argue from morning ‘til night.
When he crawled into bed,
“Let’s be loving” he said,
But his wife answered, “Go fly a kite.”

Copyright 2012 by S. R. Morris