Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You)

Star Wars Dayis an unofficial international holiday celebrated each year on May 4. That date became a holiday because “May the fourth” is a pun on a favorite line from the Star Wars movies, “May the Force be with you.” Fans use the day to celebrate the Star Wars movie franchise and all things related to it. The day began as an informal commemoration by fans of the movie series. After the Walt Disney Company purchased the rights to Star Wars in 2012, the company embraced the holiday and launched official events to commemorate it. The day has since become an opportunity for special events, sales, and other activities with a Star Wars theme.

Background

The original Star Wars movie, Star Wars: A New Hope,was released on May 25, 1977. Originally titled simply Star Wars,it was followed by two sequels featuring the original cast. The movies were so overwhelmingly popular around the world that years later three prequel movies and three sequel movies were made, along with several anthology films. A vast array of other shows, books, comic books, theme park attractions, video games and other items continue to add to and expand on the Star Wars world.

An iconic line used in the Star Wars universe from the first episode is “May the Force be with you.” It refers to the mystical life energy field that gives special powers, both good and evil, to some of the characters. The Force is portrayed as having a will of its own that can compel the characters to turn to “the Dark Side” and commit acts of evil. The battle between those who use the Force for good and those who have turned to the Dark Side is central to Star Wars. The phrase “May the Force be with you” is a message of good will shared by the characters as they part company to head into an adventure or battle.

The first recorded use of this line as a pun involving May 4 occurred in 1979 in Great Britain. Conservative Party supporters of new Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the first woman to hold that role, took out a full-page ad in the London Evening News. The ad read in part, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations,” a reference to the fact that she was elected on May 4. Several other British politicians and public figures used this same pun in subsequent years.

Overview

Social media helped spread the pun-fueled connection between the films. Star Wars Day was welcomed by the movies’ fans, who began celebrating the day in a wide variety of ways. Movie marathons, costumed role playing events—also known as cosplay—and parties were among the most common. However, for the first several decades after the line was first uttered on screen, the celebrations were mainly confined to grassroots-type events held by fans.

The first formally organized event in recognition of Star Wars Day came in 2011 at the Toronto Underground Cinema. Highlights of the inaugural May 4 event included screenings of the franchise movies made to that point and a costume contest. Other activities that day included showings of fan-made movies and parody films as well as musical tributes to the movie franchise.

These celebrations were unofficial, without involvement by Star Wars creator George Lucas or anyone from his company, Lucasfilms. This changed after the Walt Disney Company purchased the holdings of Lucasfilms—including rights to the Star Wars franchise—on October 30, 2012, for $4.05 billion. The following May 4, Disney fully embraced the fan-favorite holiday by hosting events in both its American theme parks. These included appearances by costumed characters from the Star Wars universe, parties with those characters, and a fireworks show featuring music and effects from the movies.

Disney’s endorsement of Star Wars Day led to an explosion of related promotions and events. Businesses licensed to sell Star Wars-related merchandise began offering sales around the celebration and produced special commemorative gifts. These became so prevalent that media began publishing articles compiling all the deals, much like what happens at the start of the Christmas holiday season on Black Friday.

It also became common for new Star Wars-related movies, shows, and games to be released on May 4. Radio stations and others sponsored costume and trivia contests. Sports teams incorporated celebrations of the day into their promotional events, such as featuring Star Wars music and costume characters in arenas on May 4, wearing special themed jerseys, and offering other promotional items. Libraries and other community organizations also take advantage of the date to promote Star Wars or space-themed events and encourage people to join in their activities.

In the first decade after Disney began encouraging Star Wars Day events, the celebrations grew to include a wide range of fundraising events. Many charities adopted Star Wars themes to promote early-May fundraising events, such as walkathons. During the 2020 global COVID-19 pandemic, the European Union capitalized on the huge amount of Internet traffic generated by the hashtag #MayThe4thBeWithYou and related gifs and memes to promote support for Coronavirus Global Relief efforts.

Fans continued to celebrate the day in large and small ways more than forty years after “May the Force be with you” was first spoken on the screen. Each year, media sources suggest party ideas, recipes for Star Wars-themed food and beverages, craft ideas, and trivia questions. The popularity of the day became so great that it spawned its own sequel. May 5th has become known as Revenge of the Sith (Fifth) Day, a play on the title of the third Star Wars movie by the same name. While May 4 is generally devoted to celebrating the heroic characters of the film franchise, May 5 is a day when fans celebrate those who turned to the Dark Side of the Force, known as the Sith Lords. Some fans choose to celebrate this day on May 6, because they find sixth to sound more like Sith.

Bibliography

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