May 4 is considered a holiday by
Star Wars fans to celebrate the franchise's films series,
books and culture.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The date was chosen for the easy pun on the phrase "
May the Force be with you""May the fourth be with you".
In 2011, the first organized celebration of
Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Produced by Sean Ward and Alice Quinn, festivities included an Original Trilogy Trivia Game Show; a costume contest with celebrity judges; and the web's best tribute films, mash-ups, parodies, and remixes on the big screen. The second annual edition took place on Friday, May 4, 2012.[SUP]
[5][/SUP]
Fans (even government officials[SUP]
[6][/SUP]) have celebrated Star Wars in a variety of ways in social media and on television.
Since 2013,
Disney Parks have celebrated the holiday with several
Star Wars events and festivities.[SUP]
[7][/SUP]
The Walt Disney Company had purchased
Lucasfilm including the rights to Star Wars in late 2012.[SUP]
[8][/SUP]
Minor League baseball teams such as the
Toledo Mud Hens[SUP]
[9][/SUP] and the
Durham Bulls[SUP]
[10][/SUP] have worn special uniforms as part of "Star Wars Day" promotions.
Revenge of the Fifth
Star Wars Day became so popular that the following day was jokingly called Revenge of the Fifth, a play on the Star Wars movie title
Revenge of the Sith. On this day, fans let their evil sides come out by celebrating the
Sith Lords and villains from the Star Wars series.[SUP]
[11]
[/SUP]
Trivia
In May 2005 George Lucas held a press conference in Berlin which was broadcasted live on German News-TV-Channel "n-tv". After one journalist asked Lucas if he could say the "central sentence of all Star Wars movies" once more, Lucas rightfully stated "May the force be with you" which was translated erroneously. The simultaneous translator said: "Am vierten Mai sind wir bei euch" which means "We'll be with you on May the fourth".
Bob