- Dylan Kling
Orthodox Star Wars day
When one thinks of Star Wars day it is generally excepted that it falls of May 4th or May the Fourth. It is a simple little pun of the common phrase used in Star Wars "may the force be with you". And even in more recent years has additions to it for the 5th and 6th. Many licensees like Lego often will offer special deals on Star Wars toys on this day and your social media will be flooded with people talking about Star Wars.
But to a fan of Star Wars there really isn't that much to the date that makes it special. It is a cute little pun sure but aside from the release of I, Jedi in 1998 there isn't really anything of note that came out on this day, up until 2017 when it had already become widely accepted as the official Star Wars Day.
But there is a day that does have a lot of significance that many prefer as a day to celebrate Star Wars day. A day that has come to be known as Orthodox Star Wars day. And that day is today May 25th.
This day is of course the day that started it all. The day Star Wars A New Hope was first released in theaters. In fact Return of the Jedi was also released on the 25th of May. It is a day that has much more significance to the franchise than a pun would, and a day that many prefer.
The origin of calling it Orthodox Star Wars Day can actually be a bit difficult to find as searching google trends for it shows no results. However, it seems to stem from this forum post by a user named Solo4114
And others on the forum agree, many pointing out how May 4th has actually become a day that people who don't really know much about Star Wars will celebrate, will send you memes or messages about Star Wars Day, as you being a Star Wars fan must enjoy that sort of thing. Meanwhile the 25th is the day that those who are more familiar with the franchise will take the time to rewatch the movies, or enjoy their favorite Star Wars stories with others who may enjoy them.
At the end of the day I think it just comes to personal preference, and I've heard rumblings of people being tired of the "real" Star Wars day not being celebrated for nearly a decade now. But as time passes I've seen more and more people come around to it. So I thought I'd share and see what you all think, did you know about Orthodox Star Wars day, and which Star Wars day do you prefer?
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