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5 Things to Know About ‘Festivus,’ the Iconic December 23 Holiday Popularized by ‘Seinfeld’
Festivus is upon us!
The iconic secular holiday — which is celebrated on December 23 — was made popular in a 1997 episode of Seinfeld called “The Strike.”
But did you know it’s not entirely a fictional holiday? Here are five facts about “a festivus for the rest of us.”
Who Created Festivus?
Author Daniel O’Keefe, who worked as an editor at Reader’s Digest for 30 years, originally created the holiday to commemorate his first date with his wife Deborah three years earlier, his son Dan O’Keefe revealed in the 2005 book, The Real Festivus: The True Story Behind America’s Favorite Made-up Holiday.
How Did It End Up on Seinfeld?
On the Season 9 episode — which was co-written by Dan — George Costanza’s father, Frank, is credited with creating the holiday. “When George was growing up, his father hated all the commercial and religious aspects of Christmas so he made up his own holiday,” Jerry explains in the episode.
What Are the Traditions?
The holiday was “celebrated at random times” and was “extremely upsetting” and “not fun,” Dan said on This Podcast is Making Me Thirsty (The Seinfeld Podcast). His “mentally ill” and “drunk” father, who recorded the proceedings on audio tape, would mostly spend the holiday ranting about “internal politics” at Reader’s Digest.
O’Keefe Sr. would put a clock in a bag and nail it to the wall to initiate the celebration. “I don’t know why, I don’t know what it means, he would never tell me,” Dan told CNN.
On the show, Festivus is every December 23 and begins with the “Airing of Grievances,” in which you gather your family “and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year,” Frank Costanza told Kramer. The celebration also involves “Feats of Strength.” As Frank declares, “Until you pin me, George, Festivus is not over.”
(Like O’Keefe’s father, Frank recorded the goings-on.)
Instead of a tree, it’s celebrated with a plain aluminum pole. “It requires no decoration,” Frank says. “I find tinsel distracting.”
What Is Eaten at the Festivus Feast?
The O’Keefe family usually enjoyed a turkey or ham. On the show, George’s mom, Estelle, served reddish meatloaf slices atop a bed of lettuce.
What Were the “Festivus Miracles”?
Kramer dubs two annoying moments — in which he told both Elaine’s and Jerry’s unwanted love interests where to find them — as “Festivus miracles.”
