Festivus

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Festivus
Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller, left) stands next to Cosmo Kramer (played by Michael Richards), and holds the aluminum pole his family has used in past Festivus celebrations, while talking to Jerry (played by Jerry Seinfeld) and watching his son George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) race out of Monk's Café, at the very mention of the Festivus tradition "Feats of Strength."
Observed by	The United States of America
Type	Cultural
Significance	A non-denominational holiday to be celebrated by anybody who does not wish to celebrate Christmas/Hannukah/Kwaanza
Date	December 23
Celebrations	Airing of Grievances, Feats of Strength, the Festivus Pole
Related to	Christmas

Festivus is an annual holiday invented in 1966 ^[1] by Reader's Digest writer and editor Dan O'Keefe. It was introduced to popular culture by O'Keefe's son Daniel, a scriptwriter for the TV show Seinfeld, on December 18, 1997, in the episode "The Strike".^[1] The holiday is celebrated each year on December 23, but many people celebrate it at other times, often to avoid the holiday rush.^[1] It includes novel practices such as the "Airing of Grievances", in which each person tells each and everyone else all the ways they've disappointed him/her over the past year, and after a Festivus dinner, the "Feats of Strength" are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, thereby pinning him or her.

Many people, influenced or inspired by Seinfeld, now celebrate the holiday, in varying degrees of seriousness; some carefully following rules from the TV show or books, others humorously inventing their own versions.^{[citation needed]}

Contents 1 "The Strike" 2 The Festivus Pole 3 Festivus Dinner 4 Airing of Grievances 5 Feats of Strength 6 Festivus Miracles 7 Etymology and origin 8 Other references 9 References 10 External links

[edit] "The Strike"

Main article: The Strike (Seinfeld episode)

Festivus is introduced in this Seinfeld episode, that revolves around Cosmo Kramer returning to work at H&H Bagels. He does so after learning that a 12-year strike in which he participated has ended (because the minimum wage has risen to the level of the wages demanded by the workers fifteen years earlier).

Kramer becomes interested in resurrecting the holiday with Frank when at the bagel shop, Frank Costanza tells him how he created Festivus as an alternative holiday in response to the commercialization of Christmas:

Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.

Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?

Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!^[2]

Frank Costanza's son, George (Jason Alexander), creates donation cards for a fake charity called The Human Fund (with the slogan "Money for People") in lieu of having to give office Christmas presents. When his boss, Kruger (Daniel von Bargen), questions George about a $20,000 check he gave George to donate to the Human Fund as a corporate donation, George hastily concocts the excuse that he made up the Human Fund because he feared persecution for his beliefs, for not celebrating Christmas. Attempting to call his bluff, Kruger goes home with George to see Festivus in action.

Kramer eventually goes back on strike from his bagel-vendor job when his manager tells him he can't get time off for his new-found religious holiday. Kramer is then seen on the street with a sign reading "Festivus yes! Bagels no!", and chanting to anyone passing the store "Hey! No bagel, no bagel, no bagel..."^[2]

Finally at Frank's house in Queens, Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George gather to celebrate Festivus. George brings Kruger to prove Festivus is real.

[edit] The Festivus Pole

In the episode, though not in the original O'Keefe Family celebration, the tradition of Festivus begins with an aluminum pole. During Festivus, the unadorned Festivus Pole is displayed. The pole was chosen apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, because it is "very low-maintenance," and also because the holiday's patron, Frank Costanza, finds tinsel distracting. The basics of the Festivus pole are explained by Frank in two separate situations.

Cosmo Kramer: Is there a tree?

Frank Costanza: No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting.

Frank Costanza: It's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio.

Mr. Kruger: I find your belief system fascinating.

[edit] Festivus Dinner

In "The Strike," a celebratory dinner is shown on the evening of Festivus prior to the Feats of Strength and during the Airing of Grievances. The on-air meal appeared to be meat loaf or spaghetti in a red sauce. In Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin, drinking is encouraged with hearty beer, rum, bourbon, or wine. In the episode, no alcohol was served, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drank from a flask.

