U.S. Celebrates Backwards Day

Eating dinner for breakfast may seem peculiar.

So would greeting people with "goodbye" instead of "hello."

However, those usually behaviors make sense in the United States on January 31.

That's because it is National Backwards Day.

On this day, some people behave contrary to the norm in subtle ways.

For example, you might play a game from finish to start.

Similarly, you could wear a T-shirt backwards, sign your name in reverse, or tell a punchline before a joke.

In the U.S., Backwards Day started in the 1960s, but it actually has roots in ancient cultures.

For example, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a day when people reversed things, including some laws.

Today, Backwards Day is still a minor holiday that will be unfamiliar to most people.

Therefore, if you decide to celebrate it, be sure to tell others what you're doing first.

 

• Backwards  뒤로 (↔forward) , 거꾸로, 반대 방향으로  peculiar pɪˈkjuːliə  (특히 불쾌하거나 걱정스러울 정도로) 이상한[기이한] (→odd), (=odd)

• greeting ˈɡriːtɪŋ (말이나 행동으로 하는) 인사 greet  맞다, 환영하다 (→meet-and-greet)  subtle ˈsʌtl 교묘한, 영리한

• make sense 의미가 통하다[이해가 되다] , 이해[설명]하기 쉽다   National  국가의, 전국적인, 전 국민의  norm nɔːrm 표준, 일반적인 것 (=rule) , 규범, 규준

• contrary to ~에 반해 서  punchline ˈpʌntʃlaɪn  (농담에서) 핵심이 되는[결정적인] 구절  root ruːt (식물의) 뿌리 (→grass roots, taproot)

• reverse rɪˈvɜːrs (정반대로) 뒤바꾸다, 반전[역전]시키다  a minor holiday 경미한 휴일