Stop for just 5 seconds… Now, raise your hand if you honestly know the true meaning of “Festivus”. We’ll wait… 1… 2… 3… 4… 5…
TIME’S UP!
Wikipedia tells us that Festivus is both a parody and a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 that serves as an alternative to participating in the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas season. Thetradition of Festivus begins with an aluminum pole. Frank Costanza cites its “very high strength-to-weight ratio” as appealing. During Festivus, the pole is displayed unadorned. According to Frank, “I find tinsel distracting.”
It has been described as “the perfect secular theme for an all-inclusive December gathering. Originally a family tradition of scriptwriter Dan O’Keefe, who worked on the American sitcom Seinfeld, Festivus entered popular culture after it was made the focus of the 1997 episode “The Strike”.
The holiday, as portrayed in the Seinfeld episode, includes practices such as the “Airing of Grievances”, which occurs during the Festivus meal and in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed them over the past year. After the meal, the “Feats of Strength” are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned.
