fun, strange holidays grouped by month

Kraken Myths and Legends Day

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Cephalopod Awareness DayTechnically, there are five International Cephalopod Awareness Days (ICAD) in the annual celebration of the most intelligent invertebrates in the world.

The first Cephalopod Awareness Day was established in 2007 by members of The Octopus News Magazine Online forum (TONMO) to bring attention to the diversity, conservation, and biology of the world’s cephalopods.

Octopi have eight arms, while squid and cuttlefish have eight arms and two tentacles. So the eighth day of the tenth month was chosen to show appreciation for animals with a combination of 8 or 10 appendages. Then four days were added to the holiday to celebrate all cephalopods.

Let’s Call it Kraken Day (please?)

October 11 is Myths and Legends Day, celebrating all the fantastical cephalopods of movies, literature, and legend.  Since ancient times, cephalopods have been a recurring motif in myth, arts, and literature, and they remain a subject of popular culture today.

Cephalopod Awareness Day

Things to do today:
Stop by TONMO. If you’re lucky, you’ll catch a live feed of the conference.
Check out https://www.facebook.com/CephDays/
Put Clash of Titans (the original) on your Netflix queue and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea on your Kindle reader.

Happy Cephalopod Awareness Day!

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Hug A Drummer Day

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Hug A Drummer Day

Today is Hug a Drummer Day. Some in the U.S. call it National Hug a Drummer Day, but it’s been celebrated internationally for many years. Though it appears the music industry invented this holiday, that shouldn’t make us cynical. After all, behind every great group, quite literally, is a great drummer. Without a talented percussionist to keep the beat steady and rhythm smooth, a band’s performance could fall apart. Too often, drummers are overshadowed by flashier frontmen.

Hug a Drummer Day has evolved into a day when bands around the world perform and spotlight their drummers. Although the official Hug A Drummer Facebook page has been idle for several years, you can still find coverage on social media by searching for #HugADrummerDay.

hug a drummer day

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney

John Bonham and Jimmy Page

Hug A Drummer Day

Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart, and Geddy Lee

What are you waiting for? Get out there and hug a drummer today!

More great drummers:
The 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time – Rolling Stone
The 100 Greatest Drummers of Alternative Music – Spin
Drum Roll: The Top Ten Rock Drummers of All Time – Gibson
Top 50 Hard Rock + Metal Drummers of All Time – Loudwire

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International Beer and Pizza Day

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international beer and pizza dayToday is International Beer and Pizza Day, an unofficial holiday founded in 2016 by website designer Nick Saulino to pay tribute to one of the greatest food and drink pairings in human history.

Beer is not a recent invention. When people began to cultivate grains about 10,000 years ago, they may have stumbled upon the tasty byproduct of the natural fermentation process.

The oldest known brewing recipe was included in the 1800 BC poem “Hymn to Ninkasi,” written in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) and dedicated to the Sumerian goddess of beer.

The word “pizza” first appeared in payment records from 997 AD at a church in Gaeta, Italy. The discovery has led some food historians to challenge the common belief that nearby Naples is the birthplace of pizza. Most of us don’t care where it started out, as long as it ends up in our stomachs.

Beer and pizza, pizza and beer. It’s a perfect combination — for those over 21, of course. Brewers are doing some great things with non-alcoholic beers these days. Some of us prefer soda with a slice, but International Pop and Pizza Day doesn’t have the same ring.

Was this event created solely to generate publicity and cash in on multiple marketing opportunities? Who cares? Nick Saulino has given us the holiday we didn’t know we needed. Have a happy and delicious International Beer and Pizza Day!

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International Top Spinning Day

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international top spinning dayToday is International Top Spinning Day, created in 2003 by the Spinning Top & Yo-Yo Museum of Burlington, WI, to celebrate one of the oldest toys in the world. It always takes place on the second Wednesday of October.

The earliest known tops, constructed of clay, date back to around 3500 BC. Archaeologists discovered them in the ruins of the ancient city of Ur in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq). Certainly, children improvised with rocks, acorns, and other found objects long before then.

In addition to providing entertainment, tops make excellent teaching tools. “The earth spins around a single axis, just as toy spinning tops and yo-yos do,” explains museum director Judith Schulz.

Tops demonstrate the “gyroscopic effect,” which employs inertia, gravity, momentum, and centrifugal force. When a top is spun, it appears to stay upright. Eventually friction between the top and the surface it is spinning on slows the rotation, causing it to wobble before falling over.

How should you celebrate? The museum hosts a mass spinning event at noon. If you can’t make it there, you could buy or build a top of your own. Feeling less industrious? A penny will do. Start spinning and rediscover the simple joys of a beloved childhood pastime.

Happy International Top Spinning Day!

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