Ahoy, Matey!- It’s Pirate Day
If you are a fan of Blackbeard, Captain Hook, Johnny’s Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow or Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic book Treasure Island, then get ready to “Shiver me timbers!” on September 19. This day is none other than International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD).
If you have never heard of this parodic holiday before, then you are in for a treat! It is a day when anyone can talk like a pirate, dress like a pirate and have fun with the notion of anything that relates to pirates and the era when pirates ruled the seas.
The founders of the day were two friends from Albany, Oregon, named John Baur and Mark Summers. The idea was born on June 6, 1995, while the two played a game of racquetball. The two began to talk in pirate-speak as they were both fond of everything related to pirates. From there the idea took root.
Out of respect for the fact that June 6th was D-Day, the two decided to choose another date to celebrate Pirate Day. They chose September 19th because it was the birthday of Mark Summers’ wife and therefore would be easy to remember.
In the beginning the day was a kind of inside joke between the two friends. However, that changed in 2002 when the two men sent a letter about the pirate holiday they had created to the syndicated columnist Dave Barry. He liked the idea so much that he began to promote it, and before long it had the attention of the media and began to receive coverage on an international scope.
International Talk Like a Pirate Day was born and grew by leaps and bounds! It is a day set aside for plenty of pirate fun. You can talk in pirate tones and even wear the clothes if you so desire! There even was a song that was written and recorded for the day called “Talk Like a Pirate Day”. The artist responsible for the anthem of sorts was Tom Smith.
Whether you choose to utter the words, “Dead men don’t bite”, or “Bring me one noggin of rum, won’t you, matey?” or the most entertaining, “Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum!” enjoy the day set aside for laughter and good times and anything pertaining to pirates.
