Halloween, Christmas and New Years only come once a year, leaving very few holidays in between. Yes, there are some national holidays like Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July that some countries celebrate, but there really isn't anything outside of the big three for the world at large to celebrate.
Well, the nerds of the world have decided to fill in the gap. So if you're looking for holidays to celebrate, here are five to mark on your calendar.
Winter-een-mas (January 25 to 31)
Winter-een-mas, a week-long celebration of video games and video gamers, is soon to be upon us. Created by CTRL-ALT-DELETE writer Tim Buckley, Winter-een-mas is no longer just an excuse to play video games for a week. Instead, it is now recognized as a week to celebrate both the culture and the games we all love and enjoy.
Want to play a game for the whole week? Perfect! Want to gift a game you love to a friend or loved one? Even Better! As long as you spread the cheer of video games far and wide, you'll be a part of Winter-een-mas.
Pi Day (March 14 & November 9)
This one is for all the mathematicians in the crowd. Pi day, celebrated on 3/14 in honor of the first three numbers of Pi, is a day to celebrate the world's strangest mathematical constant. Rattle off as many numbers of Pi that you can, wear Pi-themed T-shirts or accessories. Doesn't matter. Just get some Pi!
Fun fact: Pi Day is actually a holiday that comes twice a year! The second Pi Day, known as Pi Celebration Day, is held on the 314th day of the year. So, if you miss it the first go around, there's another chance come November every year!
Star Wars Day (May 4)
Before 2011, May the Fourth was just a regular day, passed by like any other non-holiday. However, in 2011, George Lucas decided to make amends for the Prequel Trilogy, announcing that they were non-canon, and that the Original, unaltered trilogy would come to Blu-Ray and Digital Services across the World!
Uh, what?
Just kidding. Star Wars Day has, since its inception, been both a cultural phenomenon and marketing ploy for Disney, giving them an opportune time (every year) to announce information for any upcoming Star Wars projects. But don't let that corporate agenda disparage you; if you love Star Wars, celebrate.
Wear that Star Wars T-shirt or hoodie. Watch the originals on VHS (or burn the Prequels/Special Edition in a fire with your friends). Put on that stormtrooper armor you've been making for the last year and a half. Chances are, you'll find plenty of people doing a lot of the same.
Golden Ratio Day (June 18)
You may be wondering, "What is the Golden Ratio?" Well, for a brief summary, Wikipedia defines the Golden Ratio as a ratio that occurs between two quantities if the sum of those two quantities is larger than the two quantities themselves.
You also may be wondering why, out of all days, did people choose June 18 to celebrate the Golden Ratio? Well, the Golden Ratio is represented by an irrational number that starts with 1.618, so someone rounded down and got 0.618 as the first few numbers.
Now that's an amazing holiday, right?
Well, what you may not know is that the Golden Ratio is used to great effect in many kinds of art (like movies) to create a more appealing and natural image. So, if you want an excuse to watch movies like Full Metal Jacket or There Will Be Blood, Golden Ratio Day would be a good time.
Festivus (December 23)
It wouldn't be a true list of nerdy holidays if Festivus wasn't on here.
Festivus, as popularized by the hit T.V. show Seinfeld, is a holiday for people who have had too much of the holiday season. Don't worry if you think it will take too much time to celebrate Festivus; Festivus is all about streamlining the holidays.
So instead of buying and decorating a tree, you get an aluminum pole with a high "strength-to-weight" ratio from your local hardware store. Instead of buying presents, you air your grievances with the rest of your family and challenge one another to feats of strength, whether it be reading something without glasses, lifting something heavy, or wrestling one another for superiority.
And, if you celebrate it just right, you may find yourself with a Festivus miracle on your hands. What that is, I couldn't tell you, but you'll know it when you see it.
If you don't want to take it that seriously, you could always get a few friends together, roast one another, and enjoy a nice little holiday of non-commercialization, all while sitting around an aluminum pole.
Well, there you have it. Hopefully, you found yourself a few new holidays to celebrate in 2017. If not, you've still got the same old holidays everyone's been celebrating for centuries. Hey, to each his own, right?
What are your plans for Winter-een-mas? Do you prefer to call Pi Celebration Day "Carl Sagan Day"? How did your last Festivus go? Discuss in the comments below.
Published: Jan 15, 2017 05:25 pm