Worldwide Weird Holidays
Here at WWWH, we know a lot about weird holidays. There are thousands celebrated around the world each year. It’s exceedingly difficult to get any holiday recognized in the United States. Per the Library of Congress:
Congress has statutorily established 11 permanent federal holidays, which are legally applicable only to federal employees and the District of Columbia. Neither Congress nor the President has asserted the authority to declare a “national holiday” which would be binding on the 50 states.
Don’t tell your boss these holidays are applicable only to federal employees…unless you’re a federal employee, that is. An executive order is enough to declare a one-time federal holiday, such as President Bush’s proclamation of June 11, 2004, as a National Day of Mourning after the death of Ronald Reagan.
Congressional approval is required to make a holiday a fixture of the yearly federal calendar. Even then, states aren’t compelled to abide by the congressional mandate. Getting a petition started is much easier now than it used to be when you had to go door-to-door. On the other hand, that also means there is a glut of petitions for recognition of everything from Lunar New Year’s Day to Women’s Equality Day, from Super Bowl Day to Juggalo Day. (That last one only has 14 signatures so far. It may not be a shoo-in.)
Don’t be discouraged by this legal hurdle. Groups that declare holidays to spur interest in their areas of expertise constantly provide us with fun, sometimes quirky information about science, math, the universe and our fellow man. Greeting card companies, manufacturers and retailers may appeal to our more acquisitive sides but they often make us chuckle at their acuity and audacity. It often seems they keep coming up with new ones just to see what will stick. That may be true but it shouldn’t keep us from enjoying every strange and wonderful holiday we can find.
Earnest, outlandish, hilarious and sometimes cynical: what’s not celebrate? Check out today’s weirdest holidays and have fun!
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