FEATURE – As the Year 2022 begins its second month, a “Twos Day” of epic proportions looms just three weeks ahead.
Twenty-one days from now, Tuesday, Feb. 22, or 2-22-22, will see the most deuces in a calendar date since one century ago.
But this time around, it fittingly falls on a Tuesday.
Actually, the similar sounding Norse war god for which the day of the week is named (Tiu or Tew in Old English, Tyr in Norwegian) has nothing to do with the numeral two. It’s merely a happy coincidence.
In addition, although February may be the second month in the current Western calendar, it wasn’t always the case. It used to be the last one of the 12, being tacked on to the Roman calendar along with January in about 700 BC, which is why September, October, November and December aren’t Nos. 7, 8, 9, and 10 anymore, like their etymological roots suggest.
For many years, Feb. 22 was celebrated as a federal holiday, as it’s the birthday of George Washington. Nowadays, Washington’s Birthday, also commonly called Presidents Day, is now observed on the third Monday of February.
Feb. 22 is Founders Day for the Boy Scouting movement, recognizing Lord Robert Baden-Powell’s birthday. It’s also National Margarita Day and National Cook a Sweet Potato Day, among other things.
But maybe “Twos Day” is best celebrated by partnering up with someone and dressing as twins. Go shopping and get a buy-one-get-one free deal. Play some cards, deuces wild. Engage in meaningful dialogue, ride a bicycle, fill a balloon with helium, eat some Twix candy bars, draw a yin-yang symbol or do any number of other things that involve the number 2.
Whatever you do, make sure you do it with someone else. No singles or solos allowed. Which brings to mind the following catchy limerick that is also a tongue-twister:
“A tutor who tooted the flute,
Tried to tutor two tooters to toot.
Said the two to the tutor:
“Is it harder to toot, or
to tutor two tooters to toot?”
Or the oft-quoted rhyming couplet from Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” chanted by the witches:
“Double, double, toil and trouble
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”
Hopefully, you won’t encounter any trouble, though. Beware the “Zwei-light” Zone. Instead, double the pleasure, double the fun (math teachers, it’s your day to shine!)
Finally, remember on Tuesday, Feb. 22, you’ll have not one but two chances to see all twos appear on your watch, phone or clock: at both 2:22:22 a.m. and 2:22:22 p.m.
Happy upcoming Twos Day, everyone! P.S. The final word count for this story is 444 words, or 222×2.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.