What are we celebrating today?
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/09/2021 (622 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
I was shopping at a local second-hand shop one day last month when I overheard the manager telling a customer that Aug. 17 was National Thrift Store Day.
I came to wonder about the existence of other national days, as a few months prior I had heard an advertisement on the radio for National Hamburger Day. While researching such days I found out about the national day calendar.
Although national days dedicated to a variety of things, causes and initiatives have existed for decades, the national day calendar was created in 2013 by Mario Anderson, an American, as a way for the world to celebrate each and every day.
The national calendar is a source for the listing of unusual or fun days to be enjoyed by all. It does not include actual national holidays and is not run by a federal agency.
Anderson created the calendar while looking for information on National Popcorn Day and was unable to find any.
The calendar currently tracks just under 1,500 national days, national weeks and national months, with each day having multiple holidays. For a day to be placed on its registry of national days, there must be unanimous agreement from the committee Anderson formed to determine whether a day was a truly ‘national day’.
In looking at the calendar, some of the days may seem rather ridiculous or trivial while others were quite meaningful. Earlier this month, for example, was Kids Take over The Kitchen Day and Talk Like A Pirate Day. Up and coming days include National Elephant Appreciation Day, National Ghost Hunters Day and Day of Forgiveness.
I have to say that the uniqueness of the Calendar piqued my interest. The more I read, the more I wanted to know about other days.
Even though the designations can be celebrated by all, they are most often used by organizations and small businesses as an opportunity to promote their services or products. Although it was possible for individuals to submit an application for something they wish to commemorate, the committee is only accepting applications currently from businesses or organizations, due to a back log in requests.
Anyone considering some ideas for future national days should keep in mind that the registry does not honour individuals, birthdays or anniversaries.
With the power of social media, national days are becoming a popular topic of conversation, resulting in the national day calendar having a growing number of followers.
Take a moment to check out the calendar and turn an ordinary day into something special and fun for you and your family.
For more information please see nationaldaycalendar.com
Cindy Murdoch is a community correspondent for Transcona. She can be contacted at reflections8@shaw.ca
Cindy Murdoch
Transcona community correspondent
Cindy Murdoch is a community correspondent for Transcona. She can be contacted at reflections8@shaw.ca