Why are there two Mermaid Days and when are they?

One thing I’ve found interesting ever since I started tracking weird holidays and observances is how often there are two (or more) of the same day. Take Mermaid Day for instance. In one way it’s sort of surprising that there’s even one, but there are actually two.

However, I’ve never taken the time to look at either…until now. They’re both basically the same but with a slight difference. Let’s check them out.

International Mermaid Day: March 29

Sometimes weird and unusual days have no origin story, which is frustrating. Luckily, that’s not the case with International Mermaid Day.

According to Days of the Year, Freeform TV launched it in 2018 as part of the publicity for their new series, Siren.

The show ended after three seasons in 2020 but the day that was created in its honor has so far endured. We’ll see if that continues or not.

Something tells me that it will, though. And it might become the preferred one.

National Mermaid Day: September 8

This one came first, for reasons I’ll get into below, but it’s also an enigma.

Besides not knowing when it first started, or who created it, I also don’t know which nation celebrates it. (I’m assuming the United States, but you know where assuming often leads.)

I don’t even know when I first listed it. If memory serves correctly, I want to say before International Mermaid Day. The trouble is I have no way to verify that. Also, I can’t always trust my memory.

It’s also not listed on any of the calendar sites I use for reference. But once upon a time, it must’ve been. I’m sure of that because how else would I have learned of it? Also, I made a note to myself: “Hey, there are two mermaid days. Why? Investigate that.”

I’m pretty sure I noted that after adding learning of the one on March 29.  (And stumbling upon that note is in part why I’m writing this post.)

However, even though the origins of this holiday are obscure, I know others knew about it too. I found references in other places, including

1. An article on Bake about a California Bakery that made mermaid donuts for the day in 2017.
2. On Hidden in the Crag, who in 2018 wrote about both and how Sirens was the impetus for the second one.
3. In a story from Hawaii’s KHON2 in 2019 about how the Mermaid Republic turned people into mermaids and mermen to celebrate the day.
4. On the Mermaid Society of Texas, which had an event to celebrate the day on September 8, 2019.

Another Mermaid Day

However, in my quest to find information on the other two, I discovered newspaper articles about another one.

In 1973, the city council of Lebanon, Illinois, granted the Lebanon Historical Society permission to hold a Mermaid Day on June 2 of that year. It was a fundraiser for the restoration of the town’s historical Mermaid Inn.

It must’ve been a success because it was held for at least a few years after that. Another newspaper article in 1977 even mentioned how it had a Miss Mermaid beauty contest.

However, it doesn’t appear Lebanon celebrates its Mermaid Day anymore. Or if it does, I didn’t find a record of it. However, according to the City of Lebanon, the Mermaid House Inn has been partially restored and is open for tours.

Check-In

What’s your Mermaid name and occupation?