Festivus is celebrated on December 23rd following the December 18, 1997 Seinfeld episode, "The Strike". Here is the play by play on how it began and what it's all about:
Frank Costanza: "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."
Cosmo Kramer: "What happened to the doll?"
Frank Costanza: "It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born: a Festivus for the rest of us!"
Kramer: "That must have been some kind of doll."
Frank Costanza: "She was".
Instead of a Christmas Tree , the Festivus pole is displayed unadorned.
Cosmo Kramer: "And is there a tree?"
Frank Costanza: "No, instead, there's a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel distracting."
Frank Costanza: "It's made from aluminum. Very high strength-to-weight ratio."
When not being used, the pole is stored in the Costanzas' crawl space.
The labeling of easily explainable events are known as "Festivus miracles"
Gwen: "Jerry!"
Jerry Seinfeld: "Gwen! How did you know I was here?"
Gwen: "Kramer told me!"
Cosmo Kramer: "Another Festivus Miracle!"
Jerry Seinfeld: (gives Kramer a murderous glare)
The celebration of Festivus begins with the "Airing of Grievances," which takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner. It consists of lashing out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year.
Frank Costanza: "The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it."
he Feats of Strength is the final tradition observed in the celebration of Festivus, celebrated immediately following the Festivus dinner. The head of the household selects one person at the Festivus celebration and challenges that person to a wrestling match. The person may decline if they have something else to do, such as pull a double shift at work. Tradition states that Festivus is not over until the head of the household is pinned in a wrestling match.
Frank Costanza: "And now as Festivus rolls on, we come to the feats of strength."
George Costanza: "Not the feats of strength..."
Frank Costanza: "This year, the honor goes to Mr. Kramer."
Cosmo Kramer: "Uh-oh. Oh, gee, Frank, I'm sorry. I gotta go. I have to work a double shift at H&H."
George Costanza: "Who's going to do the feats of strength?"
Mr. Kruger (George's Boss): "How about George?"
Frank Costanza: "Good thinking! George, Festivus is not over until you pin me."
George Costanza: "Somebody stop this."
Frank Costanza: "Let's rumble!"
"Festivus" was the name of a seasonal Ben & Jerry's ice cream made in 2000 and 2001.
"Festivus" was a term used by the 2000 Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL) and their fans to denote the NFL Playoffs. During the season, Ravens head coach Brian Billick, wanting his players to focus on every game, banned the word "playoffs." Players substituted the term "festivus" for playoffs and "Festivus Maximus" for the Super Bowl. The Ravens eventually won the 2001 Festivus Maximus, Super Bowl XXXV.
In 2005, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle was declared "Governor Festivus" and during the holiday season displayed a Festivus Pole in the family room of the Executive Residence in Madison, Wisconsin. Governor Doyle's 2005 Festivus Pole is now part of the collection of the Wisconsin Historical Museum.
In 2007, a Wisconsin man requested permission to erect a Festivus pole next to Green Bay City Hall's nativity scene as a response to public religious and secular displays.
In 2007, in a commercialization of the holiday, the first Festivus Pole Lot opened in downtown Milwaukee.
In 2008 and 2009, a Festivus pole was erected in the rotunda of the Illinois Capitol building located in Springfield, Illinois. In 2008, the handle of a pool cleaner was erected by 18 year old student, Mike Tennenhouse, who along with Governor Rod Blagojevich began "airing grievances" on behalf of the people of Illinois. The 2009 display was an unadorned aluminum pole.
In 2008 the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C. held an "airing of grievances" on bulletin boards attached to a kiosk. These grievances were then aired by a town crier in a jester hat the following weekend.
In 2010 an inmate at the Theo Lacy jail in Santa Ana, CA received Kosher meals for his Festivus "faith". Malcolm King was given non-salami meals for two months while the county was getting the order thrown out, arguing that kosher meals and religious observances were not a part of Festivus. The issue became moot on October 5, 2010, when King was released from county jail and turned over to Immigration and Custom Enforcement.
