Backwards Day
Also known as
Backward Day
National Backward Day
National Backwards Day
Observed
annually on January 31st
Dates
Tags
Fun & Games
Weird & Obscure
Hashtags
Sources
Today is for letting one's imagination run wild, in order to find as many ways as possible to do things backwards. Children may especially have fun with the holiday, but it is for everyone. In fact, adults should probably stop acting like adults for the day and get excited about silly games like children do, as that would be a very "backwards" type of thing to do.
Multiple online sources say that the day was created by Sarah Nicole Miller and Megan Emily Scott, although no record of this could be found elsewhere. By these accounts, Sarah and Megan came up with the holiday on January 29, 1961. Apparently, they were having a discussion about making arts and crafts, while milking cows on the Miller family farm, when they came up with the idea for the day. They told the community about their idea, and the community embraced it, celebrating it on January 31, 1962. It is unknown why January 31 was the day chosen for the holiday, and why it took over a year to celebrate it after it was thought up.
How to Observe Backwards Day
Celebrate the day by using your imagination to find ways to do things backwards. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Have dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner.
- Have dessert before each meal.
- Say "goodbye" to everyone you meet and "hi" to everyone you are parting from.
- Sit backwards on any chairs you can.
- Walk backwards.
- Do whatever you want in the morning and leave your work for the evening.
- Write and read backwards.
- Wear your shirt or other clothes backwards.
- Drive your car backwards whenever safety permits.