User:Bernie33/Mayoff day

=Mayoff Day=

Mayoff Day is a unique, joyous and somewhat frivolous annual event. It is observed primarily in English speaking countries, where it is a wordplay on the family surname and the English name, spelling and pronunciation of the month of May. It is a celebration of friendship among Mayoffs, friends of Mayoffs, the extended family of Mayoffs, Mayoff wannabe's and Mayoff groupies.

History
Mayoff Day was first celebrated in Chicago, Illinois starting in the mid-70's. Originally conceived by Bernie Mayoff, with the cooperation of his wife, Denise, it was first revealed to Bernie's amused co-workers. They were quickly won over by the sharing of Mayoff Day Cookies which have come to be a traditional part of the celebration. Mayoff childrens reactions varied over time, ranging from amusement, to embarrassment, to enthusiastic participation and sharing with friends.

Calendar
The official Mayoff Day is the day you take May off the calendar, June 1. Most people tend to think of it as the last day of May and celebrate on that evening, but technically it begins at midnight on June 1, just as New Year's Day is January 1 but celebrations take place the previous evening. For practical reasons, Mayoff Day parties are often held on a Saturday evening of the weekend preceding or following the official date.

In the US, care should be taken to not interfere with observance of the more somber and sacred Memorial Day.

Foods
Food is a major part of the celebration of Mayoff Day. In some locations it is celebrated in restaurants with friends. In other locations it is celebrated in homes with foods oriented around a theme.

An essential part of a home celebration are Mayoff Day Cookies, a treat that has become known across the USA and internationally as Mayoffs and friends of Mayoffs have traveled and migrated. Mayoff Day cookies are a blend of succulent chocolate cookies containing chunks of peanut butter.

Scope
Through friends and family knowledge of Mayoff Day continues to spread. Celebrants and their families are known to have brought awareness of Mayoff Day to at least :
 * California
 * Connecticut
 * Illinois
 * Florida
 * Maryland
 * New Jersey
 * New York
 * North Carolina
 * Texas
 * Virginia
 * Wisconsin

and to:
 * Argentina
 * Belgium
 * Canada
 * Colombia
 * El Salvador
 * France
 * Germany
 * Israel
 * Ireland
 * Netherlands
 * Mexico
 * Sweden
 * Uganda

Music
We've been privileged that long time family friend and Renaissance man Doug Frazier has created a Mayoff Day song every year since 1980. Lyrics to all of them are available on the music page of the official Mayoff website. Advances in technology permitted the capture of sound recordings and internet posting beginning with "Mayoff Day is. . ." in 1999. Songs include:

=Evolution of media and communications= In the fall of 1993 Art Mayoff began publishing the Family Descendant, a newsletter for and about Mayoffs worldwide. It was an outgrowth of his research into the genealogy of the family and a means of gathering additional information for his research. In the winter of 1995 the newsletter, and other information, began appearing on the internet. And in the winter of 1996 mayoff.com made its appearance. The last hardcopy version of Family Descendant was published in 2000 but the website remains vibrant.

Notifications of local celebrations around the world are now generally communicated via e-mail.

=Sharing Water= In 1961 Robert A. Heinlein published Stranger in a Strange Land and Bernie Mayoff, the originator of Mayoff Day, graduated high school and entered college. As with so many others in the 60's and later, the novel had a long term influence on Bernie. A precious ritual in the novel is the sharing of water and another is the effort to grok others. Indeed, sharing water is an aid to grokking. When a pool and hot tub became available, sharing water was added to the opportunities afforded to Mayoff Day celebrants to further promote the friendships which are the essence of Mayoff Day.

- Version 2 follows - Mayoff Day is a unique, joyous annual event which has become known in at least fourteen countries on five continents. It is observed primarily in English speaking countries and among English speaking residents of other countries. It began originally as a wordplay on the Mayoff family surname and the English name, spelling and pronunciation of the month of May. It is a celebration of friendship among Mayoffs, friends of Mayoffs, the extended family of Mayoffs, Mayoff wannabe's and Mayoff groupies. Over four decades it has grown to become a day to recall friendships among a far flung and growing number of people around the world who have heard about the event primarily by word of mouth.

History
Mayoff Day was first celebrated in Chicago, Illinois starting in the mid-70's. Originally conceived by Bernie Mayoff, with the cooperation of his wife, Denise, it was first revealed to Bernie's amused co-workers. They were quickly won over by the sharing of Mayoff Day Cookies which have come to be a traditional part of the celebration. Mayoff childrens reactions varied over time, ranging from amusement, to embarrassment, to enthusiastic participation and sharing with friends.

Calendar
The official Mayoff Day is the day you take May off the calendar, June 1. Most people tend to think of it as the last day of May and celebrate on that evening, but technically it begins at midnight on June 1, just as New Year's Day is January 1 but celebrations take place the previous evening. For practical reasons, Mayoff Day parties are often held on a Saturday evening of the weekend preceding or following the official date.

In the US, care should be taken to not interfere with observance of the more somber and sacred Memorial Day.

Foods
Food is a major part of the celebration of Mayoff Day. In some locations it is celebrated in restaurants with friends. In other locations it is celebrated in homes with foods oriented around a theme.

An essential part of a home celebration are Mayoff Day Cookies, a treat that has become known across the USA and internationally as Mayoffs and friends of Mayoffs have traveled and migrated. Mayoff Day cookies are a blend of succulent chocolate cookies containing chunks of peanut butter.

Scope
Through friends and family knowledge of Mayoff Day continues to spread. Celebrants and their families are known to have brought awareness of Mayoff Day to at least :
 * California
 * Connecticut
 * Illinois
 * Florida
 * Maryland
 * Missouri
 * New Jersey
 * New York
 * North Carolina
 * Texas
 * Virginia
 * Wisconsin

and to:
 * Argentina
 * Belgium
 * Canada
 * Colombia
 * El Salvador
 * France
 * Germany
 * Israel
 * Ireland
 * Netherlands
 * Mexico
 * Singapore
 * Sweden
 * Uganda

Music
We've been privileged that long time family friend and Renaissance man Doug Frazier has created a Mayoff Day song every year since 1980. Lyrics to all of them are available on the music page of the official Mayoff website. Advances in technology permitted the capture of sound recordings and internet posting beginning with "Mayoff Day is. . ." in 1999. Songs include:

=Evolution of media and communications= In the fall of 1993 Art Mayoff began publishing the Family Descendant, a newsletter for and about Mayoffs worldwide. It was an outgrowth of his research into the genealogy of the family and a means of gathering additional information for his research. In the winter of 1995 the newsletter, and other information, began appearing on the internet. And in the winter of 1996 mayoff.com made its appearance. The last hardcopy version of Family Descendant was published in 2000 but the website remains vibrant.

Notifications of local celebrations around the world are now generally communicated via e-mail.

=Sharing Water= In 1961 Robert A. Heinlein published Stranger in a Strange Land and Bernie Mayoff, the originator of Mayoff Day, graduated high school and entered college. As with so many others in the 60's and later, the novel had a long term influence on Bernie. A precious ritual in the novel is the sharing of water and another is the effort to grok others. Indeed, sharing water is an aid to grokking. When a pool and hot tub became available, sharing water was added to the opportunities afforded to Mayoff Day celebrants to further promote the friendships which are the essence of Mayoff Day.