Festivus becomes worldwide holiday. Break out the Festivus pole! [video]

In the 13 years since Festivus was introduced on an episode of "Seinfeld," the made-up Dec. 23 "holiday for the rest of us" has moved well beyond the confines of American TV reruns to become globally recognized.

While mostly noted today among Americans, Festivus was also inspiring a number of tweets from around the world and for much of the day was a top 10 most-tweeted phrase among tweeters worldwide.

In England, Alice Rooney experienced not a Christmas miracle, but rather a Festivus miracle amid the snow that has clogged highways and brought airports to a standstill. "Making it from Bristol to London on public transport in the current climate surely qualifies as an early festivus miracle," she tweeted Dec. 20.

Even in Indonesia the fake holiday was noted today, with Haddy Kustaman tweeting: "Festivus Is Here: Time To Air Grievances." And in Australia, Mik Morley tweeted: "Look out world, the countdown to #Festivus has begun, and I has some grievances..."

Mr. Morley and Mr. Kustaman are referring to the Festivus Airing of Grievances ceremony, which, according to Festivusweb.com, is when you tell your family how they've disappointed you over the past year. This event is followed by the Feats of Strength, when the head of the household must be wrestled and pinned to the floor. Festivus is also marked with a special dinner, the erection of a bare Festivus pole, and, sometime, miracles.

At least one miracle was seen today in Canada. Miguel Yetman today tweeted from Winnipeg, Manitoba: "If my honey shows up today it will be a festivus miracle." She later tweeted: "The honey has arrived! It's a festivus miracle!"

Beyond Twitter, the holiday inspired Ben & Jerry's to develop a Festivus ice cream flavor in 2000, and the Midwest cities of Milwaukee, Springfield, and Green Bay have in past years erected Festivus poles.

"Seinfeld" popularized Festivus, but sitcom creator Jerry Seinfeld did not invent the secular holiday. According to a 2004 article in The New York Times, the actual inventor of Festivus was Dan O'Keefe, whose son was a writer on "Seinfeld" and introduced the idea for a plot line.

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