Festivus 2020 Date and History: Know Significance and Celebrations of Secular Holiday Marked Ahead of Christmas Eve

Happy Festivus! Come December and you see everything sparkling and red. The vibes for Christmas and New Year's Eve begin at the early start of the month. But if you are someone who is not at all enthused about these celebrations and their commercialization, then Festivus is for you. Observed on December 23 every year, ahead of the Christmas Eve Festivus is a secular holiday marked as an alternative to the pressures and commercialization of the Christmas season. Christmas is marked with such enthusiasm and different traditions around the world. But Festivus is nothing like Christmas or New Year, with parties or decorations to ring in the holidays. Ahead of this day, we tell you more about this observance, its history and celebrations.

History of Festivus

Festivus is a creation of author Daniel O'Keefe. The author and editor Daniel O'Keefe celebrated Festivus in his family as early as 1966. It became popular after the mention in popular show Seinfeld which was written by younger O'Keefe. In a 1997 episode titled "The Strike", George Costanza’s father, Frank (Jerry Stiller), decided he was staging a one-man war on Christmas. To go against the commercialized traditions associated with the festival, Frank starts his own tradition—Festivus. The episode refers to it as "a Festivus for the rest of us". It has often described as a parody holiday festival as well as a form of playful consumer resistance. There are several traditions associated with this celebration as well.

Celebrations of Festivus

Festivus may be against the celebrations and commercialization, but it has it own set of traditions too- like the aluminum Festivus pole. As opposed to decorating a Christmas tree, there is an unadorned aluminum pole. There is a "Airing of Grievances" which is an opportunity to tell others how they have disappointed you in the past year. Then there's a Festivus dinner, completed by the "Feats of Strength" where the head of the household must be pinned. All of these traditions are based upon how it was aired in the show. People greet each other "Happy Festivus" and a popular slogan with it is "A Festivus for the rest of us!"

So if you are not too keen about the Christmas celebrations, then we wish you all Happy Festivus!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 22, 2020 05:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).