Wear A Gorilla Suit Day, National Double Cheeseburger Day, Peanut Butter Day... Does anyone take these seriously? And if someone did set out to celebrate a "Day" every day for a year, what effect would it have on them? Local author Dan Brotzel set himself that very challenge, and found that the experiment had unexpected consequences...
The inspiration for Dan Brotzel's novel Thank You for the Days was his own experience after setting himself the challenge of celebrating 365 fake holidays
My year in fake-holiday world
National Bubble Bath Day, British Pie Week, Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month, Bubble Wrap Awareness Day… For years I was tickled by these funny pseudo-holidays. A staple of the PR and awareness-raising arsenal, they offer easy prompts for the inspiration-starved columnist, talk DJ or primary-school teacher.
Dan Brotzel
Some of these Days are important – think World Cancer Day, International Day of Forests or Zero Waste Week. Some are some nakedly commercial, like National Stationery Week or Anti-Frizz month, courtesy of Alberto V05. And some, like CAPS LOCK DAY and Zombie Awareness Day, are just plain silly. But what amazed me most was how many there were - they run into the thousands. It gave me the idea for a strange challenge.
I began wondering: What would happen to a person if they tried to observe a different one every day for a year? It was a ridiculous idea. But once I’d thought of it, I was hooked.
How, though, to observe a day? The key seemed to be fun, literal, respectful.
"On International Talk Like a Pirate Day, people say 'Arrrr!' and “Matey!' On National Chilli Day, they eat chilli. On Haiku Day they read or write haikus,’" was what Dan was told by Holly McGuire, editor-in-chief of Chase’s Calendar of Events, which lists hundreds of Days.
Sam Alderson of Days of the Year, a UK-based reference site, made it sound easy: "As long as it’s coming from a sincere part of you, then any celebration — even in the smallest way — is fine." She did add, though, that people had tried the year-long challenge before, but rarely got past April or May.
The year proved to be quite a journey, starting off silly and then becoming rather more thought-provoking. At the start I thought it’d all be a bit of laugh. I went on work calls dressed as a gorilla for Wear a Gorilla Suit Day, got pelted with cake on National Fruitcake Tossing Day, ate fish fingers and custard and dressed up as a daffodil.
Gradually, however, the experience became more and more serious. We live in a world where World Lymphoma Awareness Day falls on the same day as National Double Cheeseburger Day (September 15), and where Holocaust Memorial Day (January 27) sits between National Peanut Butter Day and National Kazoo Day. But no-one in fake-holiday world seems to find these sorts of juxtaposition at all odd.
I spoke to some extraordinary people affected by illness and other profound challenges, and ended up turning veggie (sort of), volunteering for a food bank and a political party, and running a marathon for charity. I found myself researching lots of causes. There’s just so much need out there, and charities have to compete in an awareness-raising marketplace to get their voice heard. It made me wonder: How do we each choose which causes to support (and which ones to ignore)?
I was alarmed at his own lack of awareness too. From delayed cancer diagnoses to food poverty to air pollution levels, many things I discovered shocked and appalled me, though none more than my own ignorance.
After a year of observing Days and journalling my experiences, with the book – entitled Awareness Daze -- readied for printing, the project hit a major roadblock: My publisher suddenly went into liquidation. It was tough to think all that work might have been for nothing, but I tried to be philosophical - after all it was an amazing experience and I had learned so much.
Eventually I found another publisher who was interested in the project – but as a novel! So I sat down again and wrote Thank You For The Days, a romantic comedy based on my experiences. And I recently learned that Awareness Daze is now coming out after all, too, as an audiobook next year.
So what's my favourite Day? There were lots, but I really remember the ones I did with my kids. I still have the bruises from National Pillow Fight Day…
Thank You for the Days will be published by Bloodhound Books on 4th December.
