I am a natural redhead, part of the less than 2% of the global population that is inherently ginger. Genetic testing has confirmed I carry the melanocortin 1 genetic variant, otherwise known as MC1R. This means I lack the receptors to pick up a biochemical signal to create eumelanin, the brown form of skin and hair pigment. I only make pheomelanin, which appears as yellowish to red, thus my coppery hair and pink skin. My hair has gone a bit mousy over the years, but I still identify as redheaded.
In this era of social media, I’ve been blessed to connect with my ginger kin and the special dates we honor. The first celebration is “Kiss a Ginger Day” on January 12th. Kiss a Ginger Day was launched in 2009 by Canadian Derek Forgie in response to a Facebook campaign in November 2008 called “Kick A Ginger”. This unsavory joke was modeled on the South Park meme that redheads are “daywalkers” and not unlike vampires. Kiss a Ginger Day has all but canceled the Kick a Ginger campaign.
World Redhead Day is May 26th. This celebration day was founded by Dutch artist Bart Rouwenhorst. It all started in 2005 when Rouwenhorst sought red-haired models for an art project and received an overwhelming response. This led to the creation of a festival in the Netherlands, which has since become a global honoring of the uniqueness and beauty of red hair, promoting pride and self-confidence among redheads.
I ❤️ Love Your Red Hair Day. Observed on November 5th, this recognition of fiery tresses is my favorite day to connect with other gingers. I’ve met some awesome redheads via the hashtag #loveyourredhairday, including the amazing voiceover artist Molly Miklos, who is both immensely talented and vibrantly ginger.
There’s a method to my madness in writing about red hair on a blog about neurodiversity. Tomorrow, July 2nd, will mark the second celebration of Synesthesia Awareness Day. I’ll be online with up to 100 other synesthetes and their supporters to honor this occasion, and I am looking forward to reconnecting with the group of people I call my “synnie family”. There are still seats available for this online gathering, and you can register via this link: https://synesthesiaawarenessday.com/
Synesthesia Awareness Day was launched in 2023 by Stephen Melton, who notes that “the world has designated dates to celebrate virtually everything, from National Crouton day on May 13th, to International Talk Like a Pirate Day on September 19th, both of which are nationally recognized days”. From Stephen’s perspective, synesthesia is a beautiful and admirable but terribly under-researched and misunderstood phenomenon of the human mind and deserves a day to be celebrated. You can find Stephen’s interview on the Let’s Talk Synesthesia podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1NwUa6V5SpKxNlgWP3BJ8m?si=4ycdvtUgQPKHudD_UXQYjg.
World Synesthesia Day is May 11th, honoring the trait that is present in about 4% of the global population. This date coincided with a gathering of synesthetes and the world’s leading synaesthesia researchers at the University of Oxford over May 10th-12th 2024. The goals of the World Synesthesia Day organizers are to raise awareness of synaesthesia, build support for young people and their families, connect a knowledgeable global community of academic and research experts, artists, and creatives, and celebrate the experiences and achievements of synesthetes worldwide. World Synesthesia Day is supported by multiple international synesthesia organizations and was announced by Greg Jarvis, Canadian Synesthesia Association president, on May 8th, 2024.
I did not learn of the declaration of World Synesthesia Day until after the fact. My synesthete artist friend Ninghui Xiong posted an announcement of the inaugural World Synesthesia Day on May 12th, 2024, including his gorgeous artwork as part of the proclamation:
I look forward to honoring World Synesthesia Day and Synesthesia Awareness Day in 2025. Given my experiences celebrating the various redhead days, I think there’s plenty of cultural traction to honor both dates, May 11th and July 2nd. There are twice as many synesthetes as there are redheads (estimated 4% versus an estimated 2% of the global population). While synesthesia is an invisible trait, and red hair decidedly not so, I’m confident these two days of honoring synesthesia will help advance understanding and support for this fascinating neurocognitive difference.
