quitters day

We start the year with a Friday the 13th in January! Curious to know what other events are being celebrated on January 13, I did some quick research and found a couple of events that could pair well with Friday the 13th.

Blame it on Friday the 13th:
National Blame Someone Else Day is observed on the first Friday the 13th of the year. Isn’t this the essence of Friday the 13th? If something goes wrong on this day blame someone or something else.

In fact, the inspiration for National Blame Someone Else Day is Anne Moelle from Clio, Michigan who appears to have done just that. The story goes that on the first Friday the 13th in 1982, Anne’s clock alarm didn’t go off which set in motion a day filled with late appointments. She spent the day making excuses and shifting the blame for being late. Her unlucky day supposedly inspired her to create this unofficial holiday.

The origins of this unusual observance are shrouded in mystery. Is the story true? Could it be that Anne is being blamed for creating a holiday that she didn’t create? Is Anne in fact a scapegoat used to mark a day on which people blame others for their troubles? That would be ironic! However, I’m not particularly inspired by a day dedicated to blaming others (even on Friday the 13th) so I’ve selected a couple of other January 13 special days to celebrate and added a Friday the 13th tweak.

Fun Ways To Celebrate:
Writing or reading dark and Gothic poetry would be perfect for Poetry Break Day, or you could wish for auspicious dreams to help Make Your Dream Come True this night, hoping that they don’t turn into nightmares! Speaking of nightmares, Mari Lwyd, a horse that comes back from the dead, is part of Welsh New Year festivities which are celebrated on January 13.

Another interesting event is Quitters Day which is celebrated on the second Friday in January and is dedicated to all those who have made New Year’s resolutions but failed to keep up with them. Research suggests that about 80% of people abandon their resolutions within two weeks of making them. So if you made your resolutions two weeks ago and have already forsaken them, Happy Quitters Day! As for me, I’ll be celebrating Friday the 13th by making New Year’s resolutions with a skeletal horse. I’ll probably be celebrating a belated Quitters Day in two weeks time. 🙂