International Talk Like a Pirate Day: Date, History, Celebration

Ahoy, mateys! The International Talk Like a Pirate Day is here, and it is time to channel your inner Jack Sparrow; sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day: Date

If you hear someone calling you ‘matey’ or ‘me hearty’ today, do not be surprised because every year, the 19th of September (today) is celebrated as International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD). Today is the only day you get to bring out the big guns, or in this case, swords (hypothetical), eye patches, and poor grammar.

Tis’ time, me hearties, to dive into the history, significance and celebration of this day. Hopefully, you won’t be asked to walk the plank by the end of today.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday created in 1995 by John Baur and Mark Summers of Albany, Oregon, who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like a pirate (that is, in English with a stereotypical West Country accent). It has since been adopted by the Pastafarianism movement.

History:

On June 6, 1995, a racquetball match between John Baur (also known as Old Chumbucket) and Mark Summers (Cap’n Slappy) of Albany, Oregon, was interrupted when one of them yelled “Aaarrr!” in response to pain, which sparked the idea that resulted in the “discovery” of this day. Due to the Normandy landings commemoration, Baur and Summers decided to move the day to a later date and eventually settled upon Summers’ ex-wife’s birthday, as it would be easier to remember.

Started out as a joke between two friends, the day gained momentum about seven years later. In 2001, Baur and Summers wrote a letter about it to Dave Barry, an American syndicated comedy columnist. Barry was delighted by the concept and decided to support it by becoming the official spokesperson for Talk Like a Pirate Day. After Barry’s column received further media attention, the day became more widely observed, and Baur and Summers now sell books and t-shirts with the same theme on their website.

Celebrating the International Talk Like a Pirate Day:

There are only three things to consider when celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day:

• Dress up as a swashbuckling rogue / adventurer
• Use pirate lingo in your speech
• Channel your inner pirate

Watch your favorite pirate movies or read books on piracy and enjoy the day.

When we think of pirates, we think of the “Golden Age of Piracy,” as it is described in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” The adventuring book’s release in 1883 had a big influence on how the pirate became a pop culture symbol. The release of the Disney franchise ‘The Pirates of the Caribbean’ has further propagated the prominence of pirate-themed movies, series, and books.

ITLAPD is now widely regarded as the primary charity event for many charity organizations. You can dress up all you want and enjoy being a pirate for the day but do not forget to check out and donate to charity organizations such as Childhood Cancer Support and Marie Curie Cancer Care.