The World’s 8 Weirdest National Holidays
Whether it means a day off or just an excuse to celebrate, Americans love holidays, even preposterous ones such as National Miniature Golf Day, but we’re not the only ones. The world is full of weird holidays and I, for one, am eager to join in the celebration. If we unify the Earth, maybe we can have a worldwide holiday every day!
Day of The Sea
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While it is fairly common for countries to remember an important military event through the commemoration of a national holiday, few battles are remembered in such a strange way as the Bolivian loss of the Port of Calama to Chilean forces. On March 23, the land-locked country remembers the loss of its last ocean-front property by marching in parades (as seen above) and solemnly listening to recordings of sea gulls and ship’s horns.
Korean Alphabet Day(s)
As a writer, I’m pretty fond of the alphabet, but I’m still not ready to start a holiday in its honor. If I was a Korean writer, though, I would already have a day to celebrate. On October 9, the South Koreans celebrate Hangul Day and on January 15, the South Koreans observe Chosen gul Day, but both holidays are intended to celebrate the creation of the Korean Alphabet.
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National Punctuation Day
If you are upset about the lack of a national holiday to celebrate your alphabet of choice, you can always observe America’s National Punctuation Day on September 24 instead. The holiday’s website urges you to celebrate this occasion by reading a newspaper and circling all the punctuation errors, noting store signs that use incorrect punctuation and purchasing a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. Having fun yet? Well, maybe you can try writing a letter to a friend with correct punctuation to reflect on another year of wonderful grammar.
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National Weatherperson’s Day
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Weather announcers generally have impeccable speech, so it is only fitting that these well-spoken prophets of meteorology are given their own day of celebration. February 5 marks the 1774 birth of John Jeffries, one of America’s first weather observers. So how should you celebrate National Weather Person’s Day? Start off by checking into the National Weather Service in the morning and then plan your day accordingly. At the end of the day, curse or praise the weather person for their accuracies or inaccuracies and how they affected your day.
When you live on a tropical island, weather reports may not be quite as integral in your daily routine, but you still need to plan when it is or is not acceptable to wear shorts to business meetings. Bermuda celebrates this important mark on the calendar with the May 24 holiday, “Bermuda Day,” which marks the first day residents consider it acceptable to swim in the ocean, to release their boats on the water and to wear Bermuda shorts as business attire… and you thought Casual Friday was exciting.
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Blessed Rain Day
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Of course, if you live in a landlocked country that is frequently ravaged by monsoons, then the end of monsoon season is almost certainly cause for celebration. That is why the people of Bhutan celebrate Blessed Rain Day every year by taking an outdoor bath in the mythically purified natural waters around them. Astrologers in service of the country’s chief abbot determine exactly what hour these baths are considered to be most sanctifying, but those that cannot bathe during this time tend to do so in the morning before sunrise instead. Because the date is determined by the Tibetan Lunar Calendar, the date varies, but it generally occurs between September 20 and 25 of the Gregorian Calendar.
How do you celebrate the creation of a popular crossbreed of muskmelons? If you live in Turkmenistan, you celebrate Turkmenbashi melons and muskmelons in general with a full day of festivities honoring the national holiday, which takes place every August 12. The president of the country has even reflected how important the holiday is to his people, noting that "since ancient times Turkmenistan has been considered the homeland of the best melons in the world."
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If you’re looking for a good day to enjoy a nice thick slice of Turkmenbashi melon, why not take a slice to Northern Australia on the first Monday of August, where you can celebrate Picnic Day. The day originated as a sort of labor day, allowing workers of Darwin's railway to go to Adelaide River for a picnic, but it is now a full three-day weekend of festivities and relaxation for the area. Even today, there is still a massive picnic held beside the Adelaide River every year in a traditional celebration of the holiday.
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While America is still widely divided on their opinions of Obama, he is a national hero in Kenya; so much so that they created a national holiday to celebrate his victory at the polls. Every November 6 since 2008, Kenyans have celebrated the first-generation American through parties and other forms of celebration. If you’re looking for a more local celebration of the president, apparently Perry County, Alabama has followed suit, declaring the second Monday of every November to be Obama Day, although I somehow doubt the festivities are as major as they are in Kenya.
Image courtesy of Zoriah's Flickr stream.