Star Wars Day
| Star Wars Day | |
|---|---|
| Type | Fandom/cultural |
| Significance | Honoring Star Wars |
| Date | May 4 May 25 |
Star Wars Day may refer to one of two dates or events honoring or involving the Star Wars saga.[1]
[edit] May 4
May 4 is considered a holiday by Star Wars fans to celebrate Star Wars culture and honor the films.[2] It is called Star Wars Day because of the popularity of a common pun spoken on this day. Since the phrase "May the Force be with you" is a famous quote often spoken in the Star Wars films, fans commonly say "May the fourth be with you" on this day. Current day Star Wars fans were not the first to introduce the line "May the fourth be with you": when Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain's first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, her party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News that said "May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations."[3] This reading of the line has also been recorded in the UK Parliament's Hansard.[4]
In a 2005 interview on German news TV channel N24, Star Wars creator George Lucas was asked to say the famous sentence "May the Force be with you." The interpreter simultaneously interpreted the sentence into German as Am 4. Mai sind wir bei Ihnen ("We shall be with you on May 4"). This was captured by TV Total and aired on May 18, 2005.[5]
In 2011, the first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual edition took place on Friday, May 4, 2012.[6]
[edit] May 25
The Los Angeles City Council declared[7] May 25, 2007, as Star Wars Day, in honor of the 1977 release date of Star Wars. A separate initiative for observing Geek Pride Day on May 25, is based on the Star Wars connection along with ties to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Discworld.
[edit] References
- ^
- "Star Wars Day: How old is old enough for this movie?", Kate Shatzkin, The Baltimore Sun, May 4, 2009
- "Forced" or Not, There's a "Star Wars" Day, by Alysia Gray Painter, NBC, May 4, 2009
- "The Force Is Strong in this One", Quentin Hardy, Forbes, April 30, 2009 – "There's even an annual "Star Wars Day" in May ("May the fourth be with you")."
- "Yes, it's 'Star Wars' Day", by Whitney Matheson, [USA Today]]
- ^ Star Wars day: May the 4th be with you, My Fox Chattanooga, May 4, 2010, http://web.archive.org/web/20100508193201/http://www.myfoxchattanooga.com/dpps/entertainment/star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you-dpgoha-20100504-fc_7371587.
- ^ Danish National Radio on-line news
- ^ Hansard, Column 786, May 4, 1994, UK Parliament Hansard, Column 784.
- ^
- ^
- ^ Council File Number:07-1368, May 1, 2007, City of Los Angeles – Council File Number:07-1368.
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