April 20 is a day of mixed emotions. For some it is a time to mourn the anniversary of the Columbine massacre and gun violence, while for others it’s 4/20, a time to get blazed out of their minds.
For a (much) smaller segment of the population, however, 4/20 is about lima beans.
Yes, really.
Believe it or not, April 20 happens to be National Lima Bean Respect Day — it’s a niche holiday, so if you haven’t heard of it, don’t feel too bad. It even surprised some of the pros.
“This is new to me,” Nathan Sano, manager of the California Dry Bean Advisory Board, told TheWrap on Friday. “I think it’s fantastic. Some of my favorite beans are lima beans, so that they’re getting recognition I think is fantastic.”
Sano said he would definitely pass along the information to his lima-bean people so that they could be better prepared with promotional material for next year.
“I would probably put together a big pot of bean soup and include some lima beans to celebrate,” he told TheWrap when asked how the day might be best observed.
The origin of the day — which is recorded in various online calendars — is a mystery, which perhaps makes the observance even more special. According to National Day Calendar, the best way to celebrate might just be eating a lot of lima beans.
“Enjoy lima beans with any of your meals as a way to celebrate the day. Share your thoughts about lima beans using #LimaBeanRespectDay on Social Media,” they say — including a hashtag which suggests the day may be of a recent vintage.
Fun addition fact — according to TrackMaven’s “ultimate list” of National Days, April 20 is also National Cheddar Fries Day, National Lookalike Day and National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day.
And who said service journalism is dead?