What if there could be a holiday that celebrates all of the vibrant colors that paint our world? There actually is a holiday that hue appreciators consider to be the “Christmas of colors.” Each year on Oct. 22, Americans celebrate National Color Day. No, this isn’t just a day for artists who work with colors every day. This is a day that is set aside to simply appreciate all of the wonder and joy that colors bring into our lives.
Everybody Has a Reason to Celebrate Colors
We all have reasons to celebrate National Color Day. In fact, the world as we know it simply would not exist without color. In many ways, the world is color. Think of the way a coral-colored sunset pulling down over a turquoise ocean creates such excitement and inspiration. Ponder the way a green meadow dotted with pink, purple and yellow flowers ignites your imagination.
How to Really Paint the Town Red on National Color Day
There’s no “official” way to celebrate National Color Day when it rolls around on Oct. 22 this year. However, you can certainly come up with some fun ways to create a colorful experience that allows you to tap into your creative side. Here are some suggestions for how to celebrate National Color Day:
- Host a paint party. Get canvasses, paintbrushes and paint to host a small party where everyone paints the same “masterpiece” with the guidance of a head painter.
- Go on a color scavenger hunt. First, make a long list of colors that covers both primary and secondary colors to create a real challenge. Next, head to a nature spot, your local downtown or some other area that’s bursting with color to check all of the colors off your list. This is a great National Color Day activity for kids to try.
- Wear your brightest colors to work. Bright colors are a great way to draw attention to the holiday.
- Use some temporary dye to dye your hair a wild color for National Color Day. If you want to go totally natural, everyday foods like beet juice and carrot juice will actually dye your hair temporarily.
- Paint a room in your house a bright color. If you’ve been meaning to update the paint in a room in your house, make National Color Day the day to finally get the chore off your list.
- Support a local art-supply store. This is a good day to visit a local art-supply store to stock up on some paints and art supplies.
- Make a chalk mural commemorating the day at a public park. This is a great way to spread awareness about the fun holiday.
Don’t forget to use some fun hashtags online if you’ll be celebrating National Color Day. In addition to raising awareness about the holiday, you’ll be able to connect with other people who are enthusiastic about celebrating the colors that color our world. Here’s a list of some potential hashtags to use for high visibility:
- #nationalcolorday
- #colorday
- #lovecolor
- #ilovecolor
- #celebratecolor
- #color
- #colors
- #colorsoftheworld
- #rainbow
- #art
- #artists
- #creative
- #creativity
Yes, we should all be celebrating colors. However, this is an especially important holiday to know about if you’re an educator. National Color Day is a holiday that can be incorporated into a lesson for any subject. If you teach science, you can celebrate the holiday by discussing the colors caused by chemical or thermonuclear reactions, rock formations and the reflection of light. If you teach history, you can discuss the history of colors and how different colors have been used to represent nations, dynasties and social movements over time. Of course, art teachers have every reason to make National Color Day an important day in the classroom.
Don’t Forget About International Colour Day
While Americans celebrate National Color Day on Oct. 22, the whole world actually comes together on a separate day to celebrate International Colour Day. The holiday is celebrated by more than 30 countries each year on March 21. International Colour Day was founded by the International Colour Association in 2009. To honor the holiday, institutions around the world host art exhibitions, design exhibits, fashion shows, color workshops, color contests and much more.
The reason why March 21 was chosen as the day to observe International Colour Day is because March 21 is the equinox date. As you may know, the equinox is the time of year when night and day are equally long. The minds behind the holiday felt that this was the perfect day to celebrate color because it represents the natural light and darkness that is present across all human cultures. The holiday does a great job of tying color into the very nature and existence of humanity.
