By Harry Loney.
Welcome to May everybody! May is a nice time in the UK because it’s kinda definitely almost certainly the month when we probably won’t get any more snow for a few months, perhaps. The sun is out for longer, the wildlife is looking chipper and there’s always a lovely smell of wild garlic in the countryside. There are many celebrations in May that are worthwhile and important, like VE Day and Firefighters Memorial Day.
It’s also the time of year when all the crazies start to come out of their homes and make life weird for everyone else. Sharpening their loony sticks, they start throwing up “special days” of oddness into the air and see what sticks. And far too much of it sticks for my liking.
If you thought May 4th’s Star Wars Day was one of the more unusual celebrations in May, then prepare yourself. Here are five weird celebrations in May in the UK.
5. World Naked Gardening Day
On the first Saturday of May, don’t be alarmed if you see people potter around their garden in the nude. Well, be alarmed, but don’t be surprised. Celebrated across the world, here in the UK we seem to have an abundance of folk happy to whip out their tackle as they weed around their radishes.
And it’s exactly what it says it is. The first World Naked Gardening Day happened in 2005 and people have enjoyed being buff in their backyard ever since. It’s said to be an experience that fills you with happiness and lets you soak up a lot of Vitamin D. So in the interests of science, I thought I’d try it out myself. Check out my video here!*
4. National Doughnut Week
The good news is that there is a week in the year where we can eat doughnuts without as much guilt as the other 51 weeks. The bad news is that National Doughnut Week has been cancelled for 2020. The week commencing 9th May was due to be a special seven days for eaters of sweet treats.
It’s a time when people are encouraged to raise funds for The Children’s Trust, a worthy organisation which aims to provide rehabilitation services for young people and children who have suffered a brain injury.
You can usually buy doughnuts to raise money, have bake-offs or sell your own, all for a good cause. We look forward to 2021 when the week will take place again and we can feel good about eating too many doughnuts.
3. National Limerick Day
Each year on the twelfth day of May
A gentleman offered to say
A Limerick joke
On a blog all bespoke
But he couldn’t be bothered to really put in the effort so it didn’t end too well.
2. Oak Apple Day
There is literally no way you could ever figure out the point of this day from the name. It’s nothing to do with food, trees or anything of the sort.
No. Each 29th May, normally sensible men and women across the UK celebrate the restoration of the Monarchy. You see, for some time in the 1600s the UK went all republic and got rid of the King. We chopped his head off. Turned out, people got bored of this and much preferred having a King who could do as he pleased, wasn’t accountable for the actions of him or his family and would get rich of the poor folk of the country.
Nothing much has changed since then, and we still have a Head of State who is selected not through skills, intelligence or aptitude, but by whose nether regions they are born through. It seems some people still like this, and enjoy celebrating the fact some of the most senior members of our military got there through marriage. And yes, this is definitely the 21st Century!
If you would like to celebrate Oak Apple Day, I’m sure you can find people who want to jeer at poor folk with you. Otherwise, take a look at Republic and perhaps make a difference to how we run our country.
1. British Sandwich Week
Let’s finish with celebrating the absolute best type of food in the world, according to Joey from Friends. Of all the celebrations in May, this one is a doozy.
Join together with people from across the world (online, of course) with #BritishSandwichWeek and revel in all the delights that two slices of bread can bring you. Whether you like it basic with some cheese, or go all out with a roast beef dinner in a roll, it’s a great time to create a masterpiece at home and share it with / show off to the world. Taking place between the 17th and 23rd May, it’s going to be a loafly week.
My favourite sandwich? Thanks for asking. I love a nice chicken piece with mayo, a bit of lettuce and tomato, and stick in some salt and vinegar chipsticks. Oh man, that’s a winner.
I hope you’ve enjoyed finding out about some weird celebrations in May in the UK. I’m sure I’ve missed many out that we should participate in. What’s your favourite?
*Only joking. It might be naked gardening, but you’d have to pay me a lot more money to see that sort of dirt.