Festivus
Encyclopedia
Festivus is a secular holiday celebrated on December 23 as a way to celebrate the holiday season without participating in its pressures and commercialism
. It was created by writer Dan O'Keefe
and introduced into popular culture by his son Daniel, a screenwriter
for the TV show Seinfeld
, as part of a comical storyline on the show. The holiday's celebration, as shown on Seinfeld, includes an unadorned aluminum "Festivus pole", practices such as the "Airing of Grievance
s" and "Feats of Strength", and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles".
Celebrants of the holiday sometimes refer to it as "a Festivus for the rest of us", a saying taken from the O'Keefe family traditions and popularized in the Seinfeld episode to describe Festivus' non-commercial aspect.
". According to O'Keefe, the name Festivus "just popped into my head".
.
The original holiday featured more peculiar practices, as detailed in the younger Daniel O'Keefe's book The Real Festivus. The book provides a first-person account of an early version of the Festivus holiday as celebrated by the O'Keefe family, and how O'Keefe amended or replaced details of his father's invention to create the Seinfeld episode.
Some people, influenced or inspired by Seinfeld, now celebrate the holiday in varying degrees of seriousness; the beginning of the spread of Festivus is chronicled in the 2005 book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin
.
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 twelve years earlier). Kramer becomes interested in resurrecting the holiday 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'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, Mr. 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, but celebrating Festivus. 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 cannot have time off for his new-found holiday. Kramer is then seen on the sidewalk picketing
H&H Bagels, carrying a sign reading "Festivus yes! Bagels no!" and chanting to anyone passing the store: "Hey! No bagel, no bagel, no bagel..."
Finally at Frank's house in Queens, New York, Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George gather to celebrate Festivus. George brings Kruger to prove to him that Festivus is real.
When not being used, the pole is stored in the Costanzas' crawl space.
. The original holiday dinner in the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm
cake decorated with M&M's
, as described in detail in O'Keefe's The Real Festivus. In the Seinfeld episode no alcohol is served at the dinner, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drinks from a hip flask
.
From the Seinfeld episode:
match. Evidently, the person may decline if they have something else to do, as Kramer did in the episode. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match. The Feats of Strength are mentioned twice in the episode before they actually take place. In both instances, no detail was given as to what had actually happened, but in both instances, George Costanza ran out of the coffee shop in a mad panic, implying he had bad experiences with the Feats of Strength in the past. What the Feats of Strength entailed was revealed at the very end of the episode, when it actually took place. Failing to pin the head of the household results in Festivus continuing until such requirement is met.
From the Seinfeld episode:
Miracle #1;
Miracle #2;
"festivus", which in turn derives from festus "joyous; holiday, feast day".
In the original O'Keefe tradition, the holiday would take place in response to family tension, "any time from December to May". 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.
The elder O'Keefe
wrote a book, Stolen Lightning: The Social Theory of Magic (1982), that deals with idiosyncratic ritual and its social significance, a theme relevant to Festivus tradition.
Commercialism
Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within open-market capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit...
. It was created by writer Dan O'Keefe
Dan O'Keefe (writer)
Daniel Lawrence O'Keefe is a former editor at Reader's Digest, author, and the inventor of Festivus, an annual secular holiday now celebrated on December 23...
and introduced into popular culture by his son Daniel, a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
for the TV show Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, as part of a comical storyline on the show. The holiday's celebration, as shown on Seinfeld, includes an unadorned aluminum "Festivus pole", practices such as the "Airing of Grievance
Grievance
A grievance is a wrong or hardship suffered, which is the grounds of a complaint.-History and politics:A grievance may arise from injustice or tyranny, and be cause for rebellion or revolution....
s" and "Feats of Strength", and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles".
Celebrants of the holiday sometimes refer to it as "a Festivus for the rest of us", a saying taken from the O'Keefe family traditions and popularized in the Seinfeld episode to describe Festivus' non-commercial aspect.
