Welcome to Worldwide Weird Holidays, where you’ll find a new reason to celebrate every day of the year.
Festivus
Happy Festivus! Today is Festivus. What is it? Where did it come from? Per Wikipedia: Festivus (/ˈfɛstɪvəs/) is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as an alternative to the perceived pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. The non-commercial holiday’s celebration, as depicted on Seinfeld, occurs on December 23 and includes a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, practices such as the […]
Cremation Day
Cremation Day is more fun than it sounds. Let’s rephrase: it’s more fun to read about than it sounds. Trust us. On December 9, 1792, the first recorded open-air cremation in the United States took place in Charleston, South Carolina. The decedent was Colonel Henry Laurens, former president of the Continental Congress, who had once […]
Tio de Nadal
Some homes hang stockings from the mantelpiece. Families in Catalonia, Spain, celebrate the run-up to Christmas by placing a Tió de Nadal in front of the fireplace. Although Tió de Nadal translates most wholesomely as “Christmas log,” it is better known as Caga Tió, which we’ll refer to as “Poop Log” to avoid offending anyone’s delicate sensibilities. Feel free to […]
Chester Greenwood Day
Chester Greenwood Day Even if you’ve never heard of Chester Greenwood, chances are, he’s been keeping your ears warm for years. Greenwood was born on December 4, 1858, in Farmington, Maine. At the age of fifteen, he fashioned the first pair of earmuffs, with his grandmother’s help, from wire, beaver fur, and velvet. He was […]
International Sweater Vestival
Today is the International Sweater Vestival, also known as Sweater Vestival or the Festival of Sweater Vests. Always occurring on the first Friday of December—identified by some as the second Friday after Thanksgiving—it celebrates the sartorial splendor inherent in the collective donning of sweater vests. The first known mention of “Sweater Vestival” occurred in 2008 when Carolyn Johnson interviewed […]
Krampus
On Santa’s List Day, we suggested that children who learn the list of who’s naughty and nice has been finalized might be tempted to misbehave in the remaining days before Christmas, with no fear of reprisal. Krampus, today’s holiday, should thoroughly dispel that notion. Krampus may have originated as a pagan figure in Europe’s Alpine regions, […]
Santa’s List Day
Today is Santa’s List Day. According to legend, it’s the day when Kris Kringle finalizes his list, double-checks it for accuracy, and puts the elves to work manufacturing gifts for children who’ve toed the line of acceptable behavior within their age groups. Times have changed at the North Pole. Nowadays, many parents and mental health […]
Make a Gift Day
Today is Make a Gift Day. The holidays are nearly here; time is running out. Save your cash and make something by hand. It’s fun to do, and a homemade gift will mean much more to your loved ones than something you buy in a store. Here are seven ideas to get you started. (And […]
Eat a Red Apple Day
Today is Eat a Red Apple Day. Unlike the freewheeling, any-apple-goes International Eat an Apple Day (September 17), today is all about the reds: Delicious, Rome, Ambrosia, Braeburn, McIntosh, Cameo, Empire, Macoun, Rubyfrost, Cortland, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Snapdragon, Gala, Fuji, Reinette, Lady, Baldwin, Gravenstein, Liberty, Northern Spy, Cripps Pink, Sweet Tango and more Remember the adage: Consuming […]
Pins and Needles Day
Today is Pins and Needles Day, but it has nothing to do with anxiety, diabetic neuropathy, or the creepy sensation you get after sleeping all night on your arm. On November 27, 1937, musical revue Pins and Needles opened on Broadway in New York City. Comprised of skits lampooning fascist dictators and their sympathizers, bigoted Daughters of the American […]