Star Wars Day

Star Wars Day. Ігор Пєтков / wikimedia / 2017 / Public Domain

The 4th of May is Star Wars Day.

It’s a day to celebrate the Star Wars universe as portrayed in the films, animations and books that have been created around it.

People will watch Star Wars films, gather for parties, go to collectible shows, participate in trivia matches at bars, and, of course, dress up in costumes from the films.

Lucasfilm and Disney have both embraced the day as a way to promote the Star Wars franchise.

The slogan for today is “May the Fourth Be With You” or “May the Force Be With You.”

#Maythe4th #MayTheFourth #MayThe4thBeWithYou #NationalStarWarsDay #StarWarsDay

Activities for today

• binge stream some Star Wars movies or animations;
• make some blue milk, as is drunk on the planet Tatooine;
• spend sometime in a collector’s store browsing some Star Wars collector’s items;
• look for special sales today on Star Wars merchandise;
• hold a trivia game with your friends;
• dress up;
• perhaps plan to travel to one of the many locations that have been made famous by being used in the films: fan sites track these locations;
• throw a party with Star Wars themed food.

Here are some Star Wars recipes: https://www.starwars.com/news/category/recipes

History

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, was released on the 25th of May 1977. ^[1]Beckerman, Jim. May the fourth be with you on Star Wars Day. Passaic, New Jersey: The Herald-News. 3 May 2012. Page D1, col. 1.

Why, then, did the 4th become Star Wars Day?

The slogan “May the Fourth Be With You” first appeared connected with British politics in 1979, as a pun on Star Wars to congratulate Margaret Thatcher on her becoming British Prime Minister:

“What did happen on May 4 was the election, in 1979, of Britain’s first female prime minister, Margaret Thatcher. It was this, not “Star Wars”, that marked the first appearance of The Pun”: The Conservative Party ran an article in the London Evening News that read” “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations”. ^[2]”But Star Wars Day, launched last year in Toronto, is probably the first holiday sparked by a pun.” Beckerman, Jim. May the fourth be with you on Star Wars Day. Passaic, New Jersey: The Herald-News. 3 May 2012. Page D1, col. 1.

The actual day itself started in 2011 in Toronto, Canada, when someone picked up on the pun. ^[3]”But Star Wars Day, launched last year in Toronto, is probably the first holiday sparked by a pun.” Beckerman, Jim. May the fourth be with you on Star Wars Day. Passaic, New Jersey: The Herald-News. 3 May 2012. Page D1, col. 1. The day’s festivities were held at the Toronto Underground Cinema, organized by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn. Activities included a costume contest, a trivia contest, etc.

“In 2011, I had the idea that Star Wars Day was going to one day be a big deal with events all over the world… and if I put together a Star Wars Day party in my hometown of Toronto, Canada, it would be the case forevermore that the first Star Wars Day party in the world was in Toronto. We had costume and trivia contests, and screened a selection of the best fan films and parodies at the (since closed) Toronto Underground Cinema.” ^[4]Ward, Sean. Star Wars Day (May the 4th Be With You). 18 April 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://seanward.net/seans-blog/2017/4/28/star-wars-day-may-the-4th-be-with-you

In 2018, Heathrow Airport in London had its departure boards display flights to planets in the Star Wars universe. ^[5]McCluskey, Megan. Intergalactic Airport Celebrates May the Fourth With Star Wars-Themed Destinations. Time Magazine. 4 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at http://time.com/5266115/may-the-fourth-star-wars-day-london-airport/ Flights to Alderaan were shown as cancelled entirely.

Sources

Belam, Martin. May the fourth be with you: the Guardian Star Wars Day quiz. Manchester, England: The Guardian. 4 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/may/04/may-the-fourth-be-with-you-the-guardian-star-wars-day-quiz

Palm, Anika Myers. Star Wars Day: What to do on May 4 (and why). CNN. 4 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/04/entertainment/what-is-star-wars-day-feat/index.html

Sharma, Sampada. Why is May 4 known as Star Wars day? Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India: The Indian Express. 4 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/hollywood/star-wars-day-may-4-5161835/

Truitt, Brian. Happy Star Wars Day! Here are 6 ways to celebrate #MayThe4th and get ready for ‘Solo’. USA Today. 3 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/05/03/happy-star-wars-day-celebrate-maythe-4th-get-ready-han-solo/575919002/