It’s almost summer, so prepare for the good life with some of these mini-holidays coming up this month.
May 1: School Principals’ Day
There are several observances to celebrate teachers, as everybody can think back to at least one teacher who inspired them, or helped shape them into the people they are today. But you know who goes under-appreciated? Those teachers’ bosses: school principals. While there’s a stereotype of them being strict authoritarians, they are part of what keeps schools running.
May 1: Loyalty Day
Around the world, May 1 is known as May Day, Labor Day, and International Workers’ Day. Festivities celebrate the contributions of the working classes, unionization, and labor movements, which to some, is not a far leap from socialism or Communism. In the late 1950s, right after McCarthyism and the Red Scare spooked Americans, Congress created Loyalty Day. It was placed on May 1 as a counterpoint to International Workers’ Day and was meant to be a celebration of America and American values, a patriotic holiday right up there with Independence Day. (It never really took off, however.)
May 3: National Two Different Colored Shoes Day
Cut loose and get wacky in a way that won’t leave any lasting damage or upset the world too much. Go ahead and still wear shoes, but wear two shoes that are, get this, different colors. They could be the same style of shoe, or totally different, say, one high heel and one hiking boot. But whatever you do, make sure they’re two different colors.
May 13: National Crouton Day
Look, we all know it’s important to eat vegetables, but let’s be honest: sometimes the best part of a salad are those crunchy little seasoned toast bites on top. This holiday celebrates the humble crouton, be it the little ones that adorn a salad, or the big ones that sit atop a bowl of French onion soup. (Not surprisingly, this holiday was registered in 2015 by Rothbury Farms, a Michigan-based crouton manufacturer.)
May 25: Towel Day
May 25 is the birthday of the late British science-fiction author Douglas Adams, who wrote the beloved cult classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The book, and its many sequels, consist of rollicking adventures through space, and the book-within-a-book, also called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, advises space travelers to never be without a towel. Fans of Adams created this holiday as a tribute to him, which was celebrated for the first time in 2001, just a couple weeks after Adams died,
May 30: National Hole in My Bucket Day
A lot of holidays have songs about them—Halloween has its “Monster Mash,” Christmas has a few—but there aren’t many holidays wholly dedicated to a song. But there’s this one, which honors the classic children’s folk song, “There’s a Hole in My Bucket.” The story song about a boy (usually Henry) with a leaky bucket and the girl (usually Liza) who gives him tips on how to fix the bucket dates to 18th century Germany.