august Archives - Page 6 of 6 - Worldwide Weird Holidays

August 1 is World Middle Finger Day

August 1, 2017/1 Comment/in August

Today is World Middle Finger Day, created in 2012 by Charles Greene to encourage everyone to exercise their right to peaceful protest with a universal gesture of defiance.

He chose August 1st because it falls between July 4th and September 11, two dates that inspire nationalistic fervor. World Middle Finger Day acknowledges the value of dissent.

Greene posted an official anthem, starring adorable puppets, on YouTube. Be warned: it isn’t family-friendly. Your child’s preschool teacher will never believe he learned that rude gesture from a puppet.

Here’s a sample of the lyrics:

Don’t just stand there blubberin’, feeling sad and blue.
C’mon, pull yourself together, ’cause there’s something you can do:

Give them the finger, give them the finger, the middle one on either of your fists.
Give them the finger, give them the finger, and do it with a flippin’ of the wrist.

Though you’ll never be forgiven, it’s the finger that you’re giving ’em,
But life’s worth living after all—

Give them the finger, give them the finger:
Feeling good, feeling better, walking tall!

Happy World Middle Finger Day!

August 25 is Thoughtful Thursday

August 25, 2016/1 Comment/in August

Today is Thoughtful Thursday, originated by Lorraine Jara in 1988 as part of Be Kind to Humankind Week.

She created bk2hk.org after hearing about a boating accident near her hometown of Toms River, NJ. Two young men, drowning after their rowboat capsized, were pulled from the water by two young women in another small boat. They had no radio and called out to a passing vessel for help.

According to the story, the pilot said he couldn’t be bothered and continued on his way. One of the men later died. Ms. Jara was moved to act, offering to erect a memorial in the young man’s name. His family demurred, preferring to keep their mourning private.

She decided to establish a site that would encourage everyone to care for each other. Other days are Motorist Consideration Monday, Touch a Heart Tuesday, Willing to Lend a Hand Wednesday, Forgive Your Foe Friday, Speak Kind Words Saturday and Sacrifice Our Wants for Others’ Needs Sunday. Each day is accompanied by an affirmation devised by Ms. Jara.

Happy Thoughtful Thursday. Let’s try to be kind to humankind every day of the year.

August 15 is Taffy Sculpting Day

August 15, 2016/0 Comments/in August

Today is Taffy Sculpting Day on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ. It is the first competition in the city’s annual Weird Week.

According to organizers, today’s “wacky, but not tacky” contest challenges participants to build a work of art from saltwater taffy. One year, an entrant modeled a Ferris wheel from the candy.

Tuesday is French Fry Sculpting Day. Potato Elvis has been a fan favorite in the past.

“That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles” Contest takes place on Wednesday. Unsurprisingly, artists’ material consists of a giant cookie.

Can there be any losers when you get to eat your mistakes?

Also on Wednesday is the “Ears Looking at You” Contest, an attempt to revive the dying art of ear wiggling.

Thursday is Paper Clip Sculpting Day. (Note: don’t eat your mistakes.)

On Friday, the Miss and Mister Miscellaneous Pageant welcomes those who’ve always wanted to be in a talent show but missed out or didn’t make the cut. Age groups are 5 and under, 6 to 8, 9 to 12, teens and adults.

Also on Friday, the Little Miss and Little Mister Chaos Pageant invites children from 3 to 5 years old to sit on a stage and make as much noise as they can by banging pots and pans together, with rock music urging them to greater effort. (Pots and pans are provided.)

We’re guessing the creator of that last contest won’t be too popular with parents when their kids want to recreate the fun at home.

Have a Happy Taffy Sculpting Day and a wonderfully Weird Week!

August 13 is TugFest

August 14, 2016/0 Comments/in August

Today is the 30th annual TugFest. In 1987, residents of Port Byron, Illinois, and LeClaire, Iowa, decided it would be fun to have a tug-of-war. They didn’t let the fact that the towns are separated by the Mississippi River get in their way.

Preparing for the heave-ho on the Iowan side

The tradition continues today with 11 teams of 20 tuggers on either side of 2700 feet of rope, vying each year for bragging rights and custody of the trophy, an alabaster statue of an eagle in flight.

Traffic on the Mississippi River is halted for the duration of the competition, which is sponsored by local businesses and benefits kids’ clubs and charities.

Other events taking place this weekend include a parade, food vendors, 5K run, carnival rides on both sides of the river and one big fireworks display on Friday night.

More than 35,000 people are expected to attend this year.Whether you’re participating or just enjoying watching the fun, have a happy TugFest!

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