When you got up this morning, you probably thought it was a normal day. You were wrong. Today, Apr. 17, is There’s Nothing Like a Dame Day, National Cheese Ball Day, Blah Blah Blah Day and many others.
Every day of the year, there are countless strange and unknown holidays. Topics range from independence days to cultural days to Lima Bean Respect Day on Apr. 20. For virtually any topic, there’s a national day about it, and if there isn’t, there is a month or a week.
Many don’t realize most national days aren’t accredited by any kind of government organization. In reality, anyone can get a national day recognized if they get enough support behind them.
Some international and world days are different; they are determined by the United Nations (UN), and are usually about more serious topics, such as Mine Awareness or Immunization. The UN stated, “By creating special observances, [we promote] international awareness and action on these issues.” However, some international and world days are unrelated to the UN.
The closest thing to official accreditation national days get is to be recognised by the various websites, like nationaltoday.com or daysoftheyear.com, that lists these days. These websites are the best way to find out what is being celebrated on a particular day.
People often use these days as a way to make normal days a little more exciting. At Ida B. Wells High School, the theater company, Southwest Stageworks, adds interesting national days to their company calendar. Savey Carey, a senior at Ida B. Wells High School, says, “When you’re in high school, the days can get kind of bland. National days can make them more exciting.” IBW leadership would sometimes also use national days to spice up the announcements.
Her favorite national day is Sorry Charlie Day on Apr. 6. “There are lots of Charlies in the world, and all of them deserve an apology,” says Carey. She says that if she could make any national day real, it would be Jim Morrison day, and that it would fix the world.
Overall, national days showcase the sheer variety of people in the world. Most wouldn’t think that there should be a national day dedicated to bad poetry, but there is on Aug. 18. National days are a good reminder that the world is an interesting place, and any day can be an interesting one if you want to make it that way
