From National Calendar Day and another honour to Tom Petty:
“October 6 is a day set aside each year to bring out your silly side while celebrating National Mad Hatter Day.
The fictional character, The Hatter (also known as The Mad Hatter) from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, is typically acting silly, and that is how the creators of this day decided on their theme of silliness for National Mad Hatter Day. Sir John Tenniel illustrated The Mad Hatter and all of Lewis Carroll’s colorful characters beginning in 1864. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first published in 1865.
The phrase “mad as a hatter” comes from the late 18th and early 19th centuries when haberdasheries used mercury nitrate. The exposure to this metal over time caused the tradesmen to develop symptoms making people believe they were mad.
Taking our inspiration from The Mad Hatter (or any of Carroll’s characters for that matter) we may pursue laughable, absurd or even confusing adventures on National Mad Hatter Day. Breakout from the usual routine. Ask ridiculous riddles much like The Hatter’s own, “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” Play croquet with plastic pink flamingos or wear a funny hat to work. Celebrate the day with silliness!
Did you know? Lewis Carroll (a pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodson once answered The Hatter’s riddle. In the 1896 edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Carroll wrote as part of his preface, “Because it can produce a few notes, tho they are very flat; and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front!”
HOW TO OBSERVE
Grab yourself a top hat and let your silliness out! Use #NationalMadHatterDay to post on social media.
HISTORY
A group of computer technicians in Boulder, Colorado first celebrated Mad Hatter Day in 1986 as a day of silliness. October 6 was chosen due to the label tucked in the Mad Hatter’s hat band that read ‘In this style 10/6’.”
~|*|~|*|~|*|~|*|~|*~|*~
Influenced by a mlmm conversation, I once went so far as to create, but never make live or issued iinvitations, a Mad Hatter Tuesday Tea Party blog. Needless to say, not an original idea, but a wonderdifous time spent researching. For the mad hatter always reminds me that we have 364 (and one more in leap year) unbirthdays to celebrate.
So, here’s to being mad as a hatter And, to Tom Petty.
October 7, 2017 at 9:40 am
I enjoyed reading this .
LikeLike
October 7, 2017 at 11:43 am
So glad you liked it. I am not getting the calendar folks emails so I can post the most fun, unusual, special or important days. Just starting to get into the swing of this.
LikeLike
October 7, 2017 at 12:04 pm
Fun 💜
LikeLike
October 7, 2017 at 12:04 pm
There seems to be a day for everything 🌹🌹
LikeLike
October 6, 2017 at 11:58 am
Anything Mad Hatter is wonderful and delightful and absurd and just totally appropriate … and considering it falls on the edge of the Full Moon …. Hhaahahahahahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaa – how delicious.
*sigh* wish I had more of a silly bone and felt up to just breaking out the truly wild and eccentric :S
LikeLike
October 7, 2017 at 11:42 am
You can do it — just suspend your thought that you don’t have a silly bone, go outside in mismatched socks and shoes, blow bubbles or raspberries, do an interpretative dance (I know that is difficult — so just be as funky as you can). Once you take that first stupid, inane, crazy, mad step outside (or inside — outside is just a bigger declaration) then the next is easier.
Believe me — I am as mad as a hatter — always have been . . .
LikeLiked by 1 person
October 7, 2017 at 12:03 pm
I’m as mad as a hatter too – just conceal it very well – for all kinds of reasons – and well, I just don’t have the energy and drive anymore ~ I feel wasted.
But those are great ideas – they make me smile :D
LikeLike