Introduction

Did you know that the day that I am writing this sentence is National Heavenly Hash Day? Or maybe, that the day after is National Cordova Ice Worm Day? If you are anything like me, I feel as if you have seen social media posts advertising the existence of these odd holidays. It could just be a facet of life, that National __ Days exist for every day of the year. In the back of my mind, I have always wondered why they exist, and if they really need to exist. But why? Why do they exist? Like, do I really need National Weatherperson’s Day on the same day as Move Hollywood and Broadway To Lebanon Pennsylvania Day? It’s just too much. I feel as if some of these holidays are a bit pointless, but I do believe in trying to find glimpses of meaning in things that don’t have much. So that’s why I researched The National __ Day. While the importance of these eccentric holidays can be put into question, there are certainly purposes to their existence, such as publicity and community-building.

How do National __ Days even work?

If we want to look at why these bizarre holidays even exist, it’s best to look at how they work in the first place. This is actually less straightforward as it sounds, as, despite the name, these holidays are not recognized officially in the United States. Unlike Christmas or Thanksgiving, no government body recognizes these days as federal holidays, meaning that no government-sanctioned list of these holidays exist. However, lists of these “official” National __ Days have consistency across sources, with National Day Calendar and National Day Archives having very similar holidays. National Day Calendar, especially, promotes these holidays throughout the year on their social media accounts.. In short, these ‘national’ holidays are not actually sanctioned by any form of government here in the United States. Instead, they are officiated by private businesses and companies. With this information, figuring out how National _ Days are made becomes less complicated. Specifically, for National Day Calendar, practically anybody (from businesses to individuals) can submit an application. Later, the suggestions are seen by a committee, which accepts about 30 new holidays a year. If a unanimous vote is in favor of an idea, it becomes added to their digital

calendar. And with that, a new, “official national" holiday is born!

Why do they exist?

Now that we know their origins and how they are made, we shift our attention to why there’s so many of these peculiar holidays. Most National __ Days are actually created by companies, social media influences, or their PR teams--not regular people like you or me.  On National Day Calendar’s website alone, they provide many reasons for these holidays’ existence, such as news coverage, increased sales, and social media engagement. This could prompt someone to ask about the significance of this, and to that I say that it simply drives more profit. Not only does it drive publicity to the brand, fame and profit have a positive correlation, leading to more business. Ultimately, these holidays serve to drive interest and excitement to those who create them, being effective at directing publicity towards the companies that worked to establish them.

Conclusion

Over the years, people and businesses have built up quite the collection of whimsical holidays. From National Quitters Day to National Public Sleeping Day, it’s not crazy to question their existence. They don’t stem from any official means, but come from organizations like National Day Calendar, where anyone can establish if their application is accepted. Oftentimes, brands do this to promote themselves, in hopes to boost engagement and sales. However, one reason lies largely unmentioned. These holidays are just lighthearted and fun. It isn’t wrong to just have things in life that aren’t so serious, that aren’t meant to have any sort of grand purpose, and are just fun. National holidays aren’t always meant to uncover some societal issue, or even have any deeper meaning, they are just to celebrate some obscure topics, and drive engagement between people, and, in a way, build community.

Works Cited:

Adkins, Xander. “Obscure National Holidays Are Definitely Dumb and a Whole Lot of Fun.” ProspectorNow, prospectornow.com/28488/opinion/obscure-national-holidays-are-definitely-dumb-and-a-whole-lot-of-fun. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

Hamblin, James. “The Devastating Truth about National Avocado Day.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 21 Aug. 2019, www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/08/happy-national-corporate-promotional-day/596443/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

“A List of February National Days.” List Of National Days, 27 Jan. 2025, www.listofnationaldays.com/february-national-days/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

“List of January National Days.” List Of National Days, 25 Jan. 2025, www.listofnationaldays.com/january-national-days/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

National Day Archives. “Welcome to National Day Archives.” National Day Archives, 9 May 2024, www.nationaldayarchives.com/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

National Day Calendar - Fun, Unusual and Forgotten Designations on Our Calendar., nationaldaycalendar.com/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

Press, The Associated. “National Anything Day: Pay up and You Can Declare Your Own Holiday.” Oregonlive, 1 July 2015, www.oregonlive.com/business/2015/07/national_anything_day_pay_up_a.html. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.

Register a National Day - National Day Calendar, nationaldaycalendar.com/register-a-national-day/. Accessed 02 Feb. 2025.