It's October, so as you would expect (or not) modelling balloon enthusiasts are twisting out poodles and squeaking swords to celebrate Balloons Around The World Day.
If you see one of the revelling balloonists then make sure to ask for an inflatable hat in preparation for Mad Hatters Day, which hits on October 6th.
And remember to teach others how to blow, twist and tie since balloon day shares its date with World Teacher's Day.
A glut of national celebration days has hit calendars since the nineties, and it’s increasingly hard to keep up. With taco shells still littering the kitchen floors from National Taco Day and headaches still throbbing from National Vodka Day, it's worth taking a look at your diary before you lay any plans for National Egg Day (October 14).
Anybody can start a national day, for good or ill, if they just have a basic sense of publicity.
In early Spring South Africa celebrates the provocative National Cleavage Day, an event sponsored by Wonderbra, and given ample coverage this year by the Sun, who pointed out that with their daily ‘Page 3’ girls this ‘celebration' didn’t just peak annually.
A Wonderbra spokesperson said that the day was a chance “for women to realise that their cleavage is something unique and that they should be proud of it. It gives women a chance to be beautiful and glow in the furtive, yet appreciative, glances their cleavage evokes from men.”
A more controversial example in recent times was ‘burn a Koran day’ started by an American church, ostensibly to honour victims of 9/11 by attacking Islam. The publicity backlash this event attracted forced pastor Terry Jones to rethink the event as Muslims took to the streets in Pakistan and Afganistan, burning American flags in protest’.
Dates can even become national days by accident, as happened with the first Monday in February, dubbed 'national sickie day' as it is the most likely day for workers to call in sick, according to statistics.
Only time can tell which of the national nose picking, bubble wrap appreciation, and middle name pride (all genuine) days will last.
However some of the causes that host these national days undeniably help draw attention to deserving campaigns.
In honour of Breast Cancer Awareness Month held in October, a fashion show is taking place in London celebrating women affected by the disease. Raising awareness doesn't have to be dull, as the Coppafeel campaign proves, which asks women to name their mammaries, promising to put the best named ones into a 'Boob Bible'... providing their custodians pledge to check their breasts every month. The success of the 10th Annual Mental Health Awareness Week this past May seems to prove that these targeted dates focus public attention.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation told Huffington Post UK:
"We are hoping that through our Mental Health Awareness Weeks we are helping to reduce the stigma attached to mental illness which can make people’s difficulties worse and make it harder for them to recover."
Be it balloons or baps, mental health or mad hatters, it's important to remember which causes count.