History
Although the original Festivus took place in February 1966, as a celebration of the elder O'Keefe's first date with his future wife, Deborah, it is now celebrated on December 23, as depicted on the December 18, 1997 Seinfeld episode, "The StrikeThe Strike (Seinfeld episode)
"The Strike" is the 166th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the tenth episode of the 9th and final season. It aired on December 18, 1997. This episode featured and popularized the holiday of Festivus...
". According to O'Keefe, the name Festivus "just popped into my head".
Traditional practices
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 him or her 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 pinnedPin (amateur wrestling)
A pin, or fall, is a victory condition in various forms of wrestling that is met by holding an opponent's shoulders or scapulae on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time. This article deals with the pin as it is defined in amateur wrestling.In amateur wrestling, a pin ends the match...
.
The original holiday featured more peculiar practices, as detailed in the younger Daniel O'Keefe's book The Real Festivus. The book provides a first-person account of an early version of the Festivus holiday as celebrated by the O'Keefe family, and how O'Keefe amended or replaced details of his father's invention to create the Seinfeld episode.
Some people, influenced or inspired by Seinfeld, now celebrate the holiday in varying degrees of seriousness; the beginning of the spread of Festivus is chronicled in the 2005 book Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin
Allen Salkin
Allen Salkin, an investigative journalist, contributes to many publications, hosts a video series on the AOL Website Slashfood, spent three years as a staff reporter at The New York Times, and appeared on a reality TV series...
.
Summary of the Seinfeld episode and the holiday's rituals
Festivus is introduced in the Seinfeld episode "The Strike," which revolves around Cosmo KramerCosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
returning to work at H&H Bagels
H&H Bagels
H&H Bagels is a popular bagel company in New York City, It is the largest bagel manufacturer in New York City and one of the largest bagel manufacturers in the world, producing about 80,000 bagels a day....
. 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 twelve years earlier). Kramer becomes interested in resurrecting the holiday when, at the bagel shop, Frank Costanza tells him how he created Festivus as an alternative holiday in response to the commercialization of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
.
- 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!"
- Kramer: "That must have been some kind of doll."
- Frank Costanza: "She was."
Frank Costanza's son, George
George Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
(Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
), 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, Mr. Kruger (Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
), 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, but celebrating Festivus. 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 cannot have time off for his new-found holiday. Kramer is then seen on the sidewalk picketing
Picket line
A picket line is a horizontal rope, along which horses are tied at intervals. The rope can be on the ground, at chest height , or overhead. The overhead form usually is called a high line....
H&H Bagels, carrying a sign reading "Festivus yes! Bagels no!" and chanting to anyone passing the store: "Hey! No bagel, no bagel, no bagel..."
Finally at Frank's house in Queens, New York, Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and George gather to celebrate Festivus. George brings Kruger to prove to him that Festivus is real.
Festivus pole
In the episode, the tradition of Festivus begins with an aluminum pole. Daniel O'Keefe credits fellow Seinfeld writer Jeff Schaffer with introducing the concept, which was not part of the original O'Keefe family celebration. During Festivus, the pole is displayed unadorned. The basics of the Festivus pole are explained by Frank in two separate situations:- Cosmo Kramer: "And is there a tree?"
- Frank Costanza: "No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinselTinselTinsel is sparkling decorative material that mimics the effect of ice or icicles. When in long narrow strips, it emulates icicles. It was originally a metallic garland for Christmas decoration. The modern production of tinsel typically involves plastic, and is used particularly to decorate...
distracting ... [I]t's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio."
When not being used, the pole is stored in the Costanzas' crawl space.
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 was shown to be some sort of meatloafMeatloaf
Meatloaf is a dish of ground meat formed into a loaf shape and baked or smoked. The loaf shape is formed by either cooking it in a loaf pan, or forming it by hand on a flat baking pan...
. The original holiday dinner in the O'Keefe household featured turkey or ham followed by a Pepperidge Farm
Pepperidge Farm
Pepperidge Farm is a commercial bakery in the U.S. founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which in turn was named for the pepperidge tree, Nyssa sylvatica. Since 1961, the company has been owned by the Campbell Soup Company...
cake decorated with M&M's
M&M's
M&M's are dragée-like "colorful button-shaped candies" produced by Mars, Incorporated...
