In my previous Opinions piece for The Globe, I wrote about some of April’s obscure holidays and only covered April 1-16. I wanted to cover some holidays from the other half of the month in this issue, and I found that there are a lot more interesting holidays in this half.
Throughout my “extensive” research, which is just me scrolling through a singular website with a list of holidays, I found that the second half of April has sillier and arguably more interesting holidays, excluding the main ones.
For example, April 17 is Bat Appreciation Day. This day celebrates bats all over the world, and you can celebrate it by watching any piece of Batman media or by trying to spot bats in the wild. This holiday is not to be confused with baseball bats. Celebrating that kind would be more appropriate on Babe Ruth Day, which occurs on April 27.
Bats and rats are having a field day in April with World Rat Day, National Pet Day and Bat Appreciation Day.
Another silly holiday that falls on April 17 is Blah Blah Blah Day. Yes, that’s the actual name of it. This day is dedicated to getting all the work done that people have been “nagging” you to do.
One more holiday on April 17 is Herbalist Day, which celebrates the herbalists around the world who create medicine now and have in the past. This can be a fun day to celebrate, especially if you’re already growing herbs.
International Juggler’s Day is on April 18 and celebrates those who can juggle. You can celebrate this by trying to juggle anything. It’s difficult, but it could be fun.
Finally getting retribution from the other pet related holidays in April, National Pet Owners Independence Day, also falling on April 18, gives pet owners a chance to rest at home with their pets. If you don’t have a pet, you can’t celebrate. Sorry. Consider buying a pet that day. Adopt, don’t shop!
On April 19, you can celebrate National Garlic Day and Record Store Day. National Garlic Day is pretty self explanatory – just eat a lot of garlic – in moderation, of course.
Record Store Day aims to celebrate the independent record stores still in business. After all, records are making a comeback. You can celebrate this by buying a record or two from an independent record store. Maybe they have Charlie XCX or Mitski records in stock!
I will skip April 20, since that’s the day Easter falls on this year, and Easter isn’t obscure.
Earth Day is on April 22. Celebrate this by recycling or maybe supporting your local campus newspaper and picking up an issue of The Globe.
April 23 is National English Muffin Day. Celebrate this by eating an English muffin, however you choose to do that.
Also sticking with the theme of food, National Zucchini Bread Day and National Picnic Day fall on the same day. Three food celebrations in one day? Now we’re talking!
World Penguin Day falls on April 25 and is a perfect opportunity to learn more about our tuxedo-wearing friends in Antarctica. It’s also a good day to donate to a penguin related organization. I recommend the Global Penguin Society. Or you can watch a Penguins hockey game, I guess.
April 27, as mentioned earlier, is Babe Ruth Day. This day is dedicated to celebrating the baseball legend. Celebrate this by reading anything about Ruth, or even attending a baseball game if you want to go the pricey route.
April 28, a day which I will be celebrating, is International Astronomy Day. Celebrate this day by venturing out of the light-polluted city and observing the stars in the night sky. Bonus points if you have a telescope.
April 30 has the final two holidays I want to mention: Hairstyle Appreciation Day and Honesty Day.
On Hairstyle Appreciation Day, why not finally get that haircut that you’ve been meaning to get? At the same time, while the holiday isn’t aimed towards hair stylists or barbers, celebrate them anyways! Thank your hair specialist and consider giving them a tip that day or any other, if they’ll accept. The hair industry is still as important as others!
Finally, National Honesty Day encourages people to be honest and forthright. I’ll start that one right now:
Honestly, if you need a holiday in order to be honest, you should get that checked out, but I’m not your boss.
The list of holidays goes on, and it doesn’t stop in April! Consider celebrating some of the obscure holidays of other months, especially over summer break. Go outside and get some sun! I can’t push for that enough, as that really improved my mood and day-to-day.
