Pop Culture's 'Festivus' Celebrated By 'The Rest Of Us' On Friday
More than 13 years later, the fictional holiday, Festivus, created on the classic sitcom “Seinfeld” is still celebrated each Dec. 23.
The Daily News reports the holiday peaked Friday as the top trend on Twitter, as followers wished one another a “Happy Festivus.”
The episode entitled “The Strike” first aired on Dec. 18, 1997 during the ninth season of the sitcom, which made comedian Jerry Seinfeld a star. The character of Frank Costanza, played by Jerry Stiller, had created Festivus as an alternative holiday to Christmas.
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Frank explained that he was trying to buy a doll for his son George, played by Jason Alexander, and ended up in a fight with another man over the last doll.
As a result he decided to create another holiday.
“Out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!” Frank said in the episode.
In one scene, a Festivus dinner back at the Costanza home in Queens, N.Y. showed the characters eating meatloaf.
But another meal was served at the real Festivus, invented by “Seinfeld” screenwriter Daniel O’Keefe’s father Dan.
In his book “The Real Festivus,” Daniel details the real O’Keefe family Festivus dinner. Turkey or ham is served, along with a Pepperidge Farm cake topped with M&M’s.
Myfox reports that there are active followers of Festivus traditions.
Some Festivus tenets include celebrations throughout the year not just on December 23, the slogan is “a festivus for the rest of us,” a raising of an aluminum “Festivus Pole” instead of a Christmas tree in direct contrast to the typical holiday materialism and commiserating grievances to other family members by telling one another in what ways each one has disappointed the other in the past year.
The celebration is completed with a "Feats of Strength" in which a guest wrestles the head of the household until he is pinned to the ground.
