There are of course plenty of TV shows and movies that have their fictional characters celebrate real-world holidays. After all, there wouldn’t be sucha market for Christmas movies(eventhe charmingly bad ones) if people didn’t enjoy seeing that holiday in fiction, for example. And then of course there are all the horror movies intrinsically tied to Halloween, romance movies about Valentine’s Day, and, in 2023, evena high-profile Thanksgiving moviegot a decent amount of love.
Yet in fictional worlds, holidays don’t have to have a basis in fact, and this results inplenty of TV shows and movies showcasing entirely made-up holidays. Some of these were inspired by real-life people or attitudes towards holidays, and some have gone on to become ironically or sincerely celebrated by fans. What follows are some of the most notable of these holidays, ranked from fairly iconic to most iconic.
10’Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1997-2003)
Night of Saint Vigeous
Buffy the Vampire Slayeris a show where demons and vampires are real (and need slaying), though such creatures do still find themselves celebrating certain historical events and holidays. The show was always very good at world-building, especially once it found itsfooting toward the end of its first season. The fictional holiday known as the Night of Saint Vigeous was one example of this world-building, and was focused on during the early days ofBuffy’ssecond season.
It’s mentioned in the third episode of season 2, “School Hard,” which is also notable for being the episode where thesometimes fan favorite, sometimes divisive Spikewas introduced. He comes to Sunnydale to celebrate the holiday, whichoccurs annually on October 4, and commemorates an ancient vampire from medieval times and the destruction he caused. Of course, attempts to rampage through Sunnydale on this occasion are cut short by Buffy Summers, pitting her against Spike for the first (and certainly not final) time.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
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9’A.P. Bio' (2018-2021)
Katie Holmes Day/Jamie Farr Day
A.P. Bioran for four seasons between 2018 and 2021, and never quite achieved mainstream success despite being a relatively well-received sitcom. Still, in a modern TV landscape wheremany shows get canceled way too quickly,A.P. Bio’srun wasn’t too shabby, and in that time, it did manage to showcase not just one, but two fictional holidays, and all within the space of a single episode.
It takes place inside a high school in Toledo, Ohio, and the characters are shown to be rather proud of the fact that that’s where renowned Hollywood actressKatie Holmeswas born.As such, Katie Holmes Day is an annual holiday celebrated there, but just as holidays in real life are contentious and sometimes divisive, so too is this fictional one. As such, there’s also a Jamie Farr Day celebrated in protest on the same day, recognizingJamie Farr(another actor hailing from Toledo) for his status as a great yet underrated comedic actor, most notably forplaying Maxwell Q. Klinger inMAS*H.
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8’Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace' (1999)
Boonta Eve
Few franchises in cinema history have quite as much backstory and history present in the worlds they’ve created asStar Warsdoes. What began as asingle movie directed byGeorge Lucasin 1977has ballooned into something gigantic, because beyond the sequel and prequel movies, there are also countlessStar WarsTV shows, video games, toys, novels, and any other kind of merchandise you’re able to imagine, much of it adding to the overall far, far away galaxy.
Even a divisive entry in the series, likeStar Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, has added things to the lore and overall storyline present throughout the franchise. Take for instancethe holiday of Boonta Eve, which was celebrated on Tatooineandcommemorated a being that attained godhood. It’s most notable for also givingThe Phantom Menacewhat’s arguably one of its best sequences: the whole pod racing scene, that event always being a component of Boonta Eve celebrations.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
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7’Puss in Boots' (2011)
Festival Del Fuego y El Pollo
Though it’s been overshadowed by its superior sequel, 2022’s emotional andaction-packedPuss in Boots: The Last Wish, 2011’sPuss in Bootsis still significant for being the titular character’s first solo movie, and for briefly featuring a fictional holiday. It’s short-lived, but in one scene in the film, various characters are shown celebrating a holiday event known as Festival Del Fuego y El Pollo, which translates to “The Festival of the Fire and the Chicken.”
There’s not a great deal of information given about it, and it’s really a background event that plays out during a larger story, which centers on Puss in Boots going on his own adventure separate from recognizable characters like Shrek and Donkey. Still, it’s also a holiday that spells out what it entails from its name alone; from what viewers glimpse,there are indeed ample amounts of fire and chicken involved.
Puss in Boots
Rent on Apple TV
6’Firefly' (2002)
Unification Day
What could have beenan all-time great action/sci-fi/drama serieswas regrettably cut down after less than one season, but at least what viewers have ofFireflyis still pretty great, all things considered. This was an expansive and hugely ambitious series that aimed to feel like a Western/action/adventure show set in space, all the while having a balance of comedy and drama thanks to its wise-cracking yet deeply human and endearing main cast of characters.
