The first four National Federal Holidays were New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day; dating back to June 28th, 1870 when Congress created these in correspondence with other similar laws of States around the District, including every State of the Union. Soon after, George Washington’s Birthday became a federal holiday (1880) with Memorial Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day following suit. Since 1957, the Chase’s Calendar of Events has been the ‘go-to’ book, which is the most comprehensive and authoritative reference available today. Its listings include holidays, civic observances, historic anniversaries and famous birthdays as well as festivals around the world. So what about all these other holidays? I’m talking about new National Holidays which almost seem ridiculous, such as; National Margarita Day, National Chocolate Day, National Pastrami Day, National Friend Day, National Vodka Day… and the list is endless.
It turns out anyone can make up a National holiday; “I couldn’t believe it either.” Wondering how these holidays make their so-called mark on the calendar, I decided to find out ‘whom’ and ‘how’ these National Holidays came to be. Beginning with National Margarita Day, the cofounder Todd McCalla explained some years ago he had become frustrated with the high fructose syrup found in most margaritas (giving it a low quality), so he decided to make Feb. 22nd an official day to drink better margaritas because he enjoyed them. It was simple as that. Now restaurants everywhere recognize this day and it even boosts sales. Same goes for a couple of guys that came up with “Talk like a Pirate Day” which is on September 19th. They sent an email out to a syndicated columnist, Dave Barry. He actually read their email and wrote about it… from there it took off! It’s also my belief that with Disney’s ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ Movies being so successful… timing may have had something to do with this. There seems to be an array of National Holidays today, but not all become successful as others… it takes a lot to get it out there, just like marketing a brand so-to-speak. In this case, some will turn to this tech guru, ‘Marlo Anderson’ of North Dakota. He started his own website in 2013, helping others to commemorate their special day, while alerting thousands of media outlets nationwide. Of course this will come with a price tag depending on what you’re looking for, but know he does not accept all of the submitted applications. He receives thousands per year, and most don’t make the grade.
For those of you that like to take part in celebrations and engage in many of those National foodie or drink holidays, know that someone just like you decided to make it a National Day because they enjoyed it. No…It doesn’t seem difficult to create your own Holiday, but you will need to gain interest and momentum in order to make it a ‘National’ day. You should have a good following on social media and also may want to check with your State Government or Chamber of Commerce to see if you might receive some help in this area. This is the importance of networking, and anyone who’s had a sales or marketing background would know this to be true. Also, there’s one more website you can try and submit your idea to, it’s; www.NationalDayCalendar.com . As for my last thoughts… while I too enjoy some of the food and drink holidays, I couldn’t help but ponder the ideas of peace in this world and what would it take to make a National Holiday…if just for one solitary day… there would be no violence in the streets, no racism, no boycotting and no hate among each other…then… ‘Why can’t we’ create a National Day for real PEACE and LOVE.
Make your week count.