This past Sunday marked the unofficial but devoutly observed holiday known as “Star Wars Day,” so named because the calendar date, May 4, can be used to play on a well-known quote from the film franchise. Among those who resent puns, an equally popular side ritual has emerged: Rather than saying “May the Fourth be with you,” the naysayers adopt the same phrasal template for every other day of the month. “May the Fifth be with you” is a decidedly meaningless salute, unless you happen to be playing a certain Beethoven symphony at the time. Unstung by the smart alecks, Star Wars Day lives on. New York Times solvers may have noticed that Sunday’s Crossword, Connections and Strands were laced with cheeky references to the holiday. Whatever our differing opinions about the films themselves, we respect wordplay in this house. May 4 is not the only date with a fandom. Math lovers refer to March 14 as Pi Day — after the decimal 3.14 — and tend to bake pies to celebrate the occasion. Oct. 3 remains popular among “Mean Girls” fans, for no other reason than the fact that it’s Oct. 3. And some of the smartest and most beautiful people in the world have been known to mark their calendars for Dec. 14, because that’s my birthday. Sure, these holidays are constructs; they only exist because we say they do. But they also mark the passage of time, which, according to my gradually deepening jowl lines, is real. And if I’m going to be forced to make a trip around the sun and lose some of my bone mass in the process, I deserve to have a little wine and cake before we go again. Nowadays, holiday inventors jockey for attention in an oversaturated field. In addition to Cinco de Mayo, for instance, today is World Portuguese Language Day and also National Hoagie Day. Heck, you can’t throw a stone without hitting someone’s wedding anniversary (but please do not throw stones at people celebrating wedding anniversaries). What’s one more holiday, right? So hear ye, hear ye: May 6 is now Wordle Day. Five guesses, six letters. Expect the details of celebration in your inbox tomorrow. And if that also happens to be your birthday, please know that we still T-O-A-S-T you in spirit. Bonus Puzzle: Wit Twister |
