March 20: Alien Abduction Day? Maybe not any more....

Is this the face of an alien abductor? We may never know....

Several of the Usual Suspects mention that Wednesday, March 20 is Alien Abduction Day, but our crack research staff was unable to locate any current links marking the observance.

You do know what this means, don't you?

Obviously, everyone who knew anything about it has already been abducted!

More responsibly, March 20 will be the alleged First Day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. The vernal equinox occurs even if there's snow on the ground across much of the northern U.S., as is the case this year.

Tied to the first day of Spring is Snowman Burning Day, a microminiholidayette that seems to have originated in Minnesota. This involves building a 'snowman' out of straw and setting it on fire to celebrate the end of Winter (real snowmen being notoriously hard to burn).

World Storytelling logo design by Mats Rehnman

World Storytelling Day is also celebrated on the first day of spring. The theme this year is "Fortune and Fate," although we wonder if the organizers would be terribly upset if you instead told stories speculating on the fate of those who used to commemorate alien abduction....

Some sources, including Wikipedia, claim the very first Earth Day was observed on March 20, 1971 (although we'd dispute that -- we have a recollection of an Earth Day celebration in 1970) -- and the Wikipedia article on Earth Day backs us up. Either way, March 20 is the date on which International Earth Day is celebrated; in the United States, you'll have to wait until April 22.

Of course, Winter might actually be over by April 22.

Usual Suspect Brownielocks.com suggests that Wednesday will also be Kiss Your Fiancée Day. If a man has to have a microminiholidayette dedicated to the concept before he can be persuaded to kiss his intended bride, isn't the relationship already doomed?