DIARISE THE ITEMS

“THESE ARE THE DAYS OF MIRACLE AND WONDER,” PAUL SIMON SANG, INTRODUCING THE WORLD TO THE DISTINCTLY AFRICAN RHYTHMS ON HIS RECORD-SMASHING GRACELAND ALBUM. DAYS CAN BE MORE THAN A COLLECTION OF MINUTES AND HOURS. THEY CAN BE MARKED AND CELEBRATED WORLDWIDE – IN A SERIOUS OR LIGHT-HEARTED WAY ...

DAYS OF Our Lives ...

The United Nations has a comprehensive calendar of days – all frightfully serious and worthy of marking them down for awareness. For example, January 27 is International Holocaust Remembrance Day while February 4 is World Cancer Day, March 8 and 24 are International Women’s Day and World Tuberculosis Day respectively while April 2 is both World Autism Awareness Day and International Children’s Book Day ...

It’s fitting that Nelson Mandela International Day is marked on July 18 and is preceded by the World Day for International Justice on July 17. South Africans are fully aware that Mandela Day is one on which his 67 years of public service is marked by fellow South Africans doing 67 minutes of volunteering or giving of their time to a worthy or charitable cause.

And then you have the days that everyone knows: April 1 being April Fool’s Day when there is free licence to prank friends, play silly jokes or make gags all day, May 1 which is International Worker’s Day or Guy Fawkes on November 5 when fireworks are sent heavenwards to explode with hearty bangs – and terrify all the neighbourhood animals.

How many people really know or remember the Gunpowder Plot in London and its significance – or even care about a plot to assassinate King James 1?

The American poet and author EE Cummings wrote: “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

So in that spirit, Cheers would like to bring to our readers’ attention some of the alternative day celebrations. Obviously, this being a magazine which celebrates liquor in its many forms it is only right and proper that we highlight those days upon which it is almost mandatory to have a gin and tonic – which is April 9, by the way.

In an example of remarkable synchronicity, it’s coincidentally also Winston Churchill Day. Back in 1963 Churchill became only the second person ever to be decreed an Honorary Citizen of the United States – an honour bestowed on him by the 35th President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Churchill, who was represented by his son and grandson, was also granted citizenship of eight individual states: West Virginia, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Maryland, Hawaii, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. April has a few cracking days! The third, for example, is both Chocolate Mousse Day, Tweed Day and Find a Rainbow Day. A day later, April 4, sees orange taking over in the form of both Carrot Day and Vitamin C Day. Scottish pride comes to the fore on April 6 – Tartan Day – while 24 hours on from that it’s Pillow Fight Day as well as Walk to Work Day!

Feel free to bust out the board and letter tiles along with your dictionary on April 13 because it’s Scrabble Day!

April 22 is just so sweet. Seriously sweet. International Jelly Bean Day, in fact. Developed as far back as the 1800s with Turkish Delight having provided the inspiration for the jellied candy, they were known to have been the favourite of President Ronald Reagan. And in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter boy wizard series, they notably appeared as Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour bean in rather odd combos – like Earwax or Vomit.

There’s a lot of confusion around whisky: depending on which source you trust, World Whisky Day is either May 19 or the third Saturday in May. (May 19 is also World Fiddle Day and Plant a Lemon Tree Day ...) International Whisky Day is marked on March 27 and World Scotch Day on 8 February while World Bourbon Day is 14 June. Nonetheless, feel free to raise a glass of whisky – be it Scotch, Irish, American or even Swedish or Japanese on any of these dates!

June 19 is International Martini Day while a day later its Vanilla Milkshake Day. The first Friday in August is World Beer Day – and this year will be marked on 3 August. America celebrates Lager Day on December 10 while World Stout Day is November 3.

September 21 is quite a serious one, International Day of Peace – but just two days before it, there’s a wonderfully whacky celebration: International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Circle September 19 in your calendar now if you have a desire to say “Aaarrrr!” a lot, or tell someone to “Walk the plank!”. Apparently, this one came about with a group of racquetball players in 1995, who yelled pirate slang at each other. This group of men honoured September 19 for seven years until somehow the media got hold of it – and elevated it from obscurity to national prominence in America. (Let’s face it, everyone wants their Jack Sparrow or Pirates of the Caribbean moment ...)

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL: MAY AND JUNE!

MAY 2: Play your Ukulele Day MAY 3: World Press Freedom Day and Two Different Coloured Shoes Day. (Educationist Dr Arlene Kaiser took to wearing different coloured shoes to make her students aware of the diversity and differences that make people great. It caught on ...) MAY 4: Star Wars Day and No Pants Day. (It began as a college prank and took off from 2000 thanks to it being spread by social media. Now people travel to work via the Underground or subway – without pants!) MAY 13: International Hummus Day, Frog Jumping Day and Root Canal Appreciation Day MAY 14: Chicken Dance Day MAY 22: Sherlock Holmes Day MAY 25: Geek Pride Day, but also Towel Day, in which fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy walk around all day, to work, gym, pub or college, armed with a towel – because it can protect from noxious gases, be used as a weapon or a blanket to sleep under should the need arise, according to author Douglas Adams. MAY 28: Hamburger Day MAY 29: International Day of UN Peacekeepers MAY 31: World No-Tobacco Day JUNE 1: Doughnut Day (or First Friday in June) – but it’s also Go Barefoot Day, Fish and Chip Day, Say Something Nice Day and World Milk Day. JUNE 5: World Environment Day JUNE 6: World Pest Day as well as Yo-Yo Day JUNE 9: World Gin Day, Donald Duck Day JUNE 12: Superman Day (“Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Superman!” The superhero which kick-started the comic book phenomenon was introduced to the public in 1933, created by writer Joe Shuster and artist Jerry Siegel.) JUNE 15: Global Wind Day JUNE 18: International Sushi Day – so go ahead and feast on sashimi, nigiri and maki rolls to your heart’s content. If that’s not your scene and the weather is nice, pack a basket and a blanket, find a nice scenic spot and enjoy Picnic Day.

JUNE 19: Don’t go anywhere in a hurry because it’s Sauntering Day! So any walking needs to be done in a calm, relaxed manner; amble, stroll, ramble and meander are all synonyms for sauntering. JUNE 21: Coinciding with the northern hemisphere summer solstice it’s World Music Day which is widely celebrated in Europe. In France’s main cities stages are set up in parks and plazas and concerts held while buskers, drummers and soloists set up on corners as people dance in the streets. If you feel the need to take a picture of yourself – go right ahead because it’s also Selfie Day! JUNE 24: Take Your Dog to work Day JUNE 27: Sunglasses Day, Pineapple Day and Orange Blossom Day JUNE 29: Camera Day and International Mud Day ... The quirkily interesting website www.daysoftheyear.com states: “International Mud Day began in 2009 at a World Forum event, when Gillian McAuliffe from Australia and Bishnu Bhatta from Nepal got together to talk about ways to encourage feelings of community and appreciation for the world around us. The collaboration that followed has inspired educators, children and families across the globe, from Holland to Nepal to the United States, to celebrate International Mud Day together each year on June 29. Regardless of age, race and religion, covered in mud, we all look the same! JUNE 30: International Asteroid Day and also Social Media Day.