Draft:Centaur Day

Centaur Day is a day of commemoration and celebration each year on May 14th. Around the world there are differing reasons for observing Centaur Day. For some, it is a time of remembrance, commemorating the lives lost in the sinking of the AHS Centaur in 1943. For others it is a time of celebrating the Greek mythological creatures known as Centaurs.

Centaur Memorial Day
In its memorial relation to the AHS Centaur, Centaur Day was first observed on May 14th, 1948, five years after the ship’s tragic sinking. This first commemoration was organized by the Centaur Memorial Fund in an effort to honour the 268 lives lost in the incident. “Red Roses for Remembrance” became a key symbol in the commemoration of Centaur Day, as the Centaur Fund began selling roses made of crepe paper and wire to fund the construction of a memorial building. The Centaur Memorial Fund for Nurses continues to honour the memories of those who died on the AHS Centaur through the memorial building, providing financial support for nurses in post graduate studies, and in organizing Centaur Day memorial services. The day is still observed by many, including local school groups, and commemorations on May 14, 2023 included a new documentary screening to mark 80 years since the sinking of the AHS Centaur.

International Centaur Appreciation Day
International Centaur Appreciation Day is an event which appears to be mostly celebrated online through social media, with evidence of smaller in person gatherings as well. It is a day participants have chosen to celebrate the greek mythological creatures, centaurs. The origins of the event are unclear, with some attributing the date to the birth of the first centaur, and others to a Canadian centaur icon made in 2014. The inception of the holiday is officially listed as beginning in 2023, however there is also evidence of it being celebrated as early as 2019, and the event has continued to gain traction on various social media platforms.

Alternative Dates
Though May 14th appears to be the primary day to recognize Centaur Day, there are other small groups which argue for different dates. The Krewe of Centaur in Louisiana, has long recognized Centaur Day as taking place ten days before Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), and hold parades to commemorate the occasion. While some even smaller arts groups recognize Centaur Day as taking place on April 16th because they observe a significance in the "4x4" nature of the date, similar to the four legged nature of a centaur.