[edit] Airing of Grievances

The celebration of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances, which takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner has been served. It consists of lashing into others and the world about how they have been disappointed. Every household has its own traditions, in one house the airing of grievences consisted of writing the grievances on the fridge in marker.^[3]

Frank Costanza: And at the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!

[edit] Feats of Strength

The Feats of Strength is the final tradition observed in the celebration of Festivus. Traditionally, the head of the household selects one person at the Festivus celebration and challenges that person to a wrestling match.^[4] The person may decline if they have something else to do, such as pull a double shift at work. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match. The Feats of Strength is mentioned twice in the episode before it actually occurs. In both instances, no detail was given as to what had actually occurred, but in both instances, George Costanza ran out of the coffee shop in a mad panic, implying he had had bad experiences with the Feats of Strength in the past.

Jerry Seinfeld: And wasn't there a Feats of Strength that always ended up with you crying?

George Costanza: I can't take it anymore! I'm going to work! Are you happy now?!

Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): All right, George. It's time for the Festivus Feats of Strength!

George Costanza: No! No! Turn it off! No feats of strength! I hate Festivus!

[edit] Festivus Miracles

Although it is not an official element of the holiday or its celebration, the phenomenon of the Festivus Miracle is mentioned twice in the original episode, both times occurring in the Costanza household, and both declared by Kramer.

Miracle #1;

Betting Shop Guy: Hello again, Miss Benes.

Elaine Benes: What are you doing here?

Betting Shop Guy: Damndest thing. Me and Charlie were calling to ask you out, and, uh, we got this bagel place.

Cosmo Kramer: I told them I was just about to see you. It's a Festivus Miracle!

Miracle #2;

Gwen: Jerry!

Jerry Seinfeld: Gwen! How did you know I was here?

Gwen: Kramer told me!

Cosmo Kramer: Another Festivus Miracle!!

[edit] Etymology and origin

The English word festive derives from the Latin word festivitas meaning "holiday", and the related word festus meaning "feast".^[5][6] The O'Keefe tradition did not have a set date, but would take place in response to family tension, "any time from December to May".^[7] However the original holiday took place in the "Past" day before the presentation of presents which fostered altruism in the community when supplies were diminished, and the "Future" which represented the hope of the coming year. The phrase "a Festivus for the rest of us" also derived from an O'Keefe family event, the death of the elder O'Keefe's mother.^[7]

The elder O'Keefe wrote a book that deals with idiosyncratic ritual and its social significance, a theme with great relevance to Festivus tradition.^[8]

[edit] Other references

• "Festivus" was the name of an ice cream flavor (mostly gingerbread flavoring) of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in 2000. Named after the holiday, the flavor was renamed "Gingerbread Cookie" which has now been retired to the Ben and Jerry's Flavor Graveyard.^[9]
• "Festivus" is a term used by the Baltimore Ravens (and their fans) to denote the playoffs. During the 2000 National Football League season, Ravens head coach Brian Billick banned his players from using the word "playoffs" during the season as he wanted his players to focus on every game and not look ahead. Players substituted the term "festivus" for playoffs and "festivus maximus" for the Super Bowl. The Ravens eventually went on to win the Super Bowl that season.^[10]
• Oklahoma-based winery, Grape Ranch, began producing Festivus wine in 2003.
• A 2004 episode of Jeopardy! had a Seinfeld-themed round, featuring a category entitled Festivus, in which contestants answered questions about holidays. Incidentally, this was the final episode in which long-time champion Ken Jennings played, until returning for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions.^[11]
• "Oh Festivus" (also known as "The Festivus Song") was first sung in Dallas, Texas, bars and taverns in the 2004-2005 holiday season. It is set to the tune of O Canada.^[12]
• The Wagner Companies of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, began manufacturing Festivus Poles for the 2005 season.^[13]
• In 2005, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle was declared "Governor Festivus".^[14]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• "How to make a Festivus Pole" - Short documentary on Milwaukee company that makes Festivus poles
• "Festivus in the news" - Articles from media around the world regarding Festivus.
• "A Festivus for the Rest of Us" - A Lawrence Journal-World Article
• "Fooey to the World: Festivus Is Come" - The New York Times, Dec. 19, 2004.