, as described in detail in O'Keefe's The Real Festivus. In the Seinfeld episode no alcohol is served at the dinner, but George Costanza's boss, Mr. Kruger, drinks from a hip flask
Hip flask
A hip flask is a thin flask for holding a distilled beverage; its size and shape are suited to a trouser pocket.-Description: Hip flasks were traditionally made of pewter, silver, or even glass, though most modern flasks are made from stainless steel...
.
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 out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year.From the Seinfeld episode:
- 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!"
- Frank Costanza: "The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it. You, Kruger. My son tells me your company stinks! You couldn't smooth a silk sheet if you had a hot date with a babe...I lost my train of thought."
Feats of Strength
The Feats of Strength is the final tradition observed in the celebration of Festivus, celebrated immediately following (or in the case of "The Strike", during) the Festivus dinner. The head of the household selects one person at the Festivus celebration and challenges that person to a wrestlingWrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
match. Evidently, the person may decline if they have something else to do, as Kramer did in the episode. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match. The Feats of Strength are mentioned twice in the episode before they actually take place. In both instances, no detail was given as to what had actually happened, but in both instances, George Costanza ran out of the coffee shop in a mad panic, implying he had bad experiences with the Feats of Strength in the past. What the Feats of Strength entailed was revealed at the very end of the episode, when it actually took place. Failing to pin the head of the household results in Festivus continuing until such requirement is met.
From the Seinfeld episode:
- 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: "I've brought one of the cassette tapes."
- Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): "Read that poem."
- George Costanza (on a tape recorder): "I can't read it, I need my glasses."
- Frank Costanza (on a tape recorder): "You don't need glasses! You're just weak, weak!"
- Estelle Costanza (on a tape recorder): (shouts) "Leave him alone!"
- 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!"
- Frank Costanza: "We had some good times."
Festivus miracles
Cosmo Kramer twice declares a Festivus Miracle during the Festivus celebration in the Costanza household.Miracle #1;
- Sleazy Guy: "Hello again, Miss Benes."
- Elaine Benes: "What are you doing here?"
- Sleazy Guy: "Damnedest 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!"
- Jerry Seinfeld: (gives Kramer a murderous glare)
Etymology and origin
The word Festivus in this sense was made up because it sounded funny to Dan O'Keefe. The English word "festive" derives from LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
"festivus", which in turn derives from festus "joyous; holiday, feast day".
In the original O'Keefe tradition, the holiday would take place in response to family tension, "any time from December to May". 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.
The elder O'Keefe
Dan O'Keefe (writer)
Daniel Lawrence O'Keefe is a former editor at Reader's Digest, author, and the inventor of Festivus, an annual secular holiday now celebrated on December 23...
wrote a book, Stolen Lightning: The Social Theory of Magic (1982), that deals with idiosyncratic ritual and its social significance, a theme relevant to Festivus tradition.
Festivus in popular culture
- "Festivus" was the name of a seasonal Ben & Jerry'sBen & Jerry'sBen & Jerry's is an American ice cream company, a division of the British-Dutch Unilever conglomerate, that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream novelty products, manufactured by Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc., headquartered in South Burlington, Vermont, United...
ice creamIce creamIce cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
made in 2000 and 2001.
- "Festivus" was a term used by the 2000 Baltimore RavensBaltimore RavensThe Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
of the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) and their fans to denote the NFL PlayoffsNFL playoffsThe National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
. During the season2000 NFL seasonThe 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, Ravens head coach Brian BillickBrian BillickBrian Harold Billick is a National Football League game analyst for Fox, and is also an analyst for the network's Bowl Championship Series coverage. He was previously an NFL coach, most recently with the Baltimore Ravens from January 19, 1999 to December 31, 2007...
