Talk Like a Pirate: Ahoy, Me Hearties!

Well, shiver me timbers and blow me down! It’s Talk Like a Pirate Day, savvy?* The unofficial annual holiday on 19 September is a whimsical event that celebrates an idealised vision of pirates and piratical life. People dress up — in private or in public, if they dare— and speak exclusively in pirate language all day

Having a ball

Originating in the United States in 1995, the idea came from two friends playing racquetball at the YMCA in Oregon. John Baur and Mark Summers goaded each other by shouting pirate phrases. They had so much fun doing it, they proclaimed 19 September Talk Like a Pirate Day. The date was chosen simply because there were no other holidays and it was John’s ex-wife’s birthday, so it would be easy to remember. In 2002, they wrote a letter to the Miami Herald and humourist Dave Barry promoted it in his column. The idea caught on and the holiday went global. 

Celebrity pirates

Cap’n Slappy and Ol’ Chumbucket are the alter egos of the founders of International Talk Like a Pirate Day. They have appeared on stage and on television and have co-authored several books about pirate culture, including A Li’l Pirate’s ABSeas, “a piratical romp through the alphabet with all that that implies. Sometimes rude, sometimes downright dangerous and subversive, but always fun and always funny.”

Defying the rules

Ol’ Chumbucket explains: “Pirates, they’re an expression of freedom... Pirates were the freest people on earth. They lived by their own rules; they rejected convention.” Songs have been written about it — and prayers, too. The holiday has been declared a Holy Day by the Pastafarian movement, also known as the Church of The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Join in the fun

Talk Like a Pirate Day is celebrated on the internet, too. Online games and websites hide pirate-themed Easter eggs and Facebook once published its site in pirate language. In the real world, not everyone chooses to dress up. Anyone can join in the fun by spending the day watching movies, reading books and playing games with friends. There is no shortage of pirate-themed material available. At the end of the day, Summers explains it’s all about ‘Pirattitude’: “If you do what you want, because it’s what you want, then you’re living like a pirate.”