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Holidays
Talk Like a Pirate Day
What does Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrate?
Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrates the history and speech from the Golden Age of Pirates. It's a silly, but fun thing to celebrate.
When is Talk Like a Pirate Day celebrated?
September 19th
Who celebrates this day?
Anyone who like pirates or who feels like celebrating a fun day can celebrate this day.
What do people do to celebrate?
Well, they talk like a pirate of course!
How to Talk Like a Pirate
First off, you need to growl a lot and sort of yell your words with a scowl on your face. Say "Arrrrr!" every now and then and gesture a lot.
Always say "me" not "my". For example, you would say "This is me ship", not "This is my ship".
Here are some words and phrases you can use to participate in this day:
- Ahoy! - Hello
- Aye! - Yes
- Booty - Treasure
- Colors - Flag
- Matey - Shipmate or friend
- Hearties - Friends
- Lass - Woman or girl
- Avast! - Stop
- Blimey! - Something to say when frustrated
- Savvy? - Do you understand?
- Shiver me timbers! - Something to say when you are surprised
- Yo-ho-ho - Something to say when happy
- Ye - Use this instead of "you"
- Aft - The back of the ship
- Bilge - Bottom of the ship
- Fore - Front of the ship
- Port - Left side of the ship
- Starboard - Right side of the ship
- Buccaneer - Another name for pirate
- Lad - Young man
- Scallywag - Someone you don't trust
- Shanty - Song
- Cutlass - Pirate's sword
- Doubloons - Gold coins or money
- Jolly Roger - The flag of a pirate ship
- Hornswaggle - Cheat someone
- Marooned - To get stuck on a desert island
- Walk the plank - To be forced to walk off a plank of the ship into the ocean
- Weigh Anchor - Get the ship ready to sail
History of Talk Like a Pirate Day
The holiday was originally created by John Baur and Mark Summers. The idea came to them when one of them got hurt during a racquetball game and yelled out "Arrrr!". They decided it would be funny to make a whole day where people talked like pirates. They chose September 19th because it was Mark's ex-wife's birthday and he figured it would be easy for him to remember.
At first it was just something they did for fun. They figured it would never take off. Then columnist Dave Berry wrote an article about it and the day became famous. Now a lot of people celebrate the day because it's fun and silly.
Fun Facts About Talk Like a Pirate Day
- John Baur uses the pirate name Ol' Chumbucket and Mark Summers is called Cap'n Slappy.
- Real pirates were actually bad people who did bad things. The founders of the day want people to know they are not honoring real pirates with this day, but just having some fun.
- The inventors of the holiday have a book you can buy as well as other fun pirate stuff on their website.
- The name of the holiday is sometimes abbreviated to TLAPD.
Famous Fictional Pirates
- Captain Hook - Peter Pan
- Long John Silver - Treasure Island
- Captain Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Caribbean
- Dread Pirate Roberts - The Princess Bride
- Captain Hector Barbossa - Pirates of the Caribbean
- Morgan Adams - Cutthroat Island
- Captain Crook - McDonald's commercials
- Pittsburgh Pirate - Major League Baseball
- Captain Feathersword - The Wiggles
- The Flying Dutchman - SpongeBob SquarePants
September Holidays
Labor Day
Grandparents Day
Patriot Day
Constitution Day and Week
Rosh Hashanah
Talk Like a Pirate Day
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