Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
{{Short description|Informal holiday}}
File:Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.jpg
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is an informal holiday celebrated on the first Saturday in February when some people deliberately eat ice cream for breakfast.
History
The holiday was invented on a snowy February morning during the 1960s by Florence Rappaport in Rochester, New York, the mother of six children. To entertain her two youngest children, Ruth (now Kristal) and Joe she declared it to be Ice Cream For Breakfast Day.{{cite news |date=31 January 2014 |title=Homemade Holiday? Rochester Family has the Scoop on it |url=http://www.icecreamforbreakfastday.org/1985-rochester-democrat-and-chronicle-article/ |newspaper=Rochester Democrat & Chronicle |page=1A |agency=United Press International and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle |orig-year=1985-02-02}} She explained, "It was cold and snowy and the kids were complaining that it was too cold to do anything. So I just said, 'Let's have ice cream for breakfast.'"{{cite news |last=Grant |first=Tracey |date=February 5, 2004 |title=Ice Cream for Breakfast Day? |url=http://www.icecreamforbreakfastday.org/2004-washington-post-article/ |access-date=July 6, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} The next year, they reminded her of the day and a tradition began. When the siblings grew up, they held parties and introduced the tradition to friends while in college, and the tradition began to spread.
Global spread
Celebrations have been recorded in the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and China.{{cite web|title=Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.org|date=29 January 2014|url=http://www.icecreamforbreakfastday.org/2009-cosmo-magazine-chinese-edition/|access-date=31 January 2014}}
Ice Cream for Breakfast Day was brought to Israel by Ruth.{{cite news |last=גלעד |first=אילון |date=February 1, 2013 |title=Ice Cream for Breakfast Day |url=http://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/2.444/1.1918548 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203201750/http://www.haaretz.co.il/misc/article-print-page/1.1918548 |archive-date=February 3, 2019 |access-date=31 January 2014 |newspaper=Haaretz}} In 2020, The Jerusalem Post reported that some 100,000 people in Israel were expected to mark the celebration according to research by Ben and Jerry's.{{Cite news |date=January 31, 2019 |title=100,000 Israelis to celebrate Ice Cream for Breakfast Day |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/100000-Israelis-to-celebrate-Ice-Cream-for-Breakfast-Day-579324 |access-date=February 2, 2020 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post}}
Celebration
Ice Cream For Breakfast Day is officially celebrated on the first Saturday of February. The website describes the holiday as only having three rules:
- Eat ice cream.
- On the first Saturday of February.
- For breakfast.{{cite web|title=When to Celebrate|url=http://www.icecreamforbreakfastday.org/?p=110|access-date=31 January 2014}}
Many people choose to celebrate the holiday on another February weekend morning, according to their schedule.
Charity events
In recent years, several ice cream shops around the United States have started to use the day to raise money for charities, and to attract some cold weather customers.{{cite web |date=February 1, 2014 |title=Local creamery celebrates "Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day" |url=http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s3307923.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140304033636/http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s3307923.shtml |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |publisher=WHEC-TV}}{{cite web |last=Detter |first=Ryan |date=January 29, 2014 |title=The Charmery celebrates National Ice Cream For Breakfast Day |url=http://blogs.citypaper.com/index.php/feedbag/charmery-celebrates-national-ice-cream-breakfast-day/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327002205/http://blogs.citypaper.com/index.php/feedbag/charmery-celebrates-national-ice-cream-breakfast-day/ |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |website=Baltimore City Paper}}{{cite web |date=January 24, 2014 |title=Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is Saturday |url=http://roc.democratandchronicle.com/article/20140130/ENT03/301300001/Eat-Ice-Cream-Breakfast-Day-Saturday |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140304033647/http://roc.democratandchronicle.com/article/20140130/ENT03/301300001/Eat-Ice-Cream-Breakfast-Day-Saturday |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=July 6, 2024 |publisher=Democrat and Chronicle}}{{cite web |last=MacKenzie |first=Pamela |date=February 4, 2014 |title=Fundraiser serves up ice cream for breakfast |url=http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20140202/NJCARING/302020037/Fundraiser-serves-up-ice-cream-breakfast |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140304033700/http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20140202/NJCARING/302020037/Fundraiser-serves-up-ice-cream-breakfast |archive-date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=4 March 2014 |website=Courier News}}