Sixteen years ago, Frank Costanza’s eccentricity led to the birth of the world’s greatest fake holiday.
In 1997, “Seinfeld” premiered “The Strike,” one of the hit show’s most popular episodes. During the episode, George Costanza’s father, Frank, explained the utterly ridiculous circumstances under which his creation, the nondenominational holiday “Festivus,” came to exist.
Let’s backtrack for a second. At the start of the episode, George, Jerry and Elaine are sitting in their favorite diner, Monk’s, when Elaine reaches across the table and steals George’s holiday card. Elaine sees the word “Festivus” on the card, and she asks George to explain. In typical fashion, George attempts to deny its existence, but Jerry chimes in with a full explanation.
When George was a kid, his father got tired of all the commercialism associated with normal holidays, so he decided to create his own—with disastrous consequences for George’s fragile psyche. When Jerry points out that Frank put up an unadorned aluminum pole instead of a Christmas tree, a traumatized George becomes so upset that he storms out of the diner.
Unfortunately for George, Kramer hears about “Festivus” and decides to track down Frank in hopes of rekindling the holiday. In a classic Costanza rant, Frank explained how Festivus came to be:
“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. A new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!”
Want to celebrate Festivus on your own? Here's a quick rundown about the holiday's traditions. Held annually on Dec. 23, the Festivus celebration consists of the following phases: Festivus Dinner, Airing of Grievances, and Feats of Strength. The aforementioned aluminum pole serves as the centerpiece of the home's decorations.
During the Airing of Grievances, family and friends sit at a table and talk about all the ways they have disappointed each other in the past year. For example, during “The Strike,” Frank directs his criticism as George’s boss, Mr. Kruger, telling him that his company “stinks.”
The Feats of Strength are similarly traumatic; the head of the household gets to choose a family member or friend and challenge them to a wrestling match. Festivus can’t officially come to an end until the head of the household has been successfully pinned.
This seems to be the part of the holiday that most bothers George. During the episode, Frank initially challenges Kramer to a wrestling match, but when he declines, George is forced to step in and fight his father. Needless to say, the fight did not go well for him.
“Seinfeld” may have driven the popularity of Festivus to new heights, but the obscure holiday actually has real-life origins. The holiday was invented in the 1960s by the father of a “Seinfeld” screenwriter, David O’Keefe, the New York Daily News notes.
Now that you know the basics of Festivus, go out there and celebrate. Here’s hoping you experienced a Festivus miracle.
What Is Festivus? Everything To Know About Fake 'Seinfeld' Holiday Traditions And Origin [VIDEO]
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