18 Weird & Wonderful Holidays To Celebrate in The New Year

TL;DR

Singles' Day in China is a massive retail holiday, National Catfish Day is a real observance in the US, and National Sleepyhead Day in Finland involves waking up the last person with a bucket of water.

Transcript

Did you know that there’s a retail holiday bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined?   Hi, I’m Erin McCarthy, editor-in-chief of mentalfloss.com. Singles’ Day is celebrated in China on November 11th, and it’s a behemoth of a day for online sales. The story goes that the holiday originally started at Nanjing University in China as a way fo... Read More

Key Insights

• 🔂 Singles' Day in China has become a significant retail holiday, surpassing the sales of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
• 🌍 National Catfish Day in the US celebrates the advancements in farming catfish.
• 🤽 National Sleepyhead Day in Finland involves waking up the last person with water and even tossing a celebrity into the sea.
• 🇸🇹 International Tom Hanks Day started as a reason to watch Tom Hanks movies and evolved into a charity fundraising event.
• 😚 Various unusual historical holidays, such as St. Clement's Day and Ragamuffin Day, have lost popularity over time.
• 🎖️ Von Steuben Day commemorates the contributions of Baron Friedrich Von Steuben to the US military.
• 🙃 The Eighth and Noche de Rabanos are holidays observing historical events.
• ⌛ Bonza Bottler Day and Galactic Tick Day celebrate unique aspects of time.
• 🗾 Christmas in August at Yellowstone National Park and White Day in Japan are variations of traditional holidays.
• ❓ World Emoji Day and Bean Throwing Day are more recent holidays with their specific traditions.
• 🤞 The Monkey Buffet in Thailand celebrates and brings luck to the macaques living in Lopburi.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Singles' Day in China become a retail holiday?

Singles' Day started at Nanjing University as a way for students to celebrate being single. It became popular, and retailers saw the opportunity to encourage people to treat themselves, leading to the day's massive online sales.

Q: Why is National Catfish Day observed in the US?

National Catfish Day was declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to celebrate the advancements made in farming catfish. It aims to recognize the development of farm-raised catfish as a significant industry in the US.

Q: What happens on National Sleepyhead Day in Finland?

On National Sleepyhead Day, which falls on July 27th in Finland, the last person in the house still sleeping is awakened with a bucket of water to the face. In the city of Naantali, a "celebrity Sleepyhead" is thrown into the sea.

Q: How did International Tom Hanks Day start?

International Tom Hanks Day was created by students at Western Michigan University as an excuse to watch Tom Hanks movies and enjoy rum and Dr. Pepper. The day gained popularity when Tom Hanks learned about it, leading to donations to his favorite charities.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Singles' Day in China, celebrated on November 11th, is a cultural phenomenon that originated as a way for students to celebrate being single and has become a major day for online sales.

• National Catfish Day is a real national observance in the US, declared by President Ronald Reagan in 1987, to celebrate the progress of farm-raised catfish.

• National Sleepyhead Day in Finland involves waking up the last person in the house with a bucket of water and even includes throwing a "celebrity Sleepyhead" into the sea.