Lovecraft Day?

Last year, there was some minor internet buzz generated with proposals to christen March 15th "Lovecraft day." It may be time to give this idea another push, since creating a day of tribute out of the date of H.P. Lovecraft's demise in 1937 would be a fine way to honor and celebrate the short life of the Providence weirdmonger. This thread on Yog-Sothoth forums was filled with ideas about a year ago in the run up to March 15th, many of which are a good place to begin searching for celebratory themes. Of course, should one near Providence or any other area fortunate enough to have organized Lovecraftian events this month, then the choice is obvious.

The rest of us, however, are tasked with forming our own appropriate festivities. This is where many of the suggestions and personal plans from the Yog-Sothoth thread are soundest. To that end, a brief list of ideas lifted from there:

• Gatherings featuring all manner of Lovecraftiana. Readings, films, The Call of Cthulhu RPG, and music help establish an atmosphere of cosmic malignancy and bizarre indulgences. It isn't a tribute to Lovecraft, after all, if there isn't a prominent place for the works and subsequent horrors he inspired that put his life on the public map in the first place.
• Following in the dietary footsteps of H.P. Lovecraft would be a trainwreck over any lengthy period of time (it's thought to have contributed heavily to his fatal intestinal cancer), but including some of his favorite foods for a party won't hurt. The Old Gent was notoriously fond of: spaghetti and meatballs, iced cream, coffee (with heaping amounts of sugar), chocolate, chili, traditional New England baked beans, cheese and crackers, turkey, and others. As one poster on Yog-Sothoth rightly put it, relishing "sweet" and "heat" was definitely Lovecraft's chosen culinary thing.
• Start a mysterious toast in the vein of the well known Poe Toaster. A Lovecraft toast need not occur at his Swan Point cemetery tombstone. Given the enormous amount of Cthulhuvian art and idols out there, it's just as fitting to do it near one of them. Finding the right drink to honor Lovecraft is no easy manner. Unlike Poe and other weird writers, he never drank, and condemned alcohol on more than a few occasions. There are always the old standbys for artists with a tie to Gothic horror: absinthe, cognac, brandy. Then again, a nice glass of applejack or another liquor that calls New England home might go over good as well.

There are plenty of other ways to honor HPL, depending on one's preferences, location, and circle of friends. Regrettably, it seems Lovecraft Day will only be observed by a few appreciative readers of weird fiction this year. Perhaps enough publication using a feistier thrust across the 'net will make this into a holiday of broader recognition by 2009 or 2010.

-Grim Blogger