Peculiar People Day

What the day is

Peculiar People Day is observed on January 10. It honors people who are unusual, quirky or different from the norm, and it asks everyone to appreciate the oddities in the people around them, and in themselves. Its origin is not documented, and nobody claims to have started it.

The word peculiar is neutral. It can be a compliment or a complaint, depending on how it is said, and the day leans toward the compliment: the interesting person in your life is probably also the peculiar one.

Origin and background

The history of the word is more interesting than it first appears. Peculiar comes from the Latin peculiaris, meaning of one's own, from peculium, private property, which in ancient Rome originally referred to a person's own cattle. In older English, something peculiar was something that belonged to a particular person or group. The King James Bible calls God's chosen people a peculiar people, and the phrase meant a people who were his own special possession, not an odd one.

Over time the meaning shifted from belonging to a person, to being particular to them, to being unusual. That progression suggests something true about eccentricity: what makes a person peculiar is usually that they are distinctly themselves.

Research on creativity and innovation often finds that people who think differently are the source of fresh ideas, as long as the setting makes room for them. Many of the people history remembers were considered strange in their own time.

How to take part

• Tell a peculiar friend or relative what you enjoy about them.
• Share your own odd habit or interest with someone, and ask about theirs.
• Read about a famous eccentric, such as an inventor or artist whose habits baffled their neighbors.
• Spend time with someone whose interests are very different from yours, and ask questions rather than judging.
• Be kind to someone who stands out, particularly a child, since being different is easier when others are welcoming.