Festivus

Festivus is a nondenominational holiday featured in an episode of Seinfeld, a popular American television sitcom of the 1990s. It was featured on episode number 166 of the show, entitled "The Strike", which first aired on December 18, 1997. Many people, influenced or inspired by Seinfeld, now celebrate, in varying degrees of seriousness, the holiday in real life. The definitive book on the holiday Festivus: The Holiday for the Rest of Us by Allen Salkin, with a foreword by Jerry Stiller is coming out 26 October 2005.

Related Topics:
Nondenominational - Holiday - Seinfeld - American - Sitcom - 1990s - December 18 - 1997 - Allen Salkin - Jerry Stiller - 26 October - 2005

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Festivus is celebrated each year on December 23. Its slogan is "A Festivus for the rest of us!"

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The character Frank Costanza (played by Jerry Stiller) created it as an alternative holiday in response to the commercialization of Christmas. He explained its origins during the episode to the character Cosmo Kramer (played by Michael Richards), as related in the following dialogue:

Related Topics:
Frank Costanza - Jerry Stiller - Christmas - Cosmo Kramer - Michael Richards

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: Frank Costanza: Many Christmases ago, I went to buy a doll for my son. I reached for the last one they had, but so did another man. As I rained blows upon him, I realized there had to be another way.

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: Cosmo Kramer: What happened to the doll?

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: Frank Costanza: It was destroyed. But out of that a new holiday was born . . . a Festivus for the rest of us!

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: Cosmo Kramer: That must've been some kind of doll.

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: Frank Costanza: She was.

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In the episode, Kramer had become interested in resurrecting the holiday after hearing the plight of his friend—Frank Costanza's son—George (played by Jason Alexander), who used the holiday celebration he hated in his youth as a defensive excuse to his employer, Kruger (played by Daniel Von Bargen). George had been confronted by Kruger after handing out cards for Christmas to his fellow employees stating a donation had been made to a fake charity (invented by George) called The Human Fund (with the slogan "Money For People") in lieu of exchanging Christmas presents. George defended himself saying that he feared persecution for his beliefs, for not celebrating Christmas. Calling his bluff, Kruger came home with George to see Festivus in action.

Related Topics:
George - Jason Alexander - Daniel Von Bargen

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