, wanting his players to focus on every game, banned the word "playoffs". Players substituted the term "festivus" for playoffs and "Festivus Maximus" for the Super BowlSuper BowlThe Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. The Ravens eventually won the 2001 Festivus Maximus, Super Bowl XXXVSuper Bowl XXXVSuper Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
. - In 2005, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
Governor Jim DoyleJim DoyleJames Edward "Jim" Doyle is a Wisconsin politician and member of the Democratic Party. He was the 44th Governor of Wisconsin, serving from January 6, 2003 to January 3, 2011. He defeated incumbent Governor Scott McCallum by a margin of 45 percent to 41 percent; the Libertarian Party candidate Ed...
was declared "Governor Festivus" and during the holiday season displayed a Festivus Pole in the family room of the Executive Residence in Madison, WisconsinMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
. Governor Doyle's 2005 Festivus Pole is now part of the collection of the Wisconsin Historical MuseumWisconsin Historical MuseumThe Wisconsin Historical Museum is a museum located on the Capitol Square in Madison, Wisconsin. The museum, which features information about the history of Wisconsin, is operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society...
. - In 2006 The Intelligencer, in an article titled "Festivus comes to town..." reported that eight young men from Brockville, Ontario, Canada set forth on a pilgrimage to Belleville, OntarioBelleville, OntarioBelleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
carrying a Festivus pole which was erected inside a local pub/pool hall, where they began "airing greivances" and performing "feats of strength". This annual tradition is celebrated on the third Saturday every December. - In 2007, a Wisconsin man requested permission to erect a Festivus pole next to Green BayGreen Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
City Hall's nativity scene as a response to public religious and secular displays. - In 2007, the first Festivus Pole Lot opened in downtown Milwaukee.
- In 2008 and 2009, a Festivus pole was erected in the rotundaRotunda (architecture)A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
of the Illinois Capitol building located in Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, IllinoisSpringfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
. In 2008, the handle of a pool cleaner was erected by 18 year old student, Mike Tennenhouse, who along with Governor Rod BlagojevichRod BlagojevichRod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
began "airing grievances" on behalf of the people of Illinois. The 2009 display was an unadorned aluminum pole. - In 2008 the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. held an "airing of grievances" on bulletin boards attached to a kiosk. These grievances were then aired by a town crier in a jester hat the following weekend.
- In 2010 an inmate at the Theo Lacy jail in Santa Ana, CA received Kosher meals for his Festivus "faith". Malcolm King was given non-salami meals for two months while the county was getting the order thrown out, arguing that kosher meals and religious observances were not a part of Festivus. The issue became mootMootnessIn American law, a matter is moot if further legal proceedings with regard to it can have no effect, or events have placed it beyond the reach of the law...
on October 5, 2010, when King was released from county jail and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. - In 2010 a CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
story featuring Jerry StillerJerry StillerGerald Isaac "Jerry" Stiller is an American comedian and actor.He spent many years in the comedy team Stiller and Meara with his wife Anne Meara...
detailed the increasing popularity of the holiday, including US Representative Eric CantorEric CantorEric Ivan Cantor is the U.S. Representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district, serving since 2001. A member of the Republican Party, he became House Majority Leader when the 112th Congress convened on January 3, 2011...
's Festivus fundraiser. - In 2010 the Christian Science Monitor, in an article entitled "Festivus becomes worldwide holiday," reported that Festivus was a top trend on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. - The punk rock band Titus AndronicusTitus Andronicus (band)Titus Andronicus is a punk/indie rock band from Glen Rock, New Jersey, USA, formed in 2005. The group takes its name from the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus, and has cited musical and stylistic influences as diverse as Neutral Milk Hotel and Pulp...
named their debut album after "The Airing of Grievances." - Connecticut CollegeConnecticut CollegeConnecticut College is a private liberal arts college located in New London, Connecticut.The college was founded in 1911, as Connecticut College for Women, in response to Wesleyan University closing its doors to women...
hosts a Festivus holiday every year in which each residence hall hosts its own party culminating in a dance in the student center.
External links
- Festivusweb.com - Festivus quotes and the script from "The Strike"