Pop Culture dictionary

National Hangover Day

[ nash-uh-nl hang-oh-ver dey ]

What does National Hangover Day mean?

You might know it better as New Year’s Day, but the humorous holiday of National Hangover Day is also unofficially celebrated on January 1. After all the partying from New Year’s Eve, better have the aspirin ready.

Related words

National Wine Day, slizzard, hello darkness, my old friend, pity party, shitshow, turnt, New Year's Eve Eve

Where does National Hangover Day come from?

There are several claims to National Hangover Day. A joking, one-off reference appeared in a 1993 review of a concert by the jam band Phish. Urban Dictionary included an entry for National Hangover Day for January 1 in 2005, along with many humorous variations in the late 2000s (e.g., “Every day since I started college.”).

In December 2009, Warner Bros. marketed the DVD release of its hit comedy film The Hangover by declaring January 1 National Hangover Day. This event corresponds with the greatest search interest in National Hangover Day on Google.

The National Day Calendar, a popular website that tracks all of those hashtag holidays you see around the internet, added National Hangover Day in 2015. It claims it was dreamt up by two friends who observed that many of their peers were too busy nursing headaches on January 1 to kick off their New Year’s resolutions.

Examples of National Hangover Day

First national hangover day that I’m not celebrating with a hangover in like 8 years.
@WellieBoyce, January 1, 2018
If Trump ever gets removed from office or resigns, the whole following day should be tabbed National Hangover Day. #WorldsLargestCelebration
@prestoawake123, August 18, 2018
National Hangover Day is almost here. / That’s right. New Year’s Eve is fun and all, but it’s the day after that we’re here to address. / While New Year’s Day is an official American holiday, Jan. 1 is also unofficially dedicated to recognizing that much of the world will wake up with nasty hangovers after ringing in the new year with plenty of alcoholic beverages.
Abby Hamblin, The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 29, 2017
SEE MORE EXAMPLES

Who uses National Hangover Day?

Of course, the day after any holiday or occasion that includes excessive drinking may be called National Hangover Day. That includes the days after St. Patrick’s Day, the Fourth of July, and the Super Bowl.

Nevertheless, mentions of National Hangover Day and the hashtag #NationalHangoverDay spike on January 1.

Food and drink blogs are quick to offer drink recipes—particularly Bloody Marys, as they’re thought to “cure” hangovers and are also celebrated on January 1, National Bloody Mary Day—and ways to combat a hangover. The best tips? Drink responsibly.

Just Added

Midwest nice, brat, Earth Day, yassification, ♈ Aries Emoji

Note

This is not meant to be a formal definition of National Hangover Day like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of National Hangover Day that will help our users expand their word mastery.

  • Other categories