By: Kiley Roach
Dec. and Jan. are the prime months of the year for celebrating. Many holidays circulate within these long winter months, including Christmas, Hanukkah, and of course, the celebration of New Year’s.
Official holidays like these are often associated with many unofficial holidays that don’t receive much publicity.
These unofficial holidays are usually to raise some sort of awareness, such as Dec. 14, known around the nation as Monkey Day. This holiday is to promote primate research and raise awareness for chimp habitats being destroyed as the rainforests are cut down.
Monkey Day is often celebrated with costume parties to draw attention to the issues associated with this day, including medical research, animal rights and evolution.
This holiday was started in 2000 when founder, Casey Sorrow, jokingly scribbled “Monkey Day” on a friend’s calendar and was first celebrated by art students at Michigan State University. It gained notoriety when Sorrow and Eric Millikin’s own comic strip, Fetus-X, began promoting it online along with other cartoonists.
Since then, Monkey Day has been celebrated internationally, across countries like the U.S., Canada, Germany and the United Nations.
Other uncommon holidays can be witty and seem to make very little sense. Holidays like National Brownie Day, occurring Dec. 8, simply to honor the savory chocolate treat.
According to Holiday Insights website, brownie lovers, love chocolate. Conversely, chocolate lovers, love brownies. Therefore, it’s only natural to have a holiday which celebrates brownies.
There isn’t any factual information regarding the origin of Brownie Day, but maybe if researchers sit down with a brownie and a glass of milk, more research can be done.
Jan. is a month full to the brim with wacky holidays of its own, such as National Bath Safety Month and National Oatmeal Month
One holiday stands out among the others; one that was brought into the limelight when it was seen on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants.
Opposite Day is a national celebration of everything topsy turvy, backwards, sideways, and upside down. On Jan. 25, not every Thursday as some believe, everything people say, hear and do is the exact opposite of what you actually mean.
Opposite Day dates back to about 2000. However, there are references to President Calvin Coolidge in the 1920’s. Apparently, he said or did something he didn’t mean on this day.
Other unusual January holidays include Festival of Sleep Day (Jan. 3), Dress Up Your Pet Day (Jan. 14), National Hat Day (Jan. 15).
For more information regarding these or any other unofficial holidays, at any time of year, visit www.holidayinsights.com, www.daysoftheyear.com or www.squidoo.com/odd-national-holidays.
Now test your knowledge of these quirky holidays
By Sam Wolf
True or False Monkey Day was created for The American Monkey Association.
True or False National Hat Day is Jan. 25.
True or False Brownie Day is in honor of the chocolaty treat.
True or False Opposite Day is every Thursday.
True or False Dress up Your Pet Day is Jan. 14.
