Widening Day

Writing prompt: Invent a holiday which is based on a natural phenomena and then describe how it is celebrated

Here is what I came up with in the allotted 20 minutes with a bit of post session editing.

The Earth's tectonic plates move which we have known for years. But it has only been fairly recently that thanks to GPS we can keep track down to the centimeter. The results are visible all over the world with mountains rising and the earth shaking and even seas widening.

Iceland sits on the ridge out in the Atlantic which is ground zero to witness the phenomena. So the people are very aware that North America is getting a bit further from Europe all the time. Granted it is slow but it is measurable. Hence they have come up with a way to celebrate the increasing distance.

When the local official who keeps track of the data announces that the Atlantic is exactly 1 centimeter wider, the next day is a national holiday. Schools and businesses close. Since the exact date is not known until it is announced they do not put up elaborate decorations weeks in advance , most of the activities can be done with little prep. They do set out carnival mirrors which make folks look wider. And the griddles are brought out so that the contest of who can flip the widest pancake can be held. Nearly a half meter is the current record

The women good naturally have a wide butt contest. Full moon required. The women's record is 52 centimeters. Then men are welcome to show off theirs too. But no measurements are taken. The men have a widest handlebar mustache contest which in theory the women can enter but none ever have. The current champ is 18 centimeters. Repeat winners in both contest are not allowed.
The kids have a taffy pulling contest to see which pair can stretch theirs the widest. The current record is well over a meter.

There are a group of naysayers who bring out the big rope and have a tug of war contest to try to stop the widening by straddling the game over the fissure.

With the average movement of 2.5 centimeters a year the celebrations shift all over the calendar. Some times Widening Day falls in June with near endless daylight. Other times it is in the dead of winter so most of the party is in the dark. One year due to extra seismic activity they had 4 celebrations.

Sure it is corny but harmless and everyone has a good time. So why not celebrate?

So I hope you enjoyed that bit of whimsy. Who else wants to come up with a fictional holiday ? Or come up with your own prompt and post a short story? Full on nudity can be included or only hinted at. Please do keep in non-porn. I am looking forward to reading your creations. Thanks

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