It’s no secret that spring is a bit of a desert in the holiday department. Sure, it’s got some great ones such as April Fools and Easter, but compared to the Halloween – St. Patrick’s Day holiday marathon of fall and winter (yes, don’t let all the green fool you — St. Patrick’s Day is technically a winter holiday), a holiday junkie can’t help but feel like they’re going through a dry spell through the otherwise bountiful spring months.
That’s why we’re bringing you this list! It’s the guidebook for every holiday fanatic desperate to find something to celebrate in the spring. We’re assuming that you’ve already heard of Arbor Day and May Day, so we’re bringing you holidays that we’re almost certain you’ve never heard of before, along with suggestions on how to celebrate. With all of that in mind, let’s start with the first day of spring, the Spring Equinox, also known as…
1. Extraterrestrial Abductions Day
When: March 20
What: Otherwise known as National Alien Abduction Day, Extraterrestrial Abductions Day is when people celebrate their desire to get whisked away by intergalactic beings. While many sources credit Toronto’s Alien Abduction Day Festival for popularizing the holiday, it was not responsible for creating it, so the true origin remains a mystery. Happy Worker, the toy company responsible for organizing the festival, gives us the best explanation that we’re likely to get: “we assume it’s the special day chosen by our alien overlords themselves.”
How to celebrate: If you really want to go all in, you can go out at night and try to flag a UFO down yourself. We recommend going in wide, open fields — bonus points if they’ve had recent crop circle activity — and using bright lights, radio transmissions, or whatever else you may have at your disposal to make contact. For those of you who want to get involved, but have no wish to become an abductee yourself, try researching past abduction cases or other alien conspiracies. Even if you’re not a believer, the history of the alien abduction phenomenon and how it’s impacted our culture is worth checking out. You can also host an alien abduction TV/movie night — we suggest Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The X-Files, or ET to get you started.
2. Make Your Own Holiday Day
When: March 26
What: The most liberating and inclusive of holidays, Make Your Own Holiday allows you to celebrate in honor of whatever you want! For every thing that gets honored with its own day, there are countless other things that remain uncelebrated. Make Your Own Holiday can allow you to amend that through some festive love for whatever hasn’t gotten the chance to have its own day.
How to celebrate: However you want to! Choose to bring awareness to a topic or issue that you believe needs more attention, or pick a random person, place or thing that has been underappreciated in your eyes. If you really want to go all in, you can even petition to your local government to have your day recognized as a city or county holiday. Who knows, maybe your day can become a national holiday.
3. World Rat Day
What: We have International Dog Day (Aug. 26), National Cat Day (Oct. 29) and even World Lizard Day (Aug. 14), so it’s only right that there’s a day to celebrate another one of humanity’s beloved companion animals: the rat. Despite being very intelligent and hygienic animals, pet rats get a bad rap due to their less favorable feral cousins. That’s why in 2002, members of the ratlist, the longest standing online mailing list devoted to rat ownership, deigned April 4th as World Rat Day, to celebrate the honorable rat and restore its good name.
How to celebrate: The best way to celebrate World Rat Day is with a rat, so if there’s any way you can gain access to a domesticated rat — be it through a pet owner, a petting zoo, or a pet shelter — take advantage of it and spend some quality time with one of these furry critters. If your rat access is limited, or if you aren’t comfortable enough with them to spend some quality IRL time together, then you can honor them by watching cute rat compilation videos online. For those of you looking for World Rat Day movie night ideas, we suggest the classic, Ratatouille.
4. Rubber Eraser Day
When: April 15
What: We all make mistakes; it’s what makes us human. Lucky for us, there’s a dependable item that’s always there for us when we want to do away with our errors: the eraser. Rubber Eraser Day is meant to celebrate that little pink nub at the end of our No. 2 pencils that allows us to wipe our errant pencil marks away instead of crossing them out like savages.
How to celebrate: Take up your pencil today and get as much use out of it as you can — so you can appreciate just how much the noble eraser does for us. Draw some sketches, or do some journaling; not only can this exercise allow you to give the eraser the respect it deserves, but it can lead to some surprising artistic output on your end. You can also raise eraser awareness amongst your peers, with lines such as “Hey, you guys ever think about how great erasers are?” or “Boy, I’m sure glad that I have my eraser with me, so I can fix that mistake I just made.” You’ll be sure to convert some eraser enthusiasts in no time.
5. Hairstyle Appreciation Day
When: April 30
What: Speaking about things that go underappreciated, let’s talk about hairstyles. Despite all the time, effort, and money that goes into hair care, we ignore the fabulous hair styles that we see from day to day much too often. Hairstyle Appreciation Day sets to amend that, by reminding everyone to give these hairdos the attention they deserve.
How to celebrate: Giving a little extra time and attention to your hairstyle can be a great way to honor the holiday and can serve as a chance to try something new. More importantly though, be sure to spread the hair love, meaning if you see someone with a ‘do you love, tell them! Not only will you be spreading Hairstyle Appreciation awareness, but you’ll be sure to make someone’s day. Just be sure that all your compliments are genuine — it’s National Honesty Day today too!
6. Sally Ride Day
What: We’ve been talking a lot about appreciation in this list, but if there’s anything or anyone here most worthy of being appreciated and celebrated, it’s Sally Ride. As the first American woman to go to space in 1983, she was a role model for women across the country and proved that astronomy doesn’t have to be a male-dominant field. After she died of pancreatic cancer in 2012, it was revealed that she would be survived in part by her partner, Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy, which means that she was the first known LGBT astronaut as well. May 26 is her birthday, which we now celebrate as a holiday in her honor.
How to celebrate: Do your own research and learn more about this incredible woman. She did much more in her life than just go to space, especially when it comes to women’s education in STEM. She even helped start her own nonprofit, Sally Ride Science, providing science education to young women. You can also consider donating to the organization to celebrate her day.
7. National Splurge Day
What: Many of us are familiar with Treat Yo’ Self Day (Oct. 13), the fictional holiday that Parks and Rec brought to life in 2011. But what if I told you that a holiday centered around the same concept has existed since 1994? Enter National Splurge Day, the day where you don’t have to worry as much about breaking the bank. Whether it be an indulgent piece of cake or a cute pair of shoes that are just a little over your normal price range, this day is for the little bit extra in life.
How to celebrate: It’s in the title: splurge! Get that bag you’ve been saving up for, and that face care set you’ve been eying for a while now. Today is specifically for going a little overboard, so why try holding back? After all, you’re only going to splurge one day a year, right?
And there you have it, seven obscure holidays that you can now add to your calendar! In the case that even after these seven suggestions you’re still itching for some more holidays, we recommend that you hop over to holidayinsights.com, where you can find a bevy of niche holidays throughout the year. Whatever days you choose to celebrate this spring, we hope you enjoy the holiday season year-round!