What is Opposite Day?
Most experts agree that Opposite Day is observed on January 25. but other experts claim it is celebrated on January 7th. Still others believe that it is to be celebrated every month of the year on the 25th day. Either way children across the country rejoice in this day as they declare they mean the opposite of whatever they say. I would love to do the dishes! Broccoli is my favorite food! I didn’t push my brother in the mud! Here is a serious question… What is the opposite of Opposite Day?
History of Opposite Day
Opposite Day has been declared for January 25 but its advent and development is legendary, at minimum. Considered a “children’s philosophy course,” Opposite Day has wormed its way into our jokester hearts by creating a perfectly comprehendible self-referential paradox.
By declaring today is opposite day it is not, in fact, opposite day because the opposite of opposite day is a normal day. So is it actually opposite day?
One of the truest pop-cultural moments in opposite day history has been the George Costanza method of “doing the opposite.” George, realizing his life has gone nowhere, decides to do the opposite of whatever he would typically be doing in any situation. The end result is that the typically horizontal, curmudgeon George suddenly becomes an active, sincere, and honest person.
Whether you choose Opposite Day to derail your workplace’s productivity with philosophical logistics, or to create better habits that help you realize a healthier version of yourself, Opposite Day’s history is one of mischief, humor, and profound realizations.
Opposite Day is the worst day for not saying anything to the people far away from you. You can’t have fun today, as nothing is allowed and nobody wants to have fun with you. Of course, on Opposite day, all of that means the opposite! It’s the best day of talking to the people close to you, having fun is the absolute most important thing you can do, and everyone is going to want in on it! Opposite Day may be infuriating for some, but it can be the best (worst?) fun you’ll have all year!
Learn about Opposite Day
Opposite Day is a fun day where you can say the opposite of what you mean! It’s a great opportunity to make everyone laugh by saying the opposite of what you would usually say. It also gives you the opportunity to be a little bit cheeky and say the things you have always wanted to say but never usually do. After all, you’re only saying it because it is Opposite Day, right? You can also do activities in the wrong order. For example, you could decide to have breakfast for dinner – pancakes anyone? You could even wear your clothes backward! It’s up to you how much you want to embrace the theme of this day.
There are a number of reasons why we love Opposite Day, and so do many other people too! In fact, if you or your children are fans of Spongebob Squarepants, you will have probably seen the episode about it. This day is a great opportunity for pranksters – from the major pranksters to those with a secret silly side – to embrace their sense of humor and play tricks on people! If you are a fan of Aprils Fools’ Day, you can’t possibly dislike Opposite Day.
History of Opposite Day
Opposite Day is particularly popular among children, who enjoy the kind of absurdity that can happen when everything you say is backward. This kind of thing can open the mind to some incredibly diverse ways of thinking, and it’s stimulating trying to keep up with everyone saying the opposite of what they actually mean. The more cynical of us may wonder how this is any different from the rest of the year.
Opposite day requires mental dexterity, a quick wit, and the ability to pick words we may not use every day out of the cobwebbed recesses of our brain. Not only that, but some of the things we may be overheard saying to our friends and coworkers may be nothing short of outrageous! Be careful though, you want to make sure the people you’re talking to know its opposite day, or you may wind up hurting someone’s feelings.
Opposite day has shown up in a lot of different forms of media, from Spongebob Squarepants, where Spongebob uses the nature of the day to try to prevent his neighbors from stopping the sale of his house, to The Grim Adventures of Bill & Mandy where they celebrated the madness of this very special day, and tried to remain sane through it all!
How to celebrate Opposite Day
It starts with revving your brain up to be ready for a day of opposite sayings! When you like something say how much you hate it. Tell someone how delicious something with a bitter face, and then spit it out. There are millions of ways you can twist your tongue around words that are antonyms of what you mean! You can tell people what a nice night it is when you actually mean what a nice day it is, and tell them that you’ll see them yesterday when you leave for the night! Opposite Day is a terrible.. I mean great… I mean terrible time for everyone!
There are a lot of different traditions that people tend to embrace on this date. No matter what you do, make sure you declare that it is Opposite Day at some point! The last thing you want to do is offend someone because you have been horrible and not explained the reasons why! A lot of people like to use Opposite Day to insult someone and see their reaction.
The horror on their face when you say something mean and then the sheer sense of relief when you say it is Opposite Day is camera-worthy. Of course, you know who you can play these sorts of jokes on. Opposite Day is only appropriate for your close circle in most cases. We would never recommend that you go up to your college lecturer and brutally insult them, for instance, even if you do say it is Opposite Day afterward we’re not quite sure how that would go down!
There are plenty of other ways that you can get in on the action on Opposite Day. One thing that we love to do on this date is absolutely nothing! After all, we all spend our lives running around at a frantic pace, trying to complete different tasks, and so it is nice to have a day where we do nothing at all.
Another simple yet highly effective way of embracing Opposite Day is by saying “goodbye” to people whenever you greet them. The confusion on their face is worth it! You could also call in sick for work or college but then you could show up anyway. There are plenty of other unique suggestions online if you are looking for a bit of inspiration, so we are sure you will be able to find something that works for you.
Traditions of National Opposite Day
Declare that it is indeed Opposite Day
This is a pretty basic one, but a strong tradition in Opposite Day culture is to declare loudly to anyone within earshot that it is, in fact, Opposite Day. Oftentimes posing it as a question is a great way to break the ice with someone.
Compliment somebody
And then tell them it is actually Opposite Day, so the previous compliment is then nullified leaving the recipient both confused and humored.
Brutally insult somebody
And then inform them its Opposite Day, leaving the insult null and void and giving the recipient a keen sense of relief and a little adrenaline kick to get back at you for the initial panic.
