Today we Celebrate Festivus
December 23rd is known as Festivus, an alternative holiday Seinfeld introduced in 1997, according to ABC News.
Festivus, a spin off of Christmas, is a secular holiday that allows followers to participate in the holiday season without the pressures of Christmas.
Instead of a Christmas tree, there’s a metal pole. Instead of gifts, there is an “Airing of Grievances,” which is when participants gather around the dinner table to tell each person how he or she has disappointed them over the last year. And instead of warm embraces, there are “Feats of Strength,” which is a wrestling match that isn’t over until the head of the household is pinned down, reports The New York Times.
“Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blow upon him, I realized, there had to be another way!” Frank Costanza said on the December 18, 2007 Seinfeld episode “The Strike.” After realizing the commercialism of Christmas, Costanza invented a new celebration. “Out of that, a new holiday was born! A Festivus for the rest of us!” He said.
Festivus was first thought of and celebrated by Seinfeld writer Daniel O’Keefe, who bestowed the honor of publicizing the holiday to fictional character Frank Costanza. The number of Festivus participants continues to grow.
