MAY 8: NATIONAL COCONUT CREAM PIE DAY
National Coconut Cream Pie Day is devoted to the ultimate custard-and-cream concoction. On this day, we contemplate the sheer deliciousness of the coconut cream pie and, of course, help ourselves to a slice. It’s the beginning of warmer weather and longer days filled with languid hours that are perfectly punctuated by a piece of this cool, creamy pie. The basic ingredients for coconut cream pie are a custard made of coconut milk, sugar, egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter, topped with a pile of fluffy whipped cream and toasted coconut shavings. But it always ends up as more than the sum of its parts. Coconut cream pie is well-nigh magical, and that’s why it gets its own day in our calendar.
MAY 9: LOST SOCK MEMORIAL DAY
National Lost Sock Memorial Day honors all the socks that are no longer with us. Where did they go? We are not certain, but what we do know is that losing one sock of a perfectly-matched pair is a wide-spread phenomenon. So much so that we have a day on which to honor those socks we have loved and lost.
With each American having an ever-growing sock drawer, the odds of a paired sock losing its mate increases. In a recent survey of 2,000 people, it was determined the average person loses 1.3 socks each month! That’s a lot of socks every year — over 15 per person, per year. So you can see how this universally hits home and causes us all great distress when a sock goes missing.
MAY 10: NATIONAL SHRIMP DAY
National Shrimp Day recognizes America’s favorite seafood. Americans eat more shrimp than any other seafood, and this is the day to celebrate this delicious seafood. A healthy food, shrimp, is low in calories and high in omega-3, calcium, iodine, and protein levels. Shrimp is also known to be considered good for the circulatory system.
Shrimp fans all across the country can come together to honor their love for the shellfish, commonly called the “fruit of the sea.” Shrimp are interesting characters, and some can even glow in the dark! Elvis Presley even once sang a song about them, crooning, “If I should live to be ninety, I will never forget the little shrimp and the song he sang as he jumped into the net.” In the United States, shrimp is eaten more than any other type of seafood, so of course, it deserves its own day! Grill em, fry em, or eat em cold. Try them on a sandwich, on a salad, or one by one in some delicious cocktail sauce. Whatever you do, take some time to celebrate!
MAY 11: NATIONAL TWILIGHT ZONE DAY
National Twilight Zone Day features mysterious twists and turns highlighted with eerie background music and unexplainable occurrences. The television show The Twilight Zone was created, written, and narrated by Rod Serling. It premiered in fall 1959. The episodes were wildly popular, stretched the imagination, and captivated viewers. The show aired from 1959-1964.
Each episode presented unique stories that led the viewer on a journey into an unknown situation. The characters often revealed their backstories through intense exchanges. Settings ranged from the wild west to penthouse suites. And yet each story took place in the 5th dimension, in The Twilight Zone.
Serling combined his love of pulp fantasy novels with topics not often covered on television at the time: social issues such as war (including nuclear), subject matter McCarthyism and racism. In the opening sequence of each episode, the characters are transported to another dimension — the fifth dimension — known as the "Twilight Zone." There, they deal with many unusual events, and the show often has an unexpected ending with a moral lesson.
MAY 12: LIMERICK DAY
Everybody needs a bit of silliness in their lives from time to time and Limerick Day provides the perfect annual opportunity. The familiar five-line verse is renowned for its humorous, sometimes bawdy themes. Instantly recognizable from the rhythm of the verse they are cleverly constructed to put a smile on the face.
National Limerick Day is set on 12th May to mark the birthday of Edward Lear, the English writer known for his works of nonsensical prose and poetry. It was Edward Lear who was to popularize the Limerick in his A Book of Nonsense, published 1846. His limericks were popular then and this form of nonsense literature has managed to retain its appeal to this day.
Limericks will normally have the first, second and final lines ending with the same rhyme, while the third and fourth shorter lines have their own rhyme as illustrated below:
There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, ‘It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!’
This style of verse can act as a great introduction to the idea of poetry for children and Limerick Day helps to maintain awareness of this type of poem.
May 13: FROG JUMPING DAY
The history behind National Frog Jumping Day has turned into a tradition that came to life from the idea of a short story. Mark Twain published his first short story titled “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” in 1865. This story also goes by “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog” and “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” The premise of the story is about a man named Jim Smiley, a compulsive better. He trains a pet frog he names Dan’l Webster and bets his frog can jump higher than all the other frogs in town. The man who he bets with ends up tricking Smiley and wins the bet.
Inspired by this story, Calaveras County in Northern California started hosting a Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee during the third week of May. The first event was held in Copperopolis, California in 1893 but has since made its permanent residence in Angels Camp. The fair spans four days and offers classic fair food, award-winning wines, carnival rides, rodeo, and live music, among other things, but their main event is the frog jumping competition. Even though there are other frog jumping competitions throughout different cities in North America, the one at Calaveras is the most popular and well-known because of its relation to Mark Twain’s short story.
MAY 14: NATIONAL CHICKEN DANCE DAY
National Dance Like a Chicken Day on May 14th encourages everyone to dance like a chicken! This day entertains from start to finish with people flapping their arms and strutting chicken-like. Everyone has probably danced the “Chicken Dance” at least once in their lifetime. This silly fun song is popular at wedding dances, Oktoberfest, and other celebrations, too. The song gets people of all ages up and moving on the dance floor.
Written in the 1950s by Werner Thomas, a Swiss accordionist, the Chicken Dance didn’t even make it to the United States until sometime in the 1970s. The Chicken Dance is associated with polkas or oom-pah-pah music. Upon arriving in America in the 1970s, the song acquired choreography with repetitive beak, wing, and tail motions, as well as the new name, The Chicken Dance.