Pop Culture dictionary

National Paranormal Day

[nash-uh-nl par-uh-nawr-muhl dey]

What does National Paranormal Day mean?

Zoinks, Scoob! National Paranormal Day is an unofficial holiday on May 3. It celebrates and encourages discussion of paranormal activity and investigation.

Related words

National Bacon Day, National Hangover Day, National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, National Wine Day, scary maze game, Spooky Scary Skeletons, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Where does National Paranormal Day come from?

ssmyg / Getty Images

Paranormal describes purported, supernatural phenomena that has no scientific explanation, such as ghosts, Bigfoot, UFOs, and ESP. While mythology has long attempted to understand paranormal experiences, the paranormal continues to fascinate us today, from TV shows like the X-Files and Ghost Hunters to countless films, such as 2009’s aptly named Paranormal Activity.

National Paranormal Day, which occurs on May 3, is a novelty, unofficial holiday meant to celebrate and encourage paranormal phenomenon. Fittingly enough, the origins of National Paranormal Day are a mystery. So is why it is marked on May 3 each year, as no significant paranormal event appears to have happened on that day. The radio show Coast to Coast AM theorizes, however, this date may have been chosen because Charles Fort, an influential author and research of the paranormal, died on that day in 1932.

National Paranormal Day was first mentioned on Twitter in 2009. At the time, people were observing the occasion on both May 3 and August 10, though the former date prevailed. The holiday was entered onto the website National Day Calendar in July 2014.

Examples of National Paranormal Day

Today is National Paranormal Day! Someone get out the Ouija Board x)
@ki_lee_johnson, May 2014
Today is National Paranormal Day. Spooky! Does anyone have a good ghost story or encounters in the Black Hills?
@VisitRapidCity, May 2012
David Weatherly / Two Crows Paranormal  
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Who uses National Paranormal Day?

Casual observers of National Paranormal Day may mark the day online with the hashtag #NationalParanormalDay on May 3. Activities on the day may include watching favorite scary movies or discussing various paranormal content, such as ghosts.

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Note

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