Still, with just 14 episodes (and a 2005 finale movie,Serenity), the whole world ofFireflybecame pretty fleshed out, with thebackstory surrounding the Unification War- fought before the series proper commences - being hugely influential on the events of the show. The series' protagonist, Malcolm Reynolds, fought on the losing side, and therefore hates the yearly holiday of Unification Day, where the other side celebrates their victory. Rebellious antihero that he is, he’s happy to put himself in greatdanger when it comes to protesting.
5’The Star Wars Holiday Special' (1978)
The Star Wars Holiday Specialis aninfamous so-bad-it’s-good holiday movie, yet the event being celebrated throughout much of its duration is not actually Christmas or Thanksgiving. Life Day is what the main plot ofThe Star Wars Holiday Specialrevolves around… though saying the entire thing has a plot feels generous, because numerous scenes are entirely disconnected from one another, giving the TV movie the feel of a surreal (and mostly unfunny) sketch show.
Certain scenes, however, do concern Chewbacca trying to get back home to his family so they can all celebrate Life Day, whichbegan as a Wookie holidaybut later became celebrated by other races/individuals across the galaxy. It’s perhaps a holiday manyStar Warsfans would like to forget, owing to this early piece ofStar Warsmedia being notoriously bad, but it is still a prominent event within the franchise, and worth noting, regardless of theHoliday Special’squality.
The Star Wars Holiday Special
4’The Simpsons' (1989-)
Whacking Day
Sure,The Simpsonsisn’t what it used to be, but when it was on fire, it was up there with the very best TV shows of all time. One episode from its golden era was season 4’s “Whacking Day,” with the titular holiday being explored throughout the episode. It’s an annual holiday in the town of Springfield that revolves around getting all the snakes the townsfolk can find into the center of the town, at which point the whacking commences - in other words, the snakes get clubbed to death.
Only in Springfield could the holiday exist, and naturally, it’s one that Lisa Simpson finds to be abhorrent and protests against. It can be seen as an episode about problematic or contentious holidays, or can simply be enjoyed as aSimpsonsepisode about an absurd annual event that provides a good deal of comedy.
The Simpsons
3’The O.C.' (2003-2007)
Chrismukkah
The holiday of Chrismukkah, as seen inThe O.C., is one of those rare fictional holidays that’s actually seensome people adopt it in the real world. It’s not too difficult to see why, either, becauseas the name implies, it’s a combination of Christmas and Hanukkah, the former being a Christian holiday celebrated December 25 every year, and the latter being a Jewish holiday that’s celebrated over thespan of eight days, usually around December(the dates vary a little year to year).
The O.C.might not have invented the term, but it wasdefinitely popularized within the show, and an obscure idea became a fictional holiday, which in turn became something tangible people could celebrate in the real world. It’s a way of combining two holidays into one, done by Seth Cohen in the show because his father is Jewish and his mother is Protestant, and he wants to acknowledge both faiths equally at the same time.
2'30 Rock' (2006-2013)
Merlinpeen/Holiday of Mouth Pleasures
30 Rockinvented two ridiculous holidays tied to a make-believe religion that isn’t just fictional outside the show, but also a total sham within it. This is in keeping with the show’s overall sense of humor, as itwasn’t afraid to make up other fake thingsthat were real within the context of its world. Season 4 introduces the idea of Verdukianism, which is a fake religion made up by several characters, so they can avoid taking part in another’s uncomfortable yearly Secret Santa.
The fake religion doesn’t last long,but it is fleshed out enough to havetwo made-up holidays invented for it: Merlinpeen (which involves leaving work to go to the movies) and the gross-sounding Holiday of Mouth Pleasures. It’s all very stupid, but that’s also what helps make these two fictional holidays memorable, though you’d have to be a pretty dedicated30 Rockfan to celebrate either in real life.
1’Seinfeld' (1989-1998)
One ofthe greatest sitcoms of all timeis also home to what’s arguably the greatest fictional holiday of all time. The sitcom isSeinfeld, and the holiday in question is the legendary Festivus, which is introduced in season 9’s “The Strike” as a holiday that George Costanza’s father, Frank, celebrates yearly. It’s established as one that rejects Christmas cheer and traditions, having things like a metal pole instead of a Christmas tree, airing grievances at family gatherings, and eating rather unappetizing food: here, it’s plain-looking meatloaf served on lettuce.
There’s also the feats of strength, which really just boil down to Frank showcasing how he’s still physically stronger than his son, and the declaration that minor coincidences are actually “Festivus miracles,” mainly from Kramer, who gets surprisingly attached to the idea of Festivus. It’s a hilarious fake holiday that was apparently based on a real one celebrated by the father ofone of the episode’s writers,Dan O’Keefe. It is indeed a Festivus for the rest of us, and fictional holidays have never been more